Devonian Frasnian-Famennian Transitional Milankovitch Cycles and High-Resolution Stratigraphic Correlation

Four hierarchical cyclothems, superbundlesets, bundlesets, bundles and laminae, have been identified from the Devonian Frasnian-Famennian carbonate strata in Guangxi, South China. Their hierarchical structures, ratio relationships and sequence in conodont zones are continuous and stable and can be traced across different facies zones and sedimentary basins. Our data show that hierarchically organized superbundlesets, bundlesets, bundles and laminae correspond to the long eccentricity, eccentricity, obliquity or precession and sub-Milankovitch cycles respectively. Their periods were 400,000, 100,000, 33,333, 16,667 and 8,000–17,000 a, respectively. The ratios of long eccentricity to eccentricity, eccentricity to obliquity, and eccentricity to precession in the Devonian are 1:4, 1:3 and 1:6 respectively. Using these hierarchical Milankovitch cyclothems, chronostratigraphical division and correlation can be realized at a resolution of 100 ka or 10 ka at the Frasnian-Famennian transition. The time intervals of the Upper rhenana Zone, linguiformis Zone, and the Lower, Middle and Upper triangularis Zone are 0.6, 0.8, 0.3, 0.3 and 0.3 Ma, respectively. Sea-level changes of the Frasnian-Famennian transition were not coherent and synchronous at the resolution of 100 ka or 10 ka in the basin-slope carbonate sequences of Guangxi, South China.

Base-Level Cycles and Episodic Coal Accumulation——Case Study of Dongsheng Coalfield in Ordos Basin

The advantage of high-resolution sequence stratigraphy, which takes base-levels as reference, is that it can be applied to continental depositional basins controlled by multiple factors and can effectively improve the accuracy and resolution of sequential stratigraphic analysis. Moreover, the principles of base-level cycles are also suitable for analyzing sequential stratigraphy in continental coal-bearing basins because of their accuracy in forecasting distribution of coal measures. By taking the Dongsheng coalfield in the Ordos basin as an example, the extensive application of base-level cycles in exploration and exploitation of coal is analyzed. The result shows that the Yan’an formation in the Dongsheng area is a long-term base-level cycle which is bordered by nonconformities and made up of five mid-term cycles and 13 short-term cycles. The long-term cycle and the mid-term cycles are obvious in comparison with a transverse profile. The episodic coal accumulation in the Mesozoic Ordos basin means that the deposition of primary matter (peat bogs) of coalification is discontinuous, periodical and cyclical in the evolution of the basin. The episodic accumulation of coal measures in the Yan’an stage is controlled by ascending-descending changes of a long-term cycle and middle-term cycles. Coal measures formed during the early and late periods of the long-term cycle are characterized by multiple layers, big cumulative thickness and poor continuity. Coal measures formed in the mid-term of the long cycle are dominated by good continuity, fewer layers and a small additive thickness, which is favorable for the accumulation of thick and continuous coal measures in the transition stage of mid term base-level cycles.

Correlation methods of base-level cycle based on wavelet neural network

The authors discussed the method of wavelet neural network （WNN） for correlation of base-level cycle. A new vectored method of well log data was proposed. Through the training with the known data set, the WNN can remenber the cycle pattern characteristic of the well log curves. By the trained WNN to identify the cycle pattern in the vectored log data, the ocrrdation process among the well cycles was completed. The application indicates that it is highly efficient and reliable in base-level cycle correlation.

On the analysis of the high-resolution sequence stratigraphy and coal accumulating law of jurassic in Ordos Basin

The strata of Jurassic was divided into three tectonic sequences and eight se- quences of third rank,according to the developing feature of the tectonic inconformity and the transforming feature of the depositional system tracts.Also the identification and the division of the base-level cycle of different period were carried through.Therefore three cycles of super period,eight cycles of long period,twenty-four cycles of middle period and some cycles of short period were identified.From the overall character of the coal-accu- mulation in the Mesozoic,we can see that the Yan'an formation is of the best nature of coal bearing.When the coal bearing systems of Jurassic were depositing,the Ordos area is the coal accumulating basin of terrene of large scale and located in the same tectonic unit.But the local structure of different part and the paleolandform are different in the basin which resulted in the difference of the depositional environment.So the layer number and the distribution of the thickness of the coal beds are different in the different part of the ba- sin.The coal-accumulating action migrated regularly along with the development,evolve- ment and migration of the depositional systems.The layer numbers of the coal beds, which can be mined,are more in the north and west fringe of the basin,whose distributing area is extensive,and they are more steady in the landscape orientation,also the total thickness is great.Therefore the nature of coal bearing and the coal-accumulating action of different part changed obviously in the space in Ordos area.

HIGH-RESOLUTION SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE PERMIAN IN THE WESTERN SHANDONG AND HUAINAN-HUAIBEI COALFIELDS

The sedimentary characteristics and their combination succession of the Permian in the Shandong nd Huainan-Huaibei coalfields are analyzed. The mid-and short-term stratigraphic base-level cycles are identified. High-resolution sequences are divided based on the above results. The study shows that the stratigraphic base-level cyclic method is an efficient way in the determination of the high-resolution sequences, especially in the classification of tbe terrestrial and transitional depositional succession.

Sequence Stratigraphy of the Permian--Triassia Boundary Section of Changxing, Zhejiang, Southern China

Three third-order sequences and about one hundred high-frequency cycles or Milankovitchcycles within the Late Permian Changxingian to Early Triassic Griesbachian are identified in theMeishan Section of Changxing, Zhejiang Province, southern China, the candidate stratotype sec-tion of the global Permo-Triassic boundary, based on a detailed study of the biological,ecological and high-resolution allochthonous cyclic events, microfacies and depositional systems.Furthermore, the stacking pattern of the depositional systems across various Changxingian andGriesbachian sedimentary facies of the Lower Yangtze and the sequence stratigraphic frameworkare outlined with the Meishan section as the principal section. In this paper the habitat types offossil biota are applied to semiquantitative palaeobathymetry and the study of relative sea levelchanges.

Sedimentary system characteristics and depositional filling model of Upper Permian——Lower Triassic in South Yellow Sea Basin

In the South Yellow Sea Basin,Mesozoic–Paleozoic marine strata are generally well developed with large thickness,and no substantial breakthroughs have been made in hydrocarbon exploration.Through research,it is believed that the Upper Permian–Lower Triassic can be regarded as a long-term base-level cycle.Based on drilling data,characteristics of the lithology–electric property combination cyclicity,and the special lithology,the long-term base-level cycle was divided into five medium-term base-level cycles(MC1–MC5).On this basis,the Permian–Triassic sedimentary systems and their filling model were analyzed in accordance with the change of base-level cycle and transition of sedimentary environment,as well as characteristics of the drilling sedimentary facies and seismic facies.The results show that there were six sedimentary systems(fluvial,delta,tidal flat,open platform,restricted platform,and continental shelf)developed in the Upper Permian–Lower Triassic,the sedimentary systems were distributed such that the water was deep in the northwest and shallow in the southeast,and there were two base-level cycle filling models(a relatively stable tidal flat facies and a rapidly transgressive continental shelf facies to stable platform facies)developed in the Upper Permian–Lower Triassic.These models can provide a basis for evaluation of the Mesozoic–Paleozoic hydrocarbon geology in the South Yellow Sea Basin.