Organic Matter Accumulation in the Upper Permian Dalong Formation from the Lower Yangtze Region,South China

The Late Permian was marked by a series of important geological events and widespread organic-rich black shale depositions,acting as important unconventional hydrocarbon source rocks.However,the mechanism of organic matter(OM)enrichment throughout this period is still controversial.Based on geochemical data,the marine redox conditions,paleogeographic and hydrographic environment,primary productivity,volcanism,and terrigenous input during the Late Permian in the Lower Yangtze region have been studied from the Putaoling section,Chaohu,to provide new insights into OM accumulation.Five Phases are distinguished based on the TOC and environmental variations.In Phase I,anoxic conditions driven by water restriction enhanced OM preservation.In Phase II,euxinic and cycling hydrological environments were the two most substantial controlling factors for the massive OM deposition.During Phase III,intensified terrestrial input potentially diluted the OM in sediment and the presence of oxygen in bottom water weakened the preservation condition.Phase IV was characterized by a relatively higher abundance of mercury(Hg)and TOC(peak at 16.98 wt%),indicating that enhanced volcanism potentially stimulated higher productivity and a euxinic environment.In Phase V,extremely lean OM was preserved as a result of terrestrial dilutions and decreasing primary productivity.Phases I,II and IV are characterized as the most prominent OM-rich zones due to the effective interactions of the controlling factors,namely paleogeographic,hydrographic environment,volcanism,and redox conditions.

Surface and Deep Structure of the Hanshan-Wuwei Basins in the Lower Yangtze Region:Implications for Mesozoic Tectonic Evolution of the South China Block

Indicating the tectonic features of the Hanshan-Wuwei basin can reconstruct the framework of the basins formed in Mesozoic and further understand the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the South China Block.Studies on surface structure,regional stress field and deep geophysical characteristics of the Mesozoic Hanshan-Wuwei basin in Lower Yangtze region were carried out.NE-NNE trending folds and faults developed in the northern margin of the basins.The reconstruction of tectonic stress fields indicates four stress stages dominating the basins'evolution including NW-SE compression,N-S compression,NW-SE extension and NWW-SEE compression.2D seismic profiles reveal coexistence of thrust,strike-slip and normal faults in the basin.Combined with regional geological studies,the geodynamic processes for the formation of the Hanshan-Wuwei basin can be divided into five stages:1)During the Late Triassic,EW trending foreland basin was formed by N-S compression;2)From Mid-Jurassic to Late Jurassic,continuous compression strengthened the foreland deformation and formed thrust nappes.In this stage,the integrated foreland basin was compartmentalized or fragmented,and transferred to the broken foreland basin;3)NE-trending sinistral strike-slip movement at the beginning of the Early Cretaceous;4)Regional extension resulted in normal faults and rift basins developing in the Late Cretaceous;5)The NWW-SEE compression at the end of the Late Cretaceous caused NW sinistral strike-slip faults to form,which partly transformed the rift basin.

Biomarker geochemistry of marine organic matter in the Hushan and Chaohu areas,Lower Yangtze region

Marine strata are widely exposed in the Hushan and Chaohu areas, Lower Yangtze region. As biomarker geochemistry of the strata has not been well documented, this paper deals with the biomarker composition of representative samples collected from the Silurian, Carboniferous and Triassic systems and their geological implications, thus providing clues to marine organic matter. On the basis of experimental results, it is shown that abundant biomarkers (e.g. n-alkanes, isoprenoids, terpanes and steranes) were detected. As organic matter in the strata is highly to over mature in general based on petrologic microobservation, some biomarkers (mainly n-alkanes) except terpanes and steranes cannot reflect the source, depositional environment and maturity of organic matter. Thus, primarily based on analyses of the terpanes and steranes, it is suggested that organic matter in the Silurian and Carboniferous strata is derived mainly from lower organisms, while higher plants are predominant in the Triassic organic matter. This further indicates that the depositional environment may have transformed from the marine to continental facies in the Late Triassic. These results provide new evidence for the study of regional depositional evolution, and have enriched the study of biological composition of organic matter. In addition, the biomarker geochemistry of organic matter at high to over maturation stage is addressed.

Research on Outcrop Sequence Stratigraphy of Permian in Middle-Lower Yangtze Region

According to the latest International Chronostratigraphic Scheme (ICS, 2000), the Permian in the Middle Lower Yangtze region of South China can be divided into three series and nine stages relevant to the traditional six stages of South China. From Assellian to Changxingian of Permian, 44 Ma in age range, the strata are composed of 14 third order sequences, each of which is 3.14 Ma in average age range. There is one third order sequence of Zisongian, equivalent to middle and upper Chuanshan Formation or equal to Asselian and two thirds of Sakmarian. There are two third order sequences, corresponding to Liang shan Formation or Zhenjiang Formation and upper Chuanshan Formation, which are assigned to Longlingian, coinciding with Artinskian and one third of Sakmarian. In addition, three third order sequences, equal to Qixia Formation, are attributed to Chihsian, corresponding to Kubergandian and one third of Roadian. Four third order sequences, comprising Gufeng, Maokou, Yanqiao, Yinping and Wuxue formations, are assigned to Maokouan, equivalent to two thirds of Roadian, Wordian and Capitanian. Two third order sequences, equal to Longtan Formation or Wujiaping Formation, are included in Wuchiapingian. Other two third order sequences, corresponding to Changxing Formation or Dalong Formation, are assigned to Changhsingian. In brief, these above third order sequences can be incorporated into 4 sequences sets.

Paleogeographic evolution of the Lower Yangtze region and the break of the “platform-slope-basin” pattern during the Late Ordovician

Wide distribution of the black shales and diversification of the graptolite fauna in South China during the Late Ordovician resulted from its unique paleogeographic pattern, which was significantly affected by the paleogeographic evolution of the Lower Yangtze region. In the study, 120 Upper Ordovician sections from the Lower Yangtze region were collected, and a unified biostratigraphic framework has been applied to these sections to establish a reliable stratigraphic subdivision and correlation. Under the unified time framework, we delineate the distribution area of each lithostratigraphic unit, outline the boundary between the sea and land, and reconstruct the paleogeographic pattern for each graptolite zone. The result indicates that, with the uplift and expansion of the ‘Jiangnan Oldland' in the beginning of the late Katian, the oldland extended into the Yangtze Sea gradually from south to north, which finally separate the Jiangnan Slope and the Yangtze Platform. Consequently,the longstanding paleogeographic pattern of "platform-slope-basin" in South China was broken. The paleogeographic change led to sedimentary differentiation among the two sides of the ‘Jiangnan Oldland' during the Late Ordovician. This event also led to the closure of the eastern exit of the Upper Yangtze Sea, and formed a semi-closed, limited and stagnant environment for the development of the organic-rich black shales during the Late Ordovician. The major controlling factors of these paleogeographic changes in the Lower Yangtze region were not consistent from the Katian to the Hirnantian. In the late Katian, the sedimentary differentiation between the east and west sides mostly resulted from regional tectonic movement-the Kwangsian Orogeny.However, during the Hirnantian, the whole Yangtze region became shallower, which was mostly influenced by the concentration of the Gondwana ice sheet and the consequent global sea level drop.

The marine Triassic sequence stratigraphy of Lower Yangtze

Based on detailed field observation and multidisciplinary studies of integrated stratigraphy, the marine Lower and Middle Triassic of Lower Yangtze region is divided into five third order sequences, the general approach of the outcrop sequence stratigraphical study of carbonate ramp is proposed, the pattern in the development of the Early and Middle Triassic sequence under the major regression is summarized, and the sequence stratigraphical and chronostratigraphical frameworks across various paleogeographical facies zones on the marginal platform are established.

Conodont Biostratigraphy and Age of the Early Triassic Fish-Bearing-Nodule Levels from Nanjing and Jurong, Jiangsu Province, South China

Fish-bearing-nodules are found in Early Triassic marine strata in many regions, including East Greenland, East Spitsbergen, Northwest Madagascar, Canada, Angola, and South China. A new Olenekian(Early Triassic) conodont biostratigraphic study for stratum that contains fish-bearing-nodule levels is conducted based on the Longtan(LT) Section of Nanjing City and the Qingshan(QS) Section of Jurong County, Jiangsu Province, South China. A total of 101 samples were collected at the two sections and three conodont zones were recognized: in ascending order, they are Scythogondolella(Sc.) milleri Zone, Novispathodus(Nv.) pingdingshanensis Zone, and Triassospathodus(Tr.) aff. homeri Zone. The Scythogondolella milleri Zone is globally recognized as the uppermost conodont zone of the Smithian and the base of the Novispathodus pingdingshanensis Zone was previously suggested as the marker of the Smithian-Spathian boundary in the Yangtze region. The fish-bearing-nodule levels of Nanjing and Jurong are within the conodont Scythogondolella milleri Zone, laterally correlated well with the upper part of the Novispathodus waageni Zone in Chaohu of Anhui Province that also contains fish-bearing-nodule levels. The conodont biostratigraphic correlation confirms the Early Triassic fish-bearing-nodule levels in the Lower Yangtze region are coeval, with an end-Smithian in age.