Megafossils of Betulaceae from the Oligocene of Qaidam Basin and their paleoenvironmental and phytogeographic implications

Understanding the paleoenvironment and phytogeographical history of the Tibetan Plateau,China relies on discovering new plant fossils.The Qaidam Basin has long been regarded as an ideal‘field laboratory’to investigate the paleoclimate and paleobiological evolution of the northern Tibetan Plateau.However,fossil angiosperms from the Qaidam Basin are rare,and our knowledge of its paleovegetation is poor.Here,we report fossil leaves and fruits of Betulaceae found from the Oligocene Shangganchaigou Formation of northwestern Qaidam Basin(Huatugou area).Comparative morphological analysis led us to assign the fruits to the Betula subgenus Betula and the leaves to Carpinus grandis.These findings,together with other reported fossil plants from the same locality,reveal a close floristic linkage between the Qaidam Basin and Europe during the Oligocene.The northern pathway of this floristic exchange may have crossed through the Qaidam Basin during the late Paleogene.This floristic linkage may have been facilitated by the continuous narrowing of the Turgai Strait and stronger westerlies,which transported moisture and provided favorable climatic conditions.Indeed,fossil plants collected from the Qaidam Basin suggest that during the Oligocene this region had warm and humid deciduous broad-leaf forest,which differs from the region’s modern vegetation and indicates that the Qaidam Basin may have been a suitable region for these plants to flourish and spread during the Oligocene.

Discovery of a geomorphological analog to Martian araneiforms in the Qaidam Basin, Tibetan Plateau

Araneiforms are spider-like ground patterns that are widespread in the southern polar regions of Mars.A gas erosion process driven by the seasonal sublimation of CO_(2) ice was proposed as an explanation for their formation,which cannot occur on Earth due to the high climatic temperature.In this study,we propose an alternative mechanism that attrib-utes the araneiform formation to the erosion of upwelling salt water from the subsurface,relying on the identification of the first terrestrial analog found in a playa of the Qaidam Basin on the northern Tibetan Plateau.Morphological analysis indicates that the structures in the Qaidam Basin have fractal features comparable to araneiforms on Mars.A numerical model is developed to investigate the araneiform formation driven by the water-diffusion mechanism.The simulation res-ults indicate that the water-diffusion process,under varying ground conditions,may be responsible for the diverse aranei-form morphologies observed on both Earth and Mars.Our numerical simulations also demonstrate that the orientations of the saltwater diffusion networks are controlled by pre-existing polygonal cracks,which is consistent with observations of araneiforms on Mars and Earth.Our study thus suggests that a saltwater-related origin of the araneiform is possible and has significant implications for water searches on Mars.

Characteristics and hydrocarbon accumulation model of Paleogene whole petroleum system in western depression of Qaidam Basin,NW China

Based on the oil and gas exploration in western depression of the Qaidam Basin,NW China,combined with the geochemical,seismic,logging and drilling data,the basic geological conditions,oil and gas distribution characteristics,reservoir-forming dynamics,and hydrocarbon accumulation model of the Paleogene whole petroleum system(WPS)in the western depression of the Qaidam Basin are systematically studied.A globally unique ultra-thick mountain-style WPS is found in the western depression of the Qaidam Basin.Around the source rocks of the upper member of the Paleogene Lower Ganchaigou Formation,the structural reservoir,lithological reservoir,shale oil and shale gas are laterally distributed in an orderly manner and vertically overlapped from the edge to the central part of the lake basin.The Paleogene WPS in the western depression of the Qaidam Basin is believed unique in three aspects.First,the source rocks with low organic matter abundance are characterized by low carbon and rich hydrogen,showing a strong hydrocarbon generating capacity per unit mass of organic carbon.Second,the saline lake basinal deposits are ultra-thick,with mixed deposits dominating the center of the depression,and strong vertical and lateral heterogeneity of lithofacies and storage spaces.Third,the strong transformation induced by strike-slip compression during the Himalayan resulted in the heterogeneous enrichment of oil and gas in the mountain-style WPS.As a result of the coordinated evolution of source-reservoir-caprock assemblage and conducting system,the Paleogene WPS has the characteristics of“whole process”hydrocarbon generation of source rocks which are low-carbon and hydrogen-rich,“whole depression”ultra-thick reservoir sedimentation,“all direction”hydrocarbon adjustment by strike-slip compressional fault,and“whole succession”distribution of conventional and unconventional oil and gas.Due to the severe Himalayan tectonic movement,the western depression of the Qaidam Basin evolved from depression to uplift.Shale oil is widely distributed in the central lacustrine basin.In the sedimentary system thicker than 2000 m,oil and gas are continuous in the laminated limy-dolomites within the source rocks and the alga limestones neighboring the source kitchen,with intercrystalline pores,lamina fractures in dolomites and fault-dissolution bodies serving as the effective storage space.All these findings are helpful to supplement and expand the WPS theory in the continental lake basins in China,and provide theoretical guidance and technical support for oil and gas exploration in the Qaidam Basin.

Reconstruction of the thermal evolution since the late paleozoic in the Ounan Sag, Eastern Qaidam Basin, NW China: New constraints from vitrinite reflectance data and(U-Th)/He thermochronology

Reconstructing the thermal evolution of the eastern Qaidam Basin is important for gaining a deeper understanding of its lithospheric geodynamics and for more accurate hydrocarbon evaluation and prediction. This article presents a set of new apatite and zircon(U-Th)/He thermochronological ages.Combined with 336 vitrinite reflectance(R_(o)) data, the thermal history of the Ouanan Sag in the eastern Qaidam Basin has been reconstructed using inversion models. Three detrital samples from the Ounan Sag shows that the apatite(U-Th)/He ages are primarily concentrated in the range of 17.0 Ma to 76.5 Ma and that the zircon(U-Th)/He ages range from 200 Ma to 289.3 Ma. The time-temperature models demonstrate that the Ounan Sag experienced rapid subsidence and heating from the Carboniferous to late Permian, and exhumation/cooling events from the end of Permian to the Triassic. This thermal evolution was influenced by the widespread intrusion of plutons, and the collision and orogenesis caused by asthenosphere upwelling below the Qaidam arc, and slab rollback of the Southern Kunlun oceanic lithosphere, respectively. Additionally, our models depict the main exhumation/cooling stages since the Paleogene and a reheating event in the Miocene as a result of the intensifying growth of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and local sedimentary loading, followed by the initial India-Eurasia collision. Furthermore, the eastern Qaidam Basin experienced consistent heating during the late Paleozoic, reaching the maximum paleotemperature and geothermal gradient in the late Permian, with values of ~230℃ and~43-44℃/km, respectively. This study suggests that the source rocks in the most upper member of upper Carboniferous Keluke(C_(2)k) Formations in the Ounan Sag reached the gas generation stage in the late Permian.

Application of 9-component S-wave 3D seismic data to study sedimentary facies and reservoirs in a biogasbearing area:A case study on the Pleistocene Qigequan Formation in Taidong area,Sanhu Depression,Qaidam Basin,NW China

To solve the problems in restoring sedimentary facies and predicting reservoirs in loose gas-bearing sediment,based on seismic sedimentologic analysis of the first 9-component S-wave 3D seismic dataset of China,a fourth-order isochronous stratigraphic framework was set up and then sedimentary facies and reservoirs in the Pleistocene Qigequan Formation in Taidong area of Qaidam Basin were studied by seismic geomorphology and seismic lithology.The study method and thought are as following.Firstly,techniques of phase rotation,frequency decomposition and fusion,and stratal slicing were applied to the 9-component S-wave seismic data to restore sedimentary facies of major marker beds based on sedimentary models reflected by satellite images.Then,techniques of seismic attribute extraction,principal component analysis,and random fitting were applied to calculate the reservoir thickness and physical parameters of a key sandbody,and the results are satisfactory and confirmed by blind testing wells.Study results reveal that the dominant sedimentary facies in the Qigequan Formation within the study area are delta front and shallow lake.The RGB fused slices indicate that there are two cycles with three sets of underwater distributary channel systems in one period.Among them,sandstones in the distributary channels of middle-low Qigequan Formation are thick and broad with superior physical properties,which are favorable reservoirs.The reservoir permeability is also affected by diagenesis.Distributary channel sandstone reservoirs extend further to the west of Sebei-1 gas field,which provides a basis to expand exploration to the western peripheral area.

Paleogene and Early Neogene Lacustrine Reefs in the Western Qaidam Basin, China

Typical reefs in the Paleogene and early Neogene strata of the Qaidam Basin, Tibetan Plateau, China, reveal their internal structures and sedimentation environments and consist mainly of algal reef, stromatolite reef and thrombolite reef with distinct reef structures, fore-reef, back-reef and reef-plateau. The fore-reef is characterized by a combination of pinnacle reef, thrombolite and algal reef. The back reef is composed of stromatolite reef and algal reef. The pinnacle reefs (micro-atoll), most of which are several tens of centimeters in diameter (whereas some exceptionally big ones are over 200 cm in diameter), and several tens of centimeter to 2 m in height, are situated on the far front-edge of the reef; the pinnacle reef is also often of recumbent form with a gravel-filled circular hole in the center. The algal reef is in the form of dome and irregular beds, and filled with algal detritus, ostracodes, spirorbis fossils, ooid and terrigenous debris, and worm traces; cavities and scour marks are often developed. The algal reef is gray commonly when fresh and weathers to a brown color. The lacustrine thrombolite in the Qaidam Basin is light gray or deep gray when fresh, white-gray or brown when weathered, dense and homogeneous with abundant pores filled by oil and bitumen. Observed under the microscope, the thrombolite consists mainly of brown or brown-black clots with a little algal debris, ooid, pellet, ostracodes, spirorbis fossils and terrigenous debris, in some cases, terrigenous debris, even gravel, is abundant. Many features of the thrombolite suggest that it is formed in a high-energy envkonment. The stromatolite reefs developed on the lacustrine algal reef in the Qaidam Basin are very complex whether in shape or in internal structure. The simplest ones form laminated layers and the most complex ones have intensely branching structures. The size is also variable.

Magnetostratigraphy and Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility of the Lulehe Formation in the Northeastern Qaidam Basin

The timing of onset of deposition of the Lulehe Formation is a significant factor in understanding the genesis of the Qaidam basin and the evolution of the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we describe a detailed magnetostratigraphic and magnetic fabric study of the middle and lower parts of the Lulehe Formation. A total of 234 samples were collected from 117 sites throughout a thickness of almost 460 m of fluvial and lacustrine deposits at the Xitieshan section in the northeastern Qaidam basin. Out of these sites, 94 sites yielded well-defined characteristic remanent magnetization components by stepwise thermal demagnetization and were used to establish the magnetostratigraphy of the studied section. Based on correlation with the geomagnetic polarity timescale, the studied section spans the period from 53.8 Ma to 50.7 Ma. Our results show a three-fold decrease in sedimentation rates as well as marked change in facies from braided river to delta and shore-shallow lake around 52.6 Ma, which suggests tectonic uplift of the northeastern Qaidam basin margin ridge was rapid at the onset of formation of the Qaidam basin and subsequently weakened after 52.6 Ma. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility results indicate that tectonic compression stress had reached the northeastern Tibetan Plateau by the early stages of Indo-Eurasian plate collision and that the direction of stress in the study area was NE-SW. Furthermore, a weakening of tectonic compression stress around 52.6 Ma is consistent with sedimentary records. The age of initial deposition of the Qaidam basin （around 53.8 Ma） was almost synchronous with that of the Qiangtang, Hoh Xil, Xining, and Lanzhou basins, which implies that stress was transferred rapidly through the Tibetan Plateau during or immediately after the onset of Indo-Eurasian collision.

Paleozoic and Mesozoic Basement Magmatisms of Eastern Qaidam Basin,Northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and its Geological Significance

The eastern margin of the Qaidam Basin lies in the key tectonic location connecting the Qinling, Qilian and East Kunlun orogens. The paper presents an investigation and analysis of the geologic structures of the area and LA-ICP MS zircon U-Pb dating of Paleozoic and Mesozoic magmatisms of granitoids in the basement of the eastern Qaidam Basin on the basis of 16 granitoid samples collected from the South Qilian Mountains, the Qaidam Basin basement and the East Kunlun Mountains. According to the results in this paper, the basement of the basin, from the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin to the East Kunlun Mountains, has experienced at least three periods of intrusive activities of granitoids since the Early Paleozoic, i.e. the magmatisms occurring in the Late Cambrian （493.1±4.9 Ma）, the Silurian （422.9±8.0 Ma-420.4±4.6 Ma） and the Late Permian-Middle Triassic （257.8±4.0 Ma-228.8＋1.5 Ma）, respectively. Among them, the Late Permian - Middle Triassic granitoids form the main components of the basement of the basin. The statistics of dated zircons in this paper shows the intrusive magmatic activities in the basement of the basin have three peak ages of 244 Ma （main）, 418 Ma, and 493 Ma respectively. The dating results reveal that the Early Paleozoic magmatism of granitoids mainly occurred on the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin and the southern margin of the Qilian Mountains, with only weak indications in the East Kunlun Mountains. However, the distribution of Permo-Triassic （P-T） granitoids occupied across the whole basement of the eastern Qaidam Basin from the southern margin of the Qilian Mountains to the East Kunlun Mountains. An integrated analysis of the age distribution of P-T granitoids in the Qaidam Basin and its surrounding mountains shows that the earliest P-T magmatism （293.6-270 Ma） occurred in the northwestern part of the basin and expanded eastwards and southwards, resulting in the P-T intrusive magmatism that ran through the whole basin basement. As the Cenozoic basement thrust system developed in the eastern Qaidam Basin, the nearly N-S-trending shortening and deformation in the basement of the basin tended to intensify from west to east, which went contrary to the distribution trend of N-S-trending shortening and deformation in the Cenozoic cover of the basin, reflecting that there was a transformation of shortening and thickening of Cenozoic crust between the eastern and western parts of the Qaidam Basin, i.e., the crustal shortening of eastern Qaidam was dominated by the basement deformation （triggered at the middle and lower crust）, whereas that of western Qaidam was mainly by folding and thrusting of the sedimentary cover （the upper crust）.

Cenozoic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau:Evidence from the tectonic-sedimentary evolution of the western Qaidam Basin

Geologists agree that the collision of the Indian and Asian plates caused uplift of the Tibet Plateau. However, controversy still exists regarding the modes and mechanisms of the Tibetan Plateau uplift. Geology has recorded this uplift well in the Qaidam Basin. This paper analyzes the tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the western Qaidam Basin using sub-surface seismic and drill data. The Cenozoic intensity and history of deformation in the Qaidam Basin have been reconstructed based on the tectonic developments, faults growth index, sedimentary facies variations, and the migration of the depositional depressions. The changes in the sedimentary facies show that lakes in the western Qaidam Basin had gone from inflow to still water deposition to withdrawal. Tectonic movements controlled deposition in various depressions, and the depressions gradually shifted southeastward. In addition, the morphology of the surface structures in the western Qaidam Basin shows that the Cenozoic tectonic movements controlled the evolution of the Basin and divided it into （a） the southern fault terrace zone, （b） a central Yingxiongling orogenic belt, and （c） the northern fold-thrust belt; divided by the XI fault （Youshi fault） and Youbei fault, respectively. The field data indicate that the western Qaidam Basin formed in a Cenozoic compressive tectonic environment caused by the India--Asia plate collision. Further, the Basin experienced two phases of intensive tectonic deformation. The first phase occurred during the Middle Eocene--Early Miocene （Xia Ganchaigou Fm. and Shang Ganchaigou Fro., 43.8- 22 Ma）, and peaked in the Early Oligocene （Upper Xia Ganchaigou Fro., 31.5 Ma）. The second phase occurred between the Middle Miocene and the Present （Shang Youshashan Fro. and Qigequan Fro., 14.9-0 Ma）, and was stronger than the first phase. The tectonic--sedimentary evolution and the orienta- tion of surface structures in the western Qaidam Basin resulted from the Tibetan Plateau uplift, and recorded the periodic northward growth of the Plateau. Recognizing this early tectonic--sedimentary evolution supports the previous conclusion that northern Tibet responded to the collision between India and Asia shortly after its initiation. However, the current results reveal that northern Tibet also experi- enced another phase of uplift during the late Neogene. The effects of these two stages of tectonic activity combined to produce the current Tibetan Plateau.

Cenozoic Stratigraphy Deformation History in the Central and Eastern of Qaidam Basin by the Balance Section Restoration and its Implication

The Qaidam Basin, located in the northern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is a large Mesozoic-Cenozoic basin, and bears huge thick Cenozoic strata. The geologic events of the Indian- Eurasian plate-plate collision since -55 Ma have been well recorded. Based on the latest progress in high-resolution stratigraphy, a technique of balanced section was applied to six pieces of northeast- southwest geologic seismic profiles in the central and eastern of the Qaidam Basin to reconstruct the crustal shortening deformation history during the Cenozoic collision. The results show that the Qaidam Basin began to shorten deformation nearly synchronous to the early collision, manifesting as a weak compression, the deformation increased significantly during the Middle and Late Eocene, and then weakened slightly and began to accelerate rapidly since the Late Miocene, especially since the Quaternary, reflecting this powerful compressional deformation and rapid uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau around the Qaidam Basin.

The Sedimentary Record in Northern Qaidam Basin and its Response to the Uplift of the South Qilian Mountain at around 30 Ma

The thick, Eocene to Pliocene, sedimentary sequence in Qaidam Basin at the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau records the surface uplift history of the northeastern Tibetan plateau. In this study, we present detailed geochemistry, heavy mineral, and clay mineralogy data of the well preserved sedimentary record in the Dahongou section in the northeast of the Qaidam Basin. The results suggest that the sedimentary sequence recorded a 30 Ma young uplift/unroofing event in the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin, which is characterized by high ZTR index value and chlorite content, and low CIW＇. The results are consistent with previous sedimentological studies of the Qaidam Basin, which indicated rapid increase of the accumulation rates around 30 Ma. Based on past thermochronological data from the mountains around the Qaidam Basin and the accumulation rates of the Cenozoic basins in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, we infer a regional uplift and denudation event along the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during early Oligocene （-30 Ma）, indicating that the Tibetan Plateau had expanded north-eastward of the study area at that time.

Chemical and Isotopic Approach to Groundwater Cycle in Western Qaidam Basin,China

Due to the extremely arid climate in the western Qaidam Basin,the groundwater almost becomes the single water source for local residents and industrial production.It is necessary to know the reliable information on the groundwater cycle in this region for reasonable and sustainable exploitation of the groundwater resources with the further execution of recycling economy policies.This study focused on the recharge,the flow rate and the discharge of groundwater in the western Qaidam Basin through investigations on water chemistry and isotopes.Hydrological,chemical and isotopic characteristics show that the groundwater in the western Qaidam Basin was recharged by meltwater from new surface snow and old bottom glaciers on the northern slope of the Kunlun Mountains.In addition,the results also prove that the source water is enough and stable,and the rates of the circulation and renewal of the groundwater are relatively quick.Therefore,it can be concluded that the groundwater resources would guarantee the regional requirement if the meltwater volume of the mountains has not a great changes in future,moreover,water exploitation should be limited to the renewable amount of the groundwater reservoir in the western Qaidam Basin.

Standardization of Qilian Juniper ring-width series in the eastern margin of the Qaidam Basin

Standardization is one of the important procedures in dendroclimatology. We used abundant Qilian juniper （Sabina przewalskii Kom.） tree-ring samples from the eastern margin of the Qaidam Basin to develop a new standardization method, i.e. total growth curve （TGC）. The samples that contained the complete pith and reached to the growing culmination around the 40th-60th year were used to fit TGC, and the generalized negative exponential function was used to fit the curve. Usually, most cores cannot reach the arboreal pith for some reasons and it is difficult to determine the arboreal cambial age. The empirical model of initial radial growth （IRG） was employed to estimate the number of rings missing from the pith by the same data and IRG model explained 90.9% of the variance. When developing the chronology, the cambial ages of cores that contained the complete pith were regarded as beginning from the first year and others were determined by the numbers of missing and included rings in the core. Standardization was accomplished by dividing each tree-ring series by corresponding TGC. The chronologies developed by TGC can retain more low-frequency variational information and TGC helps to develop more reliable tree-ring width chronology.

Geochemical Characteristics and Origin of Natural Gases in the Qaidam Basin,China

Sixty-five natural gas samples were collected from 19 oil-gasfields in theQaidam basin, China. The chemical composition and carbon isotope values of the samples weremeasured, and the geochemical characteristics and origin of the natural gases were studied. Thegases can be divided into biogenic gases, sapropelic oil-type gases, mixed type oil-type gases,coal-type gases and mixed gas. The delta^(13)C_1 values of the biogenic gases are very small and theC_2^+ contents of them are very low, ranging from -68.2 per thousand to -61 .8 per thousand and0.06 percent to 0.20 percent respectively. They have heavy delta D and delta^(13)C_(CO_2), showing aCO_2 reduction pathway. They ,are distributed in the East depression region and derived from theQuaternary source rocks. The sapropelic oil-type gases have small delta^(13)C_2 values and highC_2^+ ranging from -36.6 per thousand to -28.6 per thousand and from 33.01 percent to 47.15 percentrespectively. The mixed type oil-type gases have delta^(13)C_2 values and C_2^+ contents varyingfrom -28.6 per thousand to -24.8 per thousand and from 4.81 percent to 26.06 percent respectively.Both sapropelic oil-type gases and mixed type oil-type gases are associated with oil-type oils,distributed in the West depression region and derived from the Tertiary saltwater lacustrinesapropelic source rocks and humic source rocks respectively. The delta^(13)C_2 values of thecoal-type gases are extremely high and the C_2^+ contents are very low, changing from -23.3 perthousand to -12.5 per thousand and from 0.06 percent to 18.07 percent respectively. The coal-typegases in the Nanbaxian gasfield and the Lenghu oil-gasfields in the North fault block belt arederived from the Middle Jurassic coal-measures source rocks, whereas those in the West depressionregion are derived from the Tertiary saltwater lacustrine humic source rocks. Compared with someother basins in China, the natural gases there have obviously heavier delta^(13)C due to the heavierdelta^(13)C of different types of kerogens of the Tertiary saltwater lacustrine source rocks in theWest depression region of the basin. The mixing of natural gases is common in the West depressionregion, but the mixed gases are formed by sapropelic oil-type gases, mixed type oil-type gases orcoal-type gases, respectively, of different levels of maturity. Most of the sapropelic oil-typegases and mixed type oil-type gases in the west part are thermally immature and low-mature, but thecoal-type gases in the West depression region and the North fault block belt are mature and high- toover-mature.

Cenozoic Environmental Changes in the Northern Qaidam Basin Inferred from n-alkane Records

Cenozoic climatic and environmental changes in the arid Asian interior, and their possible relations with global climatic changes and the Tibetan Plateau uplift, have been intensively investigated and debated over past decades. Here we present 40-Myr （million years）-long n-alkane records from a continuous Cenozoic sediment sequence in the Dahonggou Section, Qaidam Basin, northern Tibetan Plateau, to infer environmental changes in the northern basin. A set of n-alkane indexes, including ACL, CPI and Paq, vary substantially and consistently throughout the records, which are interpreted to reflect relative contributions from terrestrial vascular plants vs. aquatic macrophytes, and thus indicate depositional environments. ACL values vary between 21 and 30; CP1 values range from 1.0 to 8.0; and Paq values change from 〈0.1 to 0.8 over the past 40-Myr. We have roughly identified two periods, at 25.8-21.0 Ma （million years ago） and 13.0-17.5 Ma, with higher ACL and CPI and lower Paq values indicating predominant lacustrine environments. Lower ACL and CPI values, together with higher Paq values, occurred at 〉25.8 Ma, 17.5-21.0 Ma, and 〈13.0 Ma, corresponding to alluvial fan/river deltaic deposits and shallow lacustrine settings, consistent with the observed features in sedimentological facies. The inferred Cenozoic environmental changes in the northern Qaidam Basin appear to correspond to global climatic changes.

OSL chronology and paleoclimatic implications of paleodunes in the middle and southwestern Qaidam Basin, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Aeolian sediments are widely distributed in the Qaidam Basin, northeastern Qinghai-Ti^tan Plateau （QTP）. The pale（xiunes are mainly located at the southeastern, middle and southwestem Qaidam Basin. However, ages ofpaleodunes in the middle and southwestern Qaidam Basin have not been well studied, although they are close to and might connect to the evolution of salt lakes in the cenWal basin. In this study, we use single aliquot regeneration （SAR） protocol of Optically Stimulated Luminescence （OSL） to date the dune sand in these two regions. The results show that： （1） Sand accumulation in these regions started at ca. 4-3 ka and lasted to ca. 0.5 ka when they were stabilized, due to the arid climate in the late Holocene. （2） The underlying fluvial sand was fomaed during deghcialion at 12.6±0.8 ka. （3） The stabilization pe- riods of the paleodunes correspond to stages of glacier advance in the northeastem QTP, during which lower temperatures caused the decrease of evapomlion and increase of the effective moisttwe, leading to an increase of vegetation cover and stabilizalion of the dunes.

Occurrence of Middle Miocene Fossil Cyprinid Fish in the Northern Qaidam Basin and its Paleoenvironmental Implications

With a thick sequence of early Eocene to Pleistocene terrestrial records, the Qaidam Basin on the northern Tibetan Plateau provides an important sedimentary archive for understanding the paleoenvironmental evolution of the northeast Tibetan Plateau. In this study, specimens of fossil fish remains are collected from the late Middle Miocene（Serravallian, -12 Ma） of the middle member of the Shang Youshashan Formation, Dahonggou（DHG） section, in the northern Qaidam Basin. Based on a systematic study of these materials, the remains have assigned to Cyprinidae, with typical pharyngeal teeth and dorsal fin spines with serrations on the posterior edge. Our discovery improves understanding of the cyprinid fish distribution characteristics in the Qaidam Basin during the Cenozoic. Cooccurrences of terrestrial brackish ostracod species Cyprideis and long chain alkenonesin the layer indicate that the studied cyprinid fish lived in a generally large brackish to saline water body during the late middle Miocene（Serravallian）, when the climate of Qaidam Basin was still not sufficiently dry to form an extreme saline water lake.

Spatial distribution of vegetation and the influencing factors in Qaidam Basin based on NDVI

The spatial distribution of vegetation in Qaidam Basin was analyzed using GIMMS（Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies） /NDVI（Normalized Difference Vegetation Index） data set from January 1982 to December 2006.Based on the data of precipitation,terrain,stream systems,land use and the map of vegetation distribution in Qaidam Basin,we studied the factors influencing the spatial distribution of vegetation.The results showed that the vegetation was generally low in Qaidam Basin and there was a clear semi-ring structure from southeast to northwest.In some areas,the existence of rivers,lakes and spring belts turned this semi-ring structure into a non-continuous state and formed distinct bright spots and continuous linear features.There were four main factors that affected the spatial distribution of vegetation coverage in Qaidam Basin,i.e.,precipitation,hydrological conditions,altitude and human activities.Precipitation and altitude have a correlation and determine the basic pattern of vegetation distribution in Qaidam Basin.The impacts of hydrological conditions and human activities were mainly embodied in partial areas,and often broke the pattern of vegetation distribution dominated by precipitation and altitude.

Natural Gas Types,Distribution Controlling Factors,and Future Exploration in the Western Qaidam Basin

The Paleogene and Neogene oil and gas in the western Qaidam basin have a regular distribution in three concentric zones from the edge to the center of the basin. Natural gas mainly occurs in the inner zone, and the gas-oil ratio of the northern area of the basin is significantly higher than that of the southern area. Large amounts of carbon isotope data of natural gas, plotted in X- shaped and comprehensive identification diagrams for the southern area and northern area, respectively, were used to identify the types of natural gas. The large-scale distribution of natural gas is highly consistent with the Ro values of major source rocks, but is poorly correlated with the type of organic matter. This indicates that the main controlling factor of natural gas distribution is organic matter maturity, and the kerogen types act as the basis for the formation of different types of natural gas. Paleouplifts and squeezed anticlines near hydrocarbon generation depression centers, which are major natural gas-rich regions, control the migration directions of natural gas, while hydrocarbon migration pathways and fault systems connecting gas sources are the most important factors for natural gas reservoir formation in the inner basin. Therefore, favorable zones for natural gas distribution can be predicted on the basis of the distribution of thermal evolution and the gas generation intensity of major source rocks as well as the structural map. The Shizigou-Youshashan- Yingdong-Dawusi, Youquanzi -Kaitemilike - Youdunzi, and Xiaoliangshan - Nanyishan - Dafengshan structural belts are favorable zones for natural gas accumulation. This study has important theoretical and practical significance for future natural gas exploration.

Characteristics of Abnormal Pressure Systems and Their Responses of Fluid in Huatugou Oil Field,Qaidam Basin

Based on the comprehensive study of core samples, well testing data, and reservoir fluid properties, the construction and the distribution of the abnormal pressure systems of the Huatugou oil field in Qaidam Basin are discussed. The correlation between the pressure systems and hydrocarbon accumulation is addressed by analyzing the corresponding fluid characteristics. The results show that the Huatugou oil field as a whole has low formation pressure and low fluid energy; therefore, the hydrocarbons are hard to migrate, which facilitates the forming of primary reservoirs. The study reservoirs, located at the Xiayoushashan Formation （N1/2） and the Shangganchaigou Formation （N1） are relatively shallow and have medium porosity and low permeability. They are abnormal low-pressure reservoirs with an average formation pressure coefficient of 0.61 and 0.72 respectively. According to the pressure coefficient and geothermal anomaly, the N1 and N1/2 Formations belong to two independent temperature-pressure systems, and the former has slightly higher energy. The low-pressure compartments consist of a distal bar as the main body, prodelta mud as the top boundary, and shore and shallow lake mud or algal mound as the bottom boundary. They are vertically overlapped and horizontally paralleled. The formation water is abundant in the Cl^- ion and can be categorized as CaCl2 type with high safinity, which indicates that the abnormal low-pressure compartments are in good sealing condition and beneficial for oil and gas accumulation and preservation.