Structural Characteristics and Formation Dynamics: A Review of the Main Sedimentary Basins in the Continent of China

The formation and evolution of basins in the China continent are closely related to the collages of many blocks and orogenic belts. Based on a large amount of the geological, geophysical, petroleum exploration data and a large number of published research results, the basement constitutions and evolutions of tectonic-sedimentary of sedimentary basins, the main border fault belts and the orogenesis of their peripheries of the basins are analyzed. Especially, the main typical basins in the eight divisions in the continent of China are analyzed in detail, including the Tarim, Ordos, Sichuan, Songliao, Bohai Bay, Junggar, Qiadam and Qiangtang basins. The main five stages of superimposed evolutions processes of basins revealed, which accompanied with the tectonic processes of the Paleo-Asian Ocean, Tethyan and Western Pacific domains. They contained the formations of main Cratons （1850-800 Ma）, developments of marine basins （800-386 Ma）, developments of Marine- continental transition basins and super mantle plumes （386-252 Ma）, amalgamation of China Continent and developments of continental basins （252-205 Ma） and development of the foreland basins in the western and extensional faulted basin in the eastern of China （205~0 Ma）. Therefore, large scale marine sedimentary basins existed in the relatively stable continental blocks of the Proterozoic, developed during the Neoproterozoic to Paleozoic, with the property of the intracontinental cratons and peripheral foreland basins, the multistage superimposing and late reformations of basins. The continental basins developed on the weak or preexisting divisional basements, or the remnant and reformed marine basins in the Meso-Cenozoic, are mainly the continental margins, back-arc basins, retroarc foreland basins, intracontinental rifts and pull-apart basins. The styles and intensity deformation containing the faults, folds and the structural architecture of regional unconformities of the basins, responded to the openings, subductions, closures of oceans, the continent-continent collisions and reactivation of orogenies near the basins in different periods. The evolutions of the Tianshan-Mongol-Hinggan, Kunlun-Qilian-Qinling-Dabie-Sulu, Jiangshao-Shiwandashan, Helanshan-Longmengshan, Taihang-Wuling orogenic belts, the Tibet Plateau and the Altun and Tan- Lu Fault belts have importantly influenced on the tectonic-sedimentary developments, mineralization and hydrocarbon reservoir conditions of their adjacent basins in different times. The evolutions of basins also rely on the deep structures of lithosphere and the rheological properties of the mantle. The mosaic and mirroring geological structures of the deep lithosphere reflect the pre-existed divisions and hot mantle upwelling, constrain to the origins and transforms dynamics of the basins. The leading edges of the basin tectonic dynamics will focus on the basin and mountain coupling, reconstruction of the paleotectonic-paleogeography, establishing relationship between the structural deformations of shallow surface to the deep lithosphere or asthenosphere, as well as the restoring proto-basin and depicting residual basin of the Paleozoic basin, the effects of multiple stages of volcanism and paleo- earthquake events in China.

Cretaceous Sandbody Characters at Shallow-Water Lake Delta Front and the Sedimentary Dynamic Process Analysis in Songliao Basin,China

Based on the abundant information from drilling, cores, and logging, the influence of topography, size of rivers and lakes, climate changes and the lake level＇s fluctuation on the sandbodies at shallow-water delta front are systematically summarized and the sedimentary dynamic processes are analyzed. The interwell communication among the sandbodies and their planar distribution revealed from the hydrodynamic features of the development wells are integrated during the analysis. The fundamental requirements for the development of the shallow-water delta included flat topography and uniform subsiding rate. The delta plain was connected smoothly with the wide delta front and predelta, without the three-fold structure of topset, foreset, and bottomset as defined in the Gilbert Delta Model. Because of the weak fluvial effect and the lake energy is strong, the small and scattered shallow-water delta is destroyed by the scouring-backwashing, coastal current, and lake wave, resulting in the coastal sheet deposition. As the fluvial effect became stronger and the lake energy became weaker, the shape of the shallow-water deltas transferred from sheets to lumps and then branches.

Hydrodynamic processes and depositional styles of glacierassociated deposits in the Moxi basin, Southwest China

This study aims to understand the particle size distribution and depositional styles of glacierassociated deposits in the Moxi basin in southwest China. Based on field surveys, 28 samples from glacier-associated deposits(including glacial till,fluvioglacial, debris flow, river and lake deposits)were collected and tested in the laboratory. The results showed that the glacier-associated deposits can be differentiated based on particle gradation,particle size distribution and accumulated percentages. We evaluated the evolution of a former dammed lake in the Moxi basin based on glacierassociated deposits. The results of this study also indicated that the Moxi Platform was not formed by a single depositional process but is composed of both fluvioglacial and debris flow deposits. This research shows that the depositional style analysis is useful in identifying different glacier-associated deposits in high mountain regions. Moreover, the evaluation of the differences in particle sizes of the glacierassociated deposits is useful in reconstructing geohazard events in periglacial regions, and this information can help in identifying and reducing the potential risks associated with geo-hazards.

Chaotic characters of the Yellow River Basin based on the sediment time series： An attempt to integrated research in geography

The sediment content of the Yellow River is resulted from the interactions of natural, economic, and social factors, so it includes some evolutive information of the Yellow River Basin system. Sediment contents from 1952 to 2007 on Toudaoguai, Tongguan, Huayuankou and Lijin sections along the river are chosen as the study time series, and correlation dimensions （D2）, Kolmogorov entropies （K2）, and Hurst indexes （H） of the time series were calculated. Correlation dimensions on Toudaoguai, Tongguan, Huayuankou, and Lijin sections are 3.24, 5.69, 6.57 and 7.34 respectively, and the Kolmogorov entropies are 0.13, 0.37, 0.40 and 0.38 respectively, which indicates that the systems controlled by different sections along the Yellow River are chaotic systems and the chaotic degrees increase gradually from the upper to lower section. The average predictable period of the sediment contents is 8 years on Toudaoguai section and 3 years on the other sections with the reciprocals of the Kolmogorov entropies. The more obvious the chaotic degree is, the shorter the average predictable period is. Hurst indexes on the sections are above 0.5, with the maximum of 0.86 on Tongguan section and the minimum of 0.68 on Toudaoguai section, which indicates that the time series have persistent trends in the average predictable period. Eight state variables and two control parameters are necessary to construct the dynamic model of the Yellow River Basin system.

Characteristics and dynamic settings of the Central-east Asia multi-energy minerals metallogenetic domain

That more than 82 percent of proved sandstone-type uranium deposits coexist with proved oil-gas or coalfields in the world reflects the fact of coexistence and accumulation of multi-energy minerals including oil,gas,coal and uranium in the same basin.Especially,this phenomenon is most typical in the Central-east Asia energy basins.Across China,Mongolia and some central Asian countries,the giant Central-east Asia metallogenetic domain(CEAMD)stretches more than 6,000 km from Songliao Basin of China in the east to the Caspian Sea in the west.The multi-energy minerals distribution characteristics of the domain include:their spatial distribution is complicated and ordered;the ore-bearing horizon relates closely to the geographical region;the accumulation/mineralization and localization time is the same or close;the occurrence setting and accumulation/mineralization have close correlation;and they have rich provenance for all the minerals.All of these imply that they have close relations between each other under a unified geodynamic background.The exogenetic uranium mineralization process in CEAMD can be divided into five phases using time limits of 100 Ma,(50±2)Ma,20±(2―4)Ma,8―5 Ma.The major mineralization periods and their differences in each primary uranium-bearing basin are identical to the oil-gas accumulation and localization periods and phases in the same basin,and are also in response to regional tectonics and controlled in general by the regional geodynamic environment.For industrial application and commercial exploitation,it is suggested that an important period for coexistence,accumulation and localization of oil,gas,coal and uranium and their interaction mainly occur in the late/last and post basin evolution.Through generalized analysis and comparison of accumulation/mineralization environment of the energy basins in CEAMD,the authors propose that the relatively stable regional tectonic background and moderate(weaker)structural deformation probably are necessary for formation,coexistence and preservation of large and medium-scaled sandstone-type uranium ore deposits,oil-gas fields and coalfields,while basins in favor of coexistence and accumulation are those intracratonal,intermediary massif basins and corresponding reformed basins.

Late Mesozoic rifting and its deep dynamic mechanisms in the central Sulu orogenic belt: Records from Lingshan Island

The Lingshan Island scientific drill confirms that two episodes(Laiyang period and Qingshan period) of rifting developed in the central Sulu orogenic belt(SOB) in Late Mesozoic. With a set of methods including fieldwork, drilling, core logging, zircon U-Pb dating and whole rock geochemistry applied, the age, the depositional sequence and the deep dynamic mechanisms of rift evolution were unraveled. The stratigraphic sequence of the Laiyang-Qingshan Groups on Lingshan Island was composed of two different rifting sequences:(1) Laiyang Group(147–125 Ma), which consists of deep-water gravity flow deposits with interlayers of intermediate volcanic rocks;and(2) Lower Qingshan Group(125–119 Ma), which unconformably overlies the former sequence and contains subaerial volcanic deposits and terrestrial deposits. The tectonic environment changed during the evolution of these two episodes of rifting: the rift was in a NNW-SSE extensional environment in the Laiyang period and showed the typical passive rifting character that “lithospheric extension and rifting preceded volcanism”. The passive rifting period was ended by a short WNW-ESE compression at about 125 Ma. After that, the tectonic environment transferred to a strong NW-SE extensional environment and the rifting evolved into a volcanic arc basin in the Qingshan period. The igneous rocks are shoshonitic to high-K calc-alkaline trachyandesites to trachytes with a few intercalated lamprophyres and a rhyolite.The geochemical characteristics of the igneous rocks indicate that they are mantle-derived melts with a metasomatized mantle source and/or crustal contamination. In addition, an increased thinning of the lithosphere happened during the rifting episodes.The low-angle subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate in the Jurassic weakened the thickened SOB lithospheric mantle. The rollback of the subducting plate started in late Jurassic to early Cretaceous, and the SOB lithospheric mantle was delaminated synchronously because of the gravity collapse. Thus, this caused passive rifting in the Laiyang period. Thereafter, the rollback and trench retreat of the high-angle subducting Paleo-Pacific plate would have achieved its climax, resulting in the strong regional extension. Passive rifting was ended by the crustal uplift caused by asthenospheric upwelling beneath the rift. The lower crust was heated by the upwelling asthenosphere and partially melted to form felsic melts, which were emplaced upwards and erupted explosively. The rift evolved into a volcanic arc basin in the Qingshan period and showed some characteristics of active rifting. Above all, a passive rifting in the Laiyang period and a volcanic arc basin in the Qingshan period developed successively in the Lingshan Island area(the central SOB). This records the transfer of the study area from the Paleo-Tethys tectonic domain to the circum-Pacific tectonic domain. The delamination of SOB lithospheric mantle and the upwelling of asthenospheric material were the deep dynamic mechanisms driving the development and evolution of two rift episodes. Additionally, the rift development was controlled remotely by the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate.