Characteristics of mantle degassing and deep-seated geological structures in different typical fault zones of China

In this paper a comprehensive tracing study is conducted on mantle degassing and deep-seated geological structures in different types of fault zones in the continent of China based on the helium isotope data, coupled with some indices such as CO2/3He, CH4/3He and 40Ar/36Ar, and geological tectonics data. There are four representative types of fault zones: (1) Lithospheric fault zones in the extensional tectonic environment are characterized by a small Earth’s crust thickness, a lower CH4/3He-high R and lower CO2/3He-high R system, the strongest mantle de- gassing, and the dominance of mantle fluid, as is represented by the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone. (2) The lithospheric fault zones or the subduction zone in the strongly compresso-tectonic envi- ronment, for instance, the Bangonghu-Nujiang fault zone, are characterized by a huge thick Earth’s crust, with the R/Ra values within the range of 0.43―1.13, and weak mantle degassing with mantle-source helium accounting for 5%―14% of the total. (3) The deep-seated fault zones at the basinal margins of an orogenic belt are characterized by R values being on order of mag- nitude of 10?7, and the CH4/3He values, 109―1010, CO2/3He values, 106―108; as well as much weak mantle degassing. (4) The crustal fault zones in the orogenic belt, such as the Yaojie fault zone (F19), possess a high CH4/3He-low R (10?8) and high CO2/3He-low R system, with no obvi- ous sign of mantle degassing. Studies have shown that the deep-seated huge fault zones are the major channel ways for mantle degassing, the main factors controlling the intensity of mantle degassing are fault depth, tectonic environment and crust thickness; the intensity of mantle de- gassing can reflect the depth and the status of deep-seated tectonic environment of fault, while the geochemical tracing studies of gases can open up a new research approach; upwelling ac- tivity of hydrothermal fluids from the deep interior of the Earth may be one of the driving forces for the formation and evolution of the huge deep fault zones. Piedmont fault zones are the locations where deep-seated tectonic activity and crust/mantle structure are transformed, which are of great significance in understanding the mechanisms of formation of orogenic belts and basins.

Observation of Catastrophic Degassing from Mantle-Crust in Yinggehai Basin, South China Sea

To lower the CO 2 risk for hydrocarbon exploration in the west continental shelf of Yinggehai basin, South China Sea, we do attempt not only to know the CO 2 origins, but also to make an understanding of the degassing processes from the mantle and crust. Based on the stable carbon isotope ratios of CO 2 alone, the organic and inorganic CO 2 can be successively distinguished, but the formation conditions and mixing processes for inorganic CO 2 are still not clear. The relationships between lg[R(= 3He/ 4He)/R a(=1.386×10 -6)] and CO 2 content (%), CO 2/ 3He and δ 13C CO 2 have been employed, respectively, to obtain that the CO 2 gases in the reservoirs can be classified into three categories: (1) organic CO 2 with very low contents but contaminated by mantle-derived helium; (2) inorganic CO 2 gases with lower to higher contents being mixtures of crustal CO 2 with mantle-derived CO 2, the mantle- contributed percentage being in the range of 0 %-27 %, and (3) mainly crust-derived inorganic CO 2 gases being characterized by high contents (more than 50 %) and indicating the crustal addition by metamorphism of rich-in carbon rocks in basement. Nevertheless, some CO 2/ 3He ratios of organic CO 2 fall into the range 10 8-10 10, which made us inquire whether the CO 2/ 3He=(1-10)×10 9 can be the unique signature of magmatic CO 2 or not. All the observation of plutonic activities, fluid inclusion measurements in gas reservoirs, pre-stack depth/time seismic sections and the satellite infrared remote photography taken from Yinggehai basin, South China Sea, during Chichi earthquake in Taiwan on September 21, 1999, supports that the degassing processes are in a discontinuous mode, which may be triggered by igneous intrusion or extrusion, or earthquakes. In the central diapir zone of the basin, at least 3 to 4 orders of discharge of across-formational thermal fluid flows through fractures can be determined in different scales. The mantle degassing process may have a strong effect on overpressured system forming and outgassing in crust. However, it is very difficult to estimate the transferring rates for a special fractured zone at a specific time interval.