Hydrothermal Mineralization on the Mesoproterozoic Passive Continental Margins of China: A Case Study of the Langshan-Zha'ertaishan Belt,Inner Mongolia, China

Most ore-forming characteristics of the Langshan-Zha'ertaishan hydrothermal exhalation belt, which consists of the Dongshengmiao, Huogeqi, Tanyaokou and Jiashengpan large-superlarge Zn-Pb-Cu-Fe sulfide deposits, are most similar to those of Mesoproterozoic SEDEX-type provinces of the world. The characteristics include: (1) All deposits of this type in the belt occur in third-order fault-basins in the Langshan-Zha'ertaishan aulacogen along the northern margin of the North China Platform; (2) these deposits with all their orebodies hosted in the Mesoproterozoic impure dolomite-marble and carbonaceous phyllite (or schists) have an apparent stratabound nature; ores display laminated and banded structures, showing clear depositional features; (3) there is some evidence of syn-sedimentary faulting, which to a certain extent accounts for the temporal and spatial distribution and the size of the orebodies in all deposits and the formation of intrabed conglomerates and breccias; (4) they show lateral and vertical zonation of sulfides; (5) The Cu/(Pb+Zn+Cu) ratio of the large and thick Pb+Zn+Cu orebodies gradually decreases from bottom to top; and (6) barite is interbedded with pyrites and sometimes with sphalerite. However, some characteristics such as the Co/Ni radio of the pyrites, the volcanism, for example, of the Langshan-Zha'ertaishan metallogenic belt, are different from those of the typical SEDEX deposits of the world. The meta-basic volcanic rock in Huogeqi, the sodic bimodal volcanic rocks in the Dongshengmiao and potassic bimodal-volcanic rocks with blastoporphyritic and blasto-glomeroporphyritic texture as well as blasto-amygdaloidal structure in the Tanyaokou deposits have been discovered in the only ore-bearing second formation of the Langshan Group in the past 10 years. The metallogeny of some deposits hosted in the Langshan Group is closely related to syn-sedimentary volcanism based on the following facts: most of the lead isotopes in sphalerite, galena, pyrite, pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite plot on both sides of the line for the mantle or between the lines for the mantle and lower crust in the lead isotope composition diagram; cobalt content of some pyrites samples is much higher than the nickel content (Co/Ni=11.91-12.19). Some volcanic blocks and debris have been picked out from some pyritic and pyrrhotitic ores. All Zn-Pb-Cu-Fe sulfide orebodies in these deposits occur in the strata overlying metamorphic volcanic rocks in the only ore-bearing second formation. In the Jiashengpan deposit that lacks syn-sedimentary volcanic rocks in the host succession only Pb and Zn ores occur without Cu ore, but in the Dongshengmiao, Tanyaokou and Huogeqi deposits with syn-sedimentary volcanic rocks in the host succession Cu ores occur. This indicates a relatively higher ore-forming temperature. The process of syn-sedimentary volcanic eruption directly supplied some ore-forming elements, and resulted in secular geothermal anomaly favorable for the circulation of a submarine convective hydrothermal system, which accounts for the precipitation of deep mineralizing fluids exhaling into anoxidic basins along the syn-sedimentary fault system in the Langshan-Zha'ertai rift. The Dongshengmiao, Tanyaokou, and Huogeqi deposits hosted in the Langshan Group appear to be a transitional type of mineral deposit between SEDEX and VMS-types but with a bias towards SEDEX, while the Jiashengpan deposit hosted in the Zha'ertai Group is of a characteristic SEDEX type. This evidence, together with other new discoveries of Mesoproterozoic volcanic rocks and the features of lithogeny and metallogeny of the Bayun Obo deposit in the neighborhood emphasize the diversity, complexity and uniqueness of the Mesoproterozoic Langshan-Zha'ertai-Bayun Obo ore belt.

Properties of Continental Margin and its Hydrocarbon Exploration Significance in Cambrian in the Southern Ordos Kratogen of North China

It is important to determine the properties of the tectonics in Cambrian period for the sake of prospecting deep hydrocarbon in the near future in the southern Ordos Kratogen of North China. Authors chose the marginal areas of the southern Ordos basin as the object of research, avoided the effects of both the Qinling Orogenic Belts （QOB） and Weihe River Graben （WRG） whose geological structures are too complicated. By surveying typical Cambrian outcrops and profdes in the basin edges and based on the cores of 57 wells which penetrated the Cambrian in the basin, combined with the seismic profiles, the field gammaray measuement results and the carbon isotope analysis, Authors conclude that the southern margin of the Ordos Kratogen during Cambrian was a passive continental margin which resulted from sea-floor spreading of the Ancient Qinling Ocean. Epicontinental sea carbonate sediments formed in the south Ordos continental margin during Cambrian, and were predominant as tidal flat and o61itic shoal. Both transgression-regression process and the change in palaeostructure have the obvious cyclicity. Using the junction between the late Nangao age of Qiandong epoch and the early Duyun age of Qiandong epoch as a boundary, each had a full transgression cycle at the upper and lower stages. The early cycle is characterized by high energy clastic littoral facies while the late cycle is characterized by carbonate ramp on which clear water and muddy water developed alternately changing to carbonate platform last. During the early stages, An aulacogen was formed in the middle section of the southern margin. The southern Ordos margin was uplifted and denudated by the Huaiyuan Movement which occurred from the late Furongian age to the middle Flolan age and the history of the passive continental margin ended and entering into a new tectonic cycle. The unconformity surface caused by the Huaiyuan Movement, along with its neighborhood areas where dissolved pores and cavities are developed, may be another important district for good hydrocarbon reservoirs （excluding the unconformity surface on the top of the Ordovician in the Ordos basin）.

Asymmetric Atlantic continental margins

We analyze the gross crustal structure of the Atlantic Ocean passive continental margins from north to the south,comparing eleven sections of the conjugate margins.As a general result,the western margins show a sharper continental-ocean transition with respect to the eastern margins that rather show a wider stretched and thinner margin.The Moho is in average about 5.7±1dipping toward the interior of the continent on the western side,whereas it is about 2.7±1in the eastern margins.Moreover,the stretched continental crust is on average 244 km wide on the western side,whereas it is up to about 439 km on the eastern side of the Atlantic.This systematic asymmetry reflects the early stages of the diachronous Mesozoic to Cenozoic continental rifting,which is inferred as the result of a polarized westward motion of both western and eastern plates,being Greenland,Northern and Southern Americas plates moving westward faster with respect to Scandinavia,Europe and Africa,relative to the underlying mantle.

Provenance and depositional setting of the Late MiocenePleistocene clastic sediments in the eastern Arabian Peninsula and western Iraq using rare earth elements geochemistry

The sandstones of the Late miocene–Pliocene Dibdibba Formation in the Najaf–Karbala Plateau and Basra were examined to determine their source rocks and origin. The rare earth elements(REE) and trace elements(Sc, Co, V, and Th) concentrations in these sandstones revealed that they likely derived from a single source. The steep light rare earth elements(LREE) and flat, heavy rare earth element(HREE) patterns, negative Eu anomaly, and high ΣREE contents in sandstones suggest its derivation from a suggests that a passive continental margin environment and originated from felsic source rocks. The average concentration of ΣREE is 93.5 ppm, which is lower than that of the average crustal compositions like Upper Continental Crust and Post Archean Australian Shale. The higher proportion of LREE compared to HREE implies that these sandstones were recycled and derived from a distal source. The Th/Co, Th/Sc, La/Sc, La/Co, Eu/Eu*and(La/Lu)cn elemental ratios indicated that these Late Miocene–Pliocene sandstones were derived from felsic rocks located in the marginal region of the Arabian Shield.

Sedimentary build-ups of pre-salt isolated carbonate platforms and formation of deep-water giant oil fields in Santos Basin,Brazil

In response to the problems of unclear distribution of deep-water pre-salt carbonate reservoirs and formation conditions of large oil fields in the Santos passive continental margin basin,based on comprehensive utilization of geological,seismic,and core data,and reconstruction of Early Cretaceous prototype basin and lithofacies paleogeography,it is proposed for the first time that the construction of pre-salt carbonate build-ups was controlled by two types of isolated platforms:inter-depression fault-uplift and intra-depression fault-high.The inter-depression fault-uplift isolated platforms are distributed on the present-day pre-salt uplifted zones between depressions,and are built on half-and fault-horst blocks that were inherited and developed in the early intra-continental and inter-continental rift stages.The late intra-continental rift coquinas of the ITP Formation and the early inter-continental rift microbial limestones of the BVE Formation are continuously constructed;intra-depression fault-high isolated platforms are distributed in the current pre-salt depression zones,built on the uplifted zones formed by volcanic rock build-ups in the early prototype stage of intra-continental rifts,and only the BVE microbial limestones are developed.Both types of limestones formed into mound-shoal bodies,that have the characteristics of large reservoir thickness and good physical properties.Based on the dissection of large pre-salt oil fields discovered in the Santos Basin,it has been found that both types of platforms could form large-scale combined structural-stratigraphic traps,surrounded by high-quality lacustrine and lagoon source rocks at the periphery,and efficiently sealed by thick high-quality evaporite rocks above,forming the optimal combination of source,reservoir and cap in the form of“lower generation,middle storage,and upper cap”,with a high degree of oil and gas enrichment.It has been found that the large oil fields are all bottom water massive oil fields with a unified pressure system,and they are all filled to the spill-point.The future exploration is recommended to focus on the inter-depression fault-uplift isolated platforms in the western uplift zone and the southern section of eastern uplift zones,as well as intra-depression fault-high isolated platforms in the central depression zone.The result not only provides an important basis for the advanced selection of potential play fairways,bidding of new blocks,and deployment of awarded exploration blocks in the Santos Basin,but also provides a reference for the global selection of deep-water exploration blocks in passive continental margin basins.

Architecture and exploration target areas of the Senegal Basin,West Africa

The recent discovery of large oil and gas fields in the deep-water of the Senegal Basin has drawn global attention.Despite this,several exploration wells in this area fail,which can be primarily contributed to a lack of understanding of the basin's structures and hydrocarbon accumulation conditions.This study examines these characteristics utilizing gravity,seismic and drilling data,and finally makes a comparison with the Cote d’Ivoire Basin,a typical transform margin basin in the South Atlantic.The results suggest that the Senegal Basin,influenced by multiple transform faults and a weak Paleozoic basement,experienced three evolutionary stages:rifting,transitional,and drifting.Each stage contributed to the development of distinct depositional sequences-syn-rift sequences,sag sequences,and continental margin sequences,respectively.The Triassic-Early Jurassic rifting stage predominantly formed continental deposits,like fluvial,lacustrine,and deltaic deposits,in the syn-rift sequences.The Middle-Late Jurassic transitional stage,influenced by transform faults,witnessed the formation of marginal ridges or submarine uplift zones.These zones,in conjunction with landward high terrains,formed a restricted environment promoting the development of source rocks in the sag sequences.During the drifting stage,three types of reservoirs,namely platform carbonate rocks,deltas,and slope-floor fans were formed.Notably,large-scale hydrocarbon reservoirs have been found in the deltas and the slope-floor fans both in the Senegal Basin and the Cote d’Ivoire Basin.The Upper Jurassic-Aptian platforms exhibit thick carbonate rocks and organic reefs on their edges,suggesting substantial potential for hydrocarbon exploration in the Senegal Basin.

Physical modeling of salt structures in the middle south Atlantic marginal basins and their controlling factors

With many types of salt structures developed in the Lower Cretaceous Aptian Formation,the passive continental marginal basins in the middle segment of the south Atlantic are hot areas of deep-water petroleum exploration.Based on analysis of differential deformations of salt structures,the influences of the inclination of subsalt slope,subsalt topographic reliefs and basement uplifting on the formation of salt structures were analyzed by physical modeling in this work.The experimental results show that the subsalt slopes in the middle West Africa basins are steeper,so the salt rock is likely to rapidly flow towards the ocean to form larger and fewer salt diapirs.In the Santos and Campos basins,the basement uplifts outside the basins are far from the provenances,which is conducive to the intrusion and accumulation of salt rock on the top of the basement uplifts.In contrast,in the middle West Africa,the basement uplifts are close to the basin margin,the residual salt layers above them are thin,and small triangular salt structures develop on both sides of the uplifts.Moreover,the uplifting of the African plate is also conducive to the full development of salt diapirs in the middle West Africa and results in large-scale thrust faults and folds in the front compressional zone.

Patterns and Dynamics of Rifting on Passive Continental Margin from Shelf to Slope of the Northern South China Sea:Evidence from 3D Analogue Modeling

Affected by thermal perturbation due to mantle uprising, the rheological structure of the lithosphere could be modified, which could lead to different rifting patterns from shelf to slope in a passive continental margin. From the observed deformation style on the northern South China Sea and analogue modeling experiments, we find that the rift zone located on the shelf is characterized by half grabens or simple grabens controlled mainly by long faults with large vertical offset, supposed to be formed with normal lithosphere extension. On the slope, where the lithosphere is very hot due to mantle upweUing and heating, composite grabens composed of symmetric grabens developed. The boundary and inner faults are all short with small vertical offset. Between the zones with very hot and normal lithosphere, composite half grabens composed of half grabens or asymmetric grabens formed, whose boundary faults are long with large vertical offset, while the inner faults are relatively short. Along with the thickness decrease of the brittle upper crust due to high temperature, the deformation becomes more sensitive to the shape of a pre-existing weakness zone and shows orientation variation along strike. When there was a bend in the pre-existing weakness zone, and the basal plate was pulled by a clockwise rotating stress, the strongest deformation always occurs along the middle segment and at the transition area from the middle to the eastern segments, which contributes to a hotter lithosphere in the middle segment, where the Baiyun （白云） sag formed.

Provenance of the Early-Middle Devonian Shugouzi Formation in the Quruqtagh,Northeastern Xinjiang:Constraints from Sandstone Geochemistry and Heavy Mineral Analysis

The Early-Middle Devonian Shugouzi Formation in the Quruqtagh block consists mainly of clastic rocks.However,their provenance has been scarcely studied since it was named.Geochemistry of clastic rocks was commonly used to interpret the provenance.Detrital heavy mineral analyses help frame the U-Pb age from zircon grains,integrated with geochemical data from detrital tourmaline and spinels.These techniques were used to characterize components of the sediment flux and define erosion areas in the Qurugtagh block,further providing evidence about the tectonic evolution of the South Tianshan and Tarim plate.The maximum depositional age constrained by detrital zircon dating was Early-Middle Devonian.Multiple diagrams for sedimentary provenance using major and trace elements indicate that continental island arc-related felsic rocks were the major source rocks for the Shugouzi Formation.Detrital tourmalines are dravite and schorl.The results of detrital tourmaline electron probe microanalysis(EPMA)show that the source rocks are mainly metasedimentary rocks and granitoids.The detrital chromian spinels within the sediments are characterized by high chroumium(Cr^(#))and varying magnesium(Mg^(#)).The discrimination plots reveal that these spinels were sourced from island arc magmatic rocks.The laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry(LA-ICP-MS)U-Pb chronology of detrital zircons suggests that the sediments were derived mainly from 414-491 Ma and 744-996 Ma magmatic rocks.Paleocurrent restoration,sandstone geochemistry,EPMA,and detrital zircon geochronology indicate that the source rocks were predominantly derived from Late Ordovician and Devonian magmatic rocks and subordinately from recycled Neoproterozoic magmatic rocks.Comprehensive analyses of the source areas suggest that a remnant arc still existed in the Early Devonian and the Shugouzi Formation was deposited in a passive continental margin.

Geochemistry and petrogenetic evolution of metasedimentary rocks in Bunu Area,part of Kabba-Lokoja-Igarra schist belt,SW Nigeria

Field and geochemical studies of the Bunu area,SW Nigeria,were carried out on gneiss-metasedimentary rocks that consist of migmatised gneiss,quartz-mica schist,and foliated and massive quartzites.These gneissmetasedimentary rocks are interbedded with meta-igneous rock(amphibolite),all of which are intruded by granitoid and cut by basic and felsic dykes.Geochemical data on major,trace,and rare Earth elements of these rocks from the area were used to speculate on the petrogenetic and geodynamic evolution of the rocks in the area.Compositionally,the metasedimentary rocks in the area have a restricted range of major oxides such as SiO_(2)and Al_(2)O_(3)with low average values of FeO,MnO,CaO,and PO.Concentrations of average values of HSFE such as Zr,Nb,and Y are moderately high in migmatitic gneiss,quartzmica schist,and low in both massive and foliated quartzite.ΣLREE average values are 124.25,132.41,and18.64 ppm respectively for migmatite gneiss,quartz-mica schist,and low in both massive and foliated quartzite.These rocks are also generally enriched in Ba,Cs,Pb,U,Cr,Rb,and Zr and depleted in Be,Sr,Ti,Mo,Th,and W.This enrichment–depletion in major oxides and trace elements of the rocks in this area is probably a consequence of the movement of metamorphic remobilized fluids within the rocks in the area during the Pan-African or earlier events as noted in the adjacent Egbe-Isanlu Schist belt.A further geochemical characterisation of the rocks in the area using Log(Na_(2)O/KO)vs Log(SiO_(2)/Al_(2)O_(3)indicates that while the protolith of migmatised gneiss and quartzmica schist are greywackes to litharenite in compositions that of quartzites are sublitharenite to quartz arenite.On the ternary plot of Al_(2)O_(3)-(CaO+Na_(2)O)-KO for metasedimentary rocks in the area,most migmatitic gneiss and quartz-mica schist rocks plot close to average shale while quartzites mostly tend to illite compositions and almost toward the Al_(2)O_(3)-apex of the diagram attesting to depletion of CaO and Na_(2)O with the removal of KO.CIA vs PIA plot of the rocks in the area shows that while migmatitic-gneiss and quartz-mica schist are moderately weathered,both massive and foliated quartzites are high to extremely weathered.They are all derived mostly from predominantly felsic igneous to quartzose sedimentary provenance and mostly emplaced in passive continental margins.These nature of the protoliths suggests gradual subsidence of the basin during its genesis,and/or tectonic stable or inactive environment from which the sediments were derived.

Upwelling current and its relationship to the enrichment of organic matter in the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation,northern Chongqing-western Hubei area,southern China

Upwelling currents play a crucial role in the enrichment of organic matter,yet the mechanisms driving this process remain incompletely understood due to methodological and data resolution limitations.In this paper,we employ a combination of biostratigraphic classification,qualitative methods,and quantitative methods to systematically analyze the sedimentological and geochemical characteristics of the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in the northern Chongqing-western Hubei area,southern China.The relationship between the upwelling currents and organic matter enrichment in the shale of the Longmaxi Formation is investigated.Results indicate that the upwelling currents in the study area were primarily influenced by the foreland flexure process.From the Rhuddanian(flexure-sedimentation stage)to the Aeronian(flexure-migration stage),the more intense tectonic activity led to gradual opening of the barrier between the South Qinling Ocean and the Yangtze Platform,resulting in an increase in the influx of the oceanic current.The upwelling currents significantly contributed to the organic matter production,albeit without substantially affecting the preservation conditions.Throughout the succession of the Longmaxi Formation,the organic matter content decreased gradually from the passive continental margin to the foreland flexural stagnant basin,which was mainly due to deterioration of the preservation conditions as a result of sea level fall and increased terrigenous input.Despite the increase in the upwelling currents,they did not decisively control the organic matter enrichment.Spatially,during the Rhuddanian to Aeronian period,the organic matter content decreased similarly from the passive continental margin to the foreland flexural stagnant basin,influenced by reduced organic matter production caused by weakening of the upwelling currents and the worsening preservation conditions caused by sea-level fall.The terrigenous input had a relatively minor impact.The results of this study provide new insights into the role of upwelling currents in the organic matter enrichment within the Longmaxi Formation,overcoming previous methodological and resolution barriers.