The propagation of seafloor spreading in the southwestern subbasin, South China Sea

On the basis of the summary of basic characteristics of propagation, the dynamic model of the tectonic evolution in the South-western Subbasin (SWSB), South China Sea (SCS), has been established through high resolution multi-beam swatch bathymetry and multi-channel seismic profiles, combined with magnetic anomaly analysis. Spreading propagates from NE to SW and shows a transition from steady seafloor spreading, to initial seafloor spreading, and to continental rifting in the southwest end. The spreading in SWSB (SCS) is tectonic dominated, with a series of phenomena of inhomogeneous tectonics and sedimentation.     

Evolution of the South China Sea and monsoon history revealed in deep-sea records

As the third summary report of ODP Leg 184 to the South China Sea (SCS), this paper discusses the evolution of the East Asian monsoon and the SCS basin. A multi-proxy approach, involving geochemistry, micropale-ontology, pollen and other analyses, was adopted for reconstructing the evolutionary history of the East Asian monsoon, which was characterized by a series of paleo-climate events especially at 8, 3.2, 2.2 and 0.4 Ma. The new record indicates similar stages in the development of the East and South Asian monsoons, with an enhanced winter monsoon over East Asia being the major difference. The rich spectrums of monsoon variability from the southern SCS also reveal other characteristic features of the low latitude ocean. Evidence for the evolution of the SCS includes the hemipelagic Oligocene sediments, implying the existence of deep water environments during the early seafloor spreading stage of the SCS basin. The four major unconformities and some remarkabl ediagenetic features in upper Oligocene deposits indicate the strongest tectonic events in the region. From a careful comparison of lithologies and sedimentation rates, we conclude that the prominent differences in sedimentary environments between the southern and northern SCS were established only by ～3 Ma.     

Opening and evolution of the South China Sea constrained by studies on volcanic rocks: Preliminary results and a research design

The South China Sea (SCS) is characterized by abundant seamounts, which provide important information about the evolution of the SCS and related deep processes. Cenozoic volcanism in the SCS and its surroundings comprises three stages relative to the spreading of the SCS:prespreading (>32 Ma), syn-spreading (32-16 Ma), and post-spreading (<16 Ma). The pre-spreading magmatism predominantly occurs on the northern margin of the SCS and in South China coastal areas and shows a bi-modal affinity. The syn-spreading magmatic activity was very limited on the periphery of the SCS, but may be concentrated in the SCS. However, seafloor samples of this stage are not available yet because of overlying thick sedimentary deposits. Post-spreading magmatism is widespread in the central and southwest sub-basins of the SCS, Hainan Island, Leizhou Peninsula, Thailand, and Vietnam. These are mainly alkali basalts with subordinate tholeiites, and display OIB-type geochemical characteristics. The Dupal isotope anomaly and presence of high-magnesian olivine phenocrysts suggests their possible derivation from the Hainan mantle plume. The temporal and spatial distribution of Cenozoic volcanism in the SCS and its surroundings may be accounted for either by plate stress re-organization before and after SCS spreading, or by ridge suction of plume flow during opening of the SCS. If the latter is the case, the volcanic rocks within the SCS basin may not be typical mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). It remains puz-zling, however, that the transition between the South China continental margin and the SCS basin does not have features typical of a volcanic rifted margin. Clearly, the relationship between mantle plume and SCS opening needs further evaluation. A better un-derstanding of the link between deep processes and opening of the SCS not only requires enhanced studies on igneous petrogene-sis, but also is heavily dependent on systematic sampling of seafloor rocks.     

Recent progress of deep seismic experiments and studies of crustal structure in northern South China Sea

The South China Sea (SCS) is one of the largest marginal seas in the western Pacific. Its northern part has the features of a passive continental margin. The studies of deep crustal structure in this area are very important for understanding the tectonic nature, evolution history, basin formation of the northern margin, and the origin of the SCS. In the past decades, the deep seismic experiments of crustal studies in the northern SCS have gone through three stages, namely the sonobuoy, two-ship Expanding Spread Profile (ESP), and Ocean Bottom Hydrophone/Seismometer (OBH/OBS). Along the continental slope, the sonobuoy experiments provided useful information about the velocity structure of the upper crust, while the ESP data recorded for the first time the seismic signals from deep crustal structure and Moho interface. And the OBH/OBS profiles revealed the crustal structure in much greater detail. This paper first gives a brief historical review of these deep seismic experiments and studies, then a summary of the latest progress and important research results. The remaining problems and suggestions for further research work are presented as conclusive remarks.     

南海深海盆的沉积充填

 依据大洋钻探井及地震剖面资料，定量确定南海同扩张期和后扩张期深海盆沉积充填差异及沉积物来源变化。研究显示，南海深海盆自渐新世（32 Ma）开始形成，随着南海二次扩张海盆范围逐渐扩大，海盆内主要充填火山碎屑角砾岩及火山灰，碳酸盐岩、超微化石软泥，泥质粘土、粉砂质粘土、泥岩及粉细砂岩。深海盆充填主要沉积物为晚中新世（11.6Ma）以来的陆源碎屑沉积，丰富陆源碎屑的供给与南海闭合过程中同期区域构造事件（如青藏高原快速隆升、菲律宾板块俯冲）密切相关，也与晚中新世以来东亚季风增强以及源区强烈的风化剥蚀有关。     

塔里木盆地库车坳陷中、新生代沉降特征探讨

应用回剥分析方法(Backstripping analalysis)选取有代表性的四条剖面地层,计算了库车盆地中、新生代地层的沉降速率和沉积速率,其中构造沉降在早三叠世、早白垩世、上新世分别达到32.45 m/Ma、37.35 m/Ma和59.82 m/Ma的高峰,沉积速率曲线也清楚的揭示了库车盆地在演化过程中沉降速率起伏变化的特点.结合地震剖面上的构造证据以及岩相古地理、古生物化石证据,分析了库车盆地在中生代以来的构造演化过程,认为库车盆地自中生代以来的构造活动经历了挤压,应力松弛,构造伸展,挤压,应力松弛,再挤压等六个构造活动阶段,说明了盆地演化过程中构造活动的阶段性.由盆地的沉降特点、构造的活动性质,分析认为库车盆地是由三叠纪早期的前陆盆地经历了中生代应力松弛、盆地伸展以及晚白垩世的挤压隆升和剥蚀,经过早第三世的海侵,在新生代再次复活,是再生的前陆盆地.     

粤北诸广山南部同构造花岗岩的厘定及其与铀成矿作用关系

粤北诸广山岩体为印支-燕山期形成的多期多阶段复式岩体,其南部发育浅层次热隆伸展构造。本文根据该岩体密下水地区出露岩性的宏观韧性变形与镜下微观证据、岩石学特征及构造年代学约束,认为区内燕山期花岗岩为同构造侵位岩体,能为区域热隆伸展构造的形成与演化提供可靠的年代学约束,可准确限定热隆伸展构造活动的时间下限。研究表明,区域热隆伸展运动启动于燕山早期(~160 Ma),较前人利用中基性侵入脉岩限定的时限提早了约20 Ma;区域铀成矿时代从早期(~150 Ma)至晚期(~40 Ma)与区域伸展构造活动的时间具有高度耦合性,揭示出区域热隆伸展构造的形成与演化过程对区域铀成矿具有控制作用;同时,该期同构造花岗岩与构造前花岗岩的接触带是早期高温铀成矿的有利部位。     

Passive seismic experiment and ScS wave splitting in the southwestern subbasin of South China Sea

The seismic experiment of 3D array of OBS in the southwestern sub-basin of the South China Sea(SCS) is briefly introduced in this paper.The data analysis of broadband OBS shows that totally 93 earthquakes with magnitude of Ms 6.0-6.9 and 10 earthquakes with magnitude above Ms 7.0 were recorded in high quality during this experiment,especially the catastrophic earthquake Ms 9.0 occurred in the east sea area of Japan on March 11,2011.The anisotropy parameters inversion of ScS wave of four events above Ms 7.0 indicates that the fast direction of shear wave is N58°E parallel to the ceased spreading ridge of the southwestern sub-basin of SCS(the slow direction is S35°E perpendicular to the spreading ridge),which means the spreading ridge is under compressing stress at present and the cessation of seafloor spreading is related to such stress field as well.     

Distribution and identification of the low-velocity layer in the northern South China Sea

The low-velocity layer (LVL), closely related with tectonic activities and dynamic settings, has always been a hot topic in the deep crustal structure studies. The deep seismic (OBS/OBH) and onshore-offshore experiments have been extensively implemented in the northern South China Sea (SCS) since the 1990s. Six seismic profiles were finished on the northern margin of SCS by domestic and international cooperations. The features of crustal structures were revealed and five velocity-inversion layers were discovered. Among them three LVLs with 3.0—3. 5 km·s-1 velocity are located in the sedimentary structure (2.0—6.0 km in depth and 2.0—4. 6 km in thickness) of the Yinggehai Basin and Pearl River Mouth Basin. They were identified by the reflective and refractive phases for their shallow depth. The other two LVLs with 5.5—6.0 km·s-1 velocity generally existed in the middle crust (7.0—18.0 km in depth) with an about 2.5—6.0 km thickness in the transitional crustal structure of the northeastern and northwestern SCS. They were detected by the refractive phase from their overlain and underlying layers. We explored the possible tectonic formation mechanisms combining with previously reported results, which provided evidence for the formation and evolution of SCS.     

Episodic rifting of continental marginal basins and tectonic events since 10 Ma in the South China Sea

Integrated study on the tectonic, basin filling and thermal evolution of the Tertiary basins on the northern margin of the South China Sea has indicated that the rift continental margin on the northern South China Sea is not a passive margin and that the western margin is characteristic of the transform-extension. Episodic rifting and the thermal events since 10 Ma in the area have been documented by the integrated analysis of dynamic process. It has been clarified that the tectono-thermal events have exerted a significant influence on basin features and hydrocarbon accumulation, and particularly, the westward collision of the Lusong Island Arc, the generation of densely spaced faults in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, the rapid subsidence, high heat flow and large-scale over pressure and thermal-fluid breakthrough in the Yinggehai and the Qiongdongnan basins have proved to be the important factors determining the formation of oil and gas in these basins.     

南海玄武岩：扩张洋脊与海山

 南海存在两种火山岩：洋中脊玄武岩（MORB）和洋岛玄武岩（OIB）。国际大洋发现计划（IODP）第349、367、368、368X航次在南海海盆的成功钻取,获得了南海初始扩张（~34 Ma）和停止扩张（~15-16 Ma）前的洋壳样品。南海东部、西南次海盆及北缘洋-陆过渡带代表海盆发展的不同阶段,具有不同的地幔潜能温度、物质组成和洋脊扩张速度,因此产生的洋中脊玄武岩成分差异显著。南海地区在扩张晚期及停止扩张之后存在大规模地幔上涌,与其周缘地区的持续俯冲有关,产出的海山OIB不同于地幔柱活动产生的火山链。南海虽小,但蕴含的信息异常丰富,是窥探地球深部难得的天然窗口。     

柴北缘构造带泥盆纪构造属性研究

根据露头及钻井资料,依据沉积学理论,对柴达木盆地东北部泥盆系地层厚度、碎屑颗粒组成、锆石年龄、超覆关系和沉积体系展布等进行研究。结果表明:柴北缘地区(包括柴北缘构造带与欧龙布鲁克微板块)泥盆纪发育自南向北展布的沉积体系,碎屑物质来源于由多个前泥盆纪构造岩片组成的造山带;该阶段柴北缘构造带构造属性既不是前陆盆地也不是裂陷槽,而是由多个前泥盆纪构造岩片组成的造山带;该造山带隆升开始于距今约465 Ma,遭受剥蚀开始于距今约430 Ma,其隆升可能持续到晚石炭世甚至二叠纪早期,初步推断该造山带至少存在了190 Ma,包括距今465~430 Ma的山体隆升与距今430~275 Ma的山体剥蚀阶段。     

南海海盆东-西部地质特征存在巨大差异

 南海中部存在巨大的中南断裂将南海海盆分割为东-西两部分,至少自1亿年以来,在沉积环境与沉积厚度、洋陆边界的属性与特征、大陆破裂的时代、岩浆活动的来源与程度、减薄大陆架和大陆坡的宽度、洋壳年龄与磁性层结构、磁异常条带特征、岩石化学等诸多方面都存在巨大差异,它们主要受控于早期地质构造背景的差异、东西部大陆减薄伸展速率的变化以及海底扩张的构造环境的不同,并深刻影响了之后的区域沉积分区和沉降特征。     

海拉尔盆地贝尔凹陷埋藏沉降史

为揭示贝尔凹陷内的沉降抬升差异,利用该地区钻井取得的地层厚度、时代、岩性、密度、孔隙度等信息,根据其次级凹陷构造特征,选取五口代表井进行回剥分析,绘制贝尔凹陷砂岩孔隙度与深度关系曲线,并给出沉降史。结果表明：贝尔凹陷砂岩原始孔隙度为50%,压实系数为0.78 m-1。五口井共性显示,贝尔凹陷沉降史整体可分为n1、n2、d1和d2的快速沉降期（140.0～125.0 Ma）、尹敏组的持续沉降期（125.0～105.0 Ma）、抬升剥蚀期（105.0～99.0 Ma）和青元岗组的缓慢沉降期（70.6～65.0 Ma）四个阶段。贝尔凹陷整体底界的古构造演化具有相似性和继承性。五口井差异性显示,贝尔凹陷中西部含油气多、沉降速率大,其他地区含油气少、沉降速率小,沉降速率是影响油气富集的因素之一。该研究为进一步分析凹陷内油气富集条件提供了依据。     

Cenozoic stratigraphy of Taiwan: Window into rifting, stratigraphy and paleoceanography of South China Sea

Shallow marine sequences of the northern South China Sea (SCS) are uplifted and exposed by plate convergence in the Taiwan mountain belt. These deposits provide detailed geological information about the rifting event, stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleoclimate and paleoceanography of the shallow SCS to compare with what are recorded in the ODP 1148 deep-sea core. Seismic surveys and marine micropalentological studies show that Eocene sequences in the offshore Taiwan Strait and onland Taiwan mountain belt are all deposited in rifting basins and are covered unconformably by the Late Oligocene-Neogene post-rifting strata. Between syn-rifting and post-rifting sequences, there is a regional break-up unconformity throughout the island. Early Oligocene and Late Eocene strata are missing along the break-up unconformity equivalent to the T7 unconformity in the Pearl River Mouth Basin off south China. This may suggest that the SCS oceanic crust could have initiated between 33 and 39 Ma. Neither obvious stratigraphic gap nor slumping features are found in the Oligocene-Miocene transition interval of Taiwan. This observation highly contrasts with what has been documented from the ODP 1148 deep-sea core. This suggests that the stratigraphic gap and slumping features could only be recorded in the SCS deep sea region, but not in the shallow shelf near Taiwan. Compared to the Middle Miocene paleoceanographic re-organization events in the SCS deep sea, the geological history of the Taiwan shallow sequence shows changes of in sedimentation and faunal composition. Due to the Antarctic glacial expansion at~14 Ma, Middle to late Miocene strata of the Western Foothills show progressive regression sedimentations associated with a decrease of benthic foraminif-eral abundance and a sharp faunal turnover event. Many Early-Middle Miocene endemic benthic foraminifers were extinct in 14-13 Ma and new benthic foraminifers of the Kuroshio Current fauna appeared from 10.2 Ma, comparable with new occurrence of Modern benthic foraminifers at 9 Ma in the Java Sea area. This reveals that the Western Boundary Kuroshio Current in the North Pacific could initiate from 10-9 Ma due to closures of the Indo-Pacific seaways by convergent tectonics between the Australian Continent and the Indonesian Arc in 12-8 Ma. Subduction of the SCS oceanic lithosphere since the Middle Miocene resulted in formation of the Hengchun Ridge accretionary prism and the North Luzon Arc. Occurrence of these two bathymetric highs ( 2400 m) since the Middle Miocene and closures of the inter-arc passages in the North Luzon arc in the last 3.5 Ma would control the water exchanges between the West Pacific and the deep SCS. Accordingly, the tectonic evolution in the Central Range-Hengchun Peninsula accretionary prism and the arc-forearc Coastal Range not only control directly the route for water exchanges between the West Pacific and the SCS, but also indirectly shows a great influence on the geochemistry of deep SCS waters. The latter is best shown by much negative carbon isotope values of benthic foraminifers in the ODP 1148 deep-sea core than the West Pacific records in the last 14 Ma.     

南海北部陆坡地形特征及其影响因素研究

南海北部陆坡位于南海北部大陆边缘,地质构造活动丰富,是大陆和深海进行物质和能量交换的重要过渡区。研究北部陆坡区复杂的地形地貌,有助于深化对南海北部陆缘海底地质活动与环境变化的认识,并为资源勘探与工程建设提供基础地质信息支撑。本研究基于全球水深地形图（General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans,GEBCO）数据及实测多波束数据,对南海北部陆坡的地形地貌进行研究,识别出不同的地貌类型,并探讨其形成和发展的控制因素。研究表明,南海北部陆坡发育有海台、海山、海丘、海槽、海底峡谷以及冷泉地貌类型。南海北部陆坡地形地貌的发育和演化主要受控于构造活动及火山活动,而外动力地质作用如沉积输运、海平面变化及甲烷流体的活动等,都对研究区的地形地貌做了进一步的改造,使之更加复杂。     

Magnetic recording of the Cenozoic oceanic crustal accretion and evolution of the South China Sea basin

We review and discuss some of the recent scientific findings made on magnetic data in the South China Sea (SCS). Magnetic anomalies bear extremely rich information on Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic evolution. 3D analytical signal amplitudes computed from magnetic anomalies reveal very precisely relict distributions of Mesozoic sedimentary sequences on the two conjugate continental margins, and they are also found very effective in depicting later-stage magmatism and tectonic transitions and zonation within the SCS oceanic crust. Through integrated analyses of magnetic, gravity and reflection seismic data, we define the continent-ocean boundary (COB) around the South China Sea continental margin, and find that the COB coincides very well with a transition zone from mostly positive to negative free-air gravity anomalies. This accurate outlining of the COB is critical for better tracing magnetic anomalies induced by the oceanic crust. The geometrically complex COB and inner magnetic zonation require the introduction of an episodic opening model, as well as a transform fault (here coined as Zhongnan Fault) between the East and Southwest Sub-basins, while within the East and Southwest Sub-basins, magnetic anomalies are rather continuous later-ally, indicating nonexistence of large transform faults within these sub-basins. We enhance magnetic anomalies caused by the shallow basaltic layer via a band-pass filter, and recognize that the likely oldest magnetic anomaly near the northern continental margin is C12 according to the magnetic time scale CK95. Near the southern continental margin, magnetic anomalies are less recognizable and the anomaly C12 appears to be missing. These differences show an asymmetrical opening style with respect to the relict spreading center, and the northern part appears to have slightly faster spreading rates than to the south. The magnetic anomalies C8 (M1 and M2, ~26 Ma) represent important magnetic boundaries within the oceanic basin, and are possibly related to changes in spreading rates and magmatic intensities. The magnetic evidence for a previously proposed ridge jump after the anomaly C7 is not clear. The age of the Southwest Sub-basin has yet to be further examined, most favorably with deep-tow magnetic surveys and ocean drilling. Our magnetic spectral study shows that the shallowest Curie points are located around the eastern part of the Southwestern Sub-basin, whereas within the East Sub-basin Curie depths are smaller to the north of the relict spreading center than to the south. This pattern of Curie depths is consistent to regional heat flow measurements and later-stage volcanic seamount distributions, and we therefore reason that Curie-depth variations are closely associated with later-stage magmatism, rather than with crustal ages. Although magnetic anomalies located around the northern continent-ocean transition zone (COT) are relatively quiet, this area is not a typical magnetic quiet zone since conceptually it differs markedly from an oceanic magnetic quiet zone. The relatively quiet magnetic anomalies are seemingly associated with a shallowing in Curie isotherm and thinning in magnetic layer, but our comprehensive observations suggest that the well-preserved thick Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are major causes for the magnetically quiet zone. The high similarities between various low-pass filtered marine and air-borne magnetic anomalies and satellite magnetic anomalies clearly confirm that deeper magnetic sources (in the lower crust and the uppermost mantle) have contributions to long-wavelength surface magnetic anomalies in the area, as already inferred from magnetically inversed Curie depths. The offshore south China magnetic anomaly (SCMA) becomes more prominent on low-pass filtered marine and air-borne magnetic anomalies and satellite magnetic anomalies, indicating very deeply-buried magnetic sources beneath it.     

Variation in styles of rifting in the Gulf of California

Constraints on the structure of rifted continental margins and the magmatism resulting from such rifting can help refine our understanding of the strength of the lithosphere, the state of the underlying mantle and the transition from rifting to seafloor spreading. An important structural classification of rifts is by width, with narrow rifts thought to form as necking instabilities (where extension rates outpace thermal diffusion) and wide rifts thought to require a mechanism to inhibit localization, such as lower-crustal flow in high heat-flow settings. Observations of the magmatism that results from rifting range from volcanic margins with two to three times the magmatism predicted from melting models to non-volcanic margins with almost no rift or post-rift magmatism. Such variations in magmatic activity are commonly attributed to variations in mantle temperature. Here we describe results from the PESCADOR seismic experiment in the southern Gulf of California and present crustal-scale images across three rift segments. Over short lateral distances, we observe large differences in rifting style and magmatism--from wide rifting with minor synchronous magmatism to narrow rifting in magmatically robust segments. But many of the factors believed to control structural evolution and magmatism during rifting (extension rate, mantle potential temperature and heat flow) tend to vary over larger length scales. We conclude instead that mantle depletion, rather than low mantle temperature, accounts for the observed wide, magma-poor margins, and that mantle fertility and possibly sedimentary insulation, rather than high mantle temperature, account for the observed robust rift and post-rift magmatism.     

济阳坳陷新生代构造沉降特征

利用回剥技术计算了济阳坳陷中4个主要凹陷的40余口井的构造沉降史，并通过与有限拉张模型对比，估算了单井的拉张系数。沉降特征分析结果表明，新生代以来，济阳坳陷的沉降基本上与断陷一坳陷的构造背景相吻合；断陷期东营凹陷拉张量最大，惠民凹陷次之，车镇凹陷最小，最大沉降中心由西南向东北逐渐迁移；各凹陷单井的拉张系数受到控盆断裂的影响；距今14Ma以来沉降加速，高沉降速率有随时间从坳陷东北部向西南部推进的趋势。     

修武盆地构造热演化史对下寒武统页岩含气性的影响

构造热演化史可以确定泥页岩在不同地质时期的成熟度状态及构造演化特征,对页岩含气性研究和资源评价都具有重要意义。综合运用包裹体测温法、构造热演化法以及盆地模拟软件Petromod对修武盆地的热演化史和埋藏史进行研究和重建。修武盆地JY1井的剥蚀厚度计算结果为4 142.75 m;自晚古生代以来热流值经历了低—高—低的变化过程;王音铺-观音堂组页岩在早志留世(434 Ma)进入生烃门限,早志留世-中志留世(434~422 Ma)为生油阶段,晚志留世-早二叠世(422~265 Ma)为生湿气阶段,早二叠世-晚侏罗世(265~145 Ma)为生干气阶段;王音铺组-观音堂组页岩早期大量生烃、长期深埋、生气时间早和抬升时间早,使得JY1井王音铺组-观音堂组页岩含气量(0.28~0.93 m3/t)并不理想。