Tectonic Evolution and Geological Characteristics of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in Marine Mesozoic-Paleozoic Strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin

The South Yellow Sea Basin is the main body of the lower Yangtze area in which marine Mesozoic–Paleozoic strata are widely distributed.The latest geophysical data were used to overcome the limitation of previous poor-quality deep data.Meanwhile,the geological characteristics of hydrocarbon reservoirs in the marine Mesozoic–Paleozoic strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin were analyzed by comparing the source rocks and the reservoir and utilizing drilling and outcrop data.It is believed that the South Yellow Sea Basin roughly underwent six evolutionary stages:plate spreading,plate convergence,stable platform development,foreland basin development,faulted basin development,and depression basin development.The South Yellow Sea Basin has characteristics of a composite platform-fault depression geological structure,with a half-graben geological structure and with a ‘sandwich structure' in the vertical direction.Four sets of hydrocarbon source rocks developed – the upper Permian Longtan–Dalong formation,the lower Permian Qixia formation,the lower Silurian Gaojiabian formation,and the lower Cambrian Hetang formation/Mufushan formation,giving the South Yellow Sea Basin relatively good hydrocarbon potential.The carbonate is the main reservoir rock type in the South Yellow Sea area,and there are four carbonate reservoir types:porous dolomitic,reef-bank,weathered crust,and fractured.There are reservoir-forming horizons similar to the typical hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Yangtze land area developed in the South Yellow Sea,and there are three sets of complete source-reservoir-cap rock assemblages developed in the marine strata,with very good hydrocarbon potential.

Mass extinction and Pangea integration during the Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition

The greatest Phanerozoic mass extinction happened at the end-Permian to earliest Triassic. About 95% species, 82% genera, and more than half families became extinct, constituting the sole macro-mass extinction in geological history. This event not only caused the great extinction but also destroyed the 200 Myr-long Paleozoic marine ecosystem, prompted its transition to Mesozoic ecosystem, and induced coal gap on land as well as reef gap and chert gap in ocean. The biotic crisis during the Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition was a long process of co-evolution between geospheres and biosphere. The event sequence at the Permian-Triassic boundary （PTB） reveals two-episodic pattern of rapidly deteriorating global changes and biotic mass ex- tinction and the intimate relationship between them. The severe global changes coupling multiple geospheres may have affect- ed the Pangea integration on the Earth＇s surface spheres, which include： the Pangea integration→enhanced mountain height and basin depth, changes of wind and ocean current systems; enhanced ocean basin depth→the greatest Phanerozoic regression at PTB, disappearance of epeiric seas and subsequent rapid transgression; the Pangea integration→thermal isolation effect of continental lithosphere and decrease of mid-ocean ridges→development of continental volcanism; two-episode volcanism causing LIPs of the Emeishan Basalt and the Siberian Trap （25%251 Ma）→global warming and mass extinction; continental aridification and replacement of monsoon system by latitudinal wind system→destruction of vegetation; enhanced weathering and CH4 emission→negative excursion of δ^13C; mantle plume→crust doming→regression; possible relation between the Illawarra magnetic reversal and the PTB extinction, and so on. Mantle plume produced the Late Permian LIPs and mantle convection may have caused the process of the Pangea integration. Subduction, delamination, and accumulation of the earth＇s cool lithospheric material at the ＂D＂ layer of CMB started mantle plume by heat compensation and disturbed the outer core ther- too-convection, and the latter in turn would generate the mid-Permian geomagnetic reversal. These core and mantle perturbations may have caused the Pangea integration and two successive LIPs in the Permian, and probably finally the mass extinction at the PTB.