Research status of lacustrine mudrock deposition constrained from astronomical forcing

The sources,transportation and depositional processes of lacustrine mudrock are still poorly understood.Existing studies have demonstrated the controlling effect of astronomical forcing on lacustrine mudrock deposition,but its depositional mechanism and evolution are still not systematically investigated.Most research related to astronomical forcing exclusively highlights the sedimentation of carbonate rocks in deep-water lacustrine setting,with insufficient attention paid to the thick organic-rich,deep-lake mudrock.With the increasing interest in exploration and development of shale oil and gas accumulations,it is urgent to deeply understand depositional rules of lacustrine mudrock.This study reviews sediment sources,depositional mechanism and evolution process of mudrock through expounding the correlations between the periodic changes of astronomical forces,the parameters of Earth orbital and mudrock compositions.By investigating the existing literature and using some actual data of Jiyang Depression,Bohai Bay Basin in East China,this study expounds on the influence of astronomical cycles on the deposition of lacustrine mudrock.Moreover,efforts are made to analyze the effects of various orbital parameters(e.g.,precession,obliquity,and eccentricity with the periods ranging from tens of thousands years to million years)on the deposition of mudrock from small-scale(decimeters to meters)to large-scale(10s to 100s meters).Further,it is feasible to apply the high-precision isochronous stratigraphic correlation into clarifying the distribution of favorable shale oil and gas reservoirs.To conclude,this study enunciates the sedimentation of mudrock from a new perspective(astronomical forcing)and provides a direction for the research on sedimentation of fine-grained sedimentary rocks.