Extinction pattern of reef ecosystems in latest Permian

Studies of two Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) sections on top of a Changhsingian reef in Ziyun, Guizhou Province, southwestern China indicate that the end-Permian mass extinction of reef ecosystems occurred in two steps. The first step is the extinction of all stenotropic organisms such as calcisponges and fusulinids in the latest Permian (in the Clarkina yini conodont zone). The biota after the first extinction is simple, comprising eurytropic organisms including microgastropods, ostracods, and some small burrowing organisms, or only algal mats. At the beginning of the Early Triassic (i.e. the beginning of the Hindeodus parvus zone), the environments became anoxic, and the microgastropod dominated biota or algal mats disappeared, which constituted the second episode of the mass extinction. The biota after the second extinction comprises small spherical microproblematica, some kinds of specialized organisms tolerant of anoxic or oxygen-poor conditions. As the environments became oxygenated, the specialized biota was replaced by a microgastropod-dominated simple biota. When the environmental conditions improved further, the simple biota was replaced by a diverse biota with normal-sized ammonoids, bivalves, and gastropods, representing restoration of normal oceanic condi- tions. Comparison with PTB sections in Dolomites, Italy and Meishan, Zhejiang Province shows that non-reef ecosystems had a similar first episode of mass extinction in the latest Permian. In the case that oceanic anoxia happened, non-reef ecosystems had a second extinction episode similar to that of reef ecosystems.     

Deep-water Earliest Oligocene Glacial Maximum （EOGM） in South Atlantic

The most prominent cooling event of the Earth surface during Cenozoic in the long-term transition from a non-glaciated planet, or “green-house world”, to a polar, glaciated planet, or “ice-house world”, is the Earliest Oligocene Glacial Maximum (EOGM) above the Eocene/Oligocene boundary at about 33.7 Ma. Planktonic and benthic foraminiferal oxygen and carbon isotopes, carbonate content, and coarse fraction, along with high-resolution color reflectance and magnetic susceptibility records during 35-30 Ma, from deep-water Sites 1262 and 1265, Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 208 in South Atlantic, reveal the global cooling event occurring in both surface and deep oceans. The results show that the earliest Oligocene δ^18O values during 33.5-33.1 Ma represent the magnitude of continental ice sheets on east Antarctica and indicate the large decrease in both surface and deep water temperatures of worldwideoceans. The δ^13C records show the large excursion during the period of EOGM event and indicate some types of shift in global carbon reservoir, probably demonstrating the sudden increase in organic carbon burial rates and the changes in the distribution and timing of production. At the same time, lithologic composition, carbonate content, color reflectance, and coarse fraction brought about significant changes close to the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, reflecting the abrupt deepening in the carbonate compensation depth (CCD). Changes in carbonate content were revealed from the color reflectance identify periodicities associated with eccentricity of the Earth‘s orbit (100 and 400 ka), further indicating orbitally forced global climate variations in the Early Oligocene.     

Geochemical significance of the relative enrichment of pristane and the negative excursion of δ^13CPr across the Permian-Triassic Boundary at Meishan, China

Changes in the distribution of isoprenoid hydrocarbons and in δ^13Ckero or δ^13Cpr across the section from the Changxing Formation to the lower Yinkeng Formation at Meishan （the GSSP of PTB） are studied, in which a relative enrichment of pristane and a sharp shift in both δ^13Ckero and δ^13Cmole near the boundary are revealed. A possible mechanism for the abnormal accumulation of pristane near PTB is suggested： Lipids in some marine animals and their metabolites, rich in pristane, can be preserved and accumulate in some suitable depositing facies under certain special conditions, such as the catastrophic death of animals and/or developing of an anoxic water column, and thus the pristane enrichment occurs in the sediment. The occurrences of isoprenoid enrichment and high Pr/Ph ratios have been found in other typical marine anoxic sediments accompanied by mass extinction in various extent during the most important geological periods, such as Late Ordovician, end of Devonian, Early Jurassic and Late Cretaceous. These occurrences support to a certain extent the above mechanism that interprets the genesis of a high Pr/Ph ratio in some typical marine anoxic sediments. The synchronous sharp negative shifts in δ^13Cmole, δ^13Ckero and δ^13Ccarb from Beds 24 to 26 of the Meishan profile indicate that a sudden and strong variation of carbon source in the atmosphere-ocean system occurred during the quick but equable evolution from the end-Permian to Early Triassic, and the coupling between the pristane enrichment and negative shift in δ^13Ckero and δ^13CPr may well indicate the importance of the release of methane hydrates and marine anoxia in the end-Permian mass extinction.     

Filamentous cyanobacteria fossils and their significance in the Permian-Triassic boundary section at Laolongdong, Chongqing

The microbial communities blooming immediately after the end-Permian mass extinction represent abnormally extreme environments, and vary in different areas. In this study, filamentous cyanobacterial biota was found in the strata after the extinction in the famous Permian-Triassic boundary section at Laolongdong, Chongqing, southwest China. In thin sections, the filamentous cyanobacterial fossils are below 1 mm in length, and generally taper to one end, with the widest diameter up to 0.08 mm. Some of them are curved, indicating that they are soft in life. Their walls are composed of cryptocrystalline to microcrystalline calcites. The filaments have round cross section, and are internally filled with micrites and fine sparry calcites, which indicate that the filaments are originally empty. They are randomly distributed in the rocks, but in some places, they tend to be distributed in radial pattern. The filamentous organisms are morphologically similar to Rivularia of Rivulariaceae, Cyanobacteria Phylum, but with calcified sheaths, and are tentatively regarded as an indeterminate new species in Rivularia： Rivularia sp. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic autotrophic, and can survive in dysoxic condition. The blooming of this organism and the absence of other organisms may indicate that the environment was oxygendeficient and shallow, since this photosynthetic autotrophic organism needed to live within photic.     

Rare earth elements and carbon isotope geochemistry of the Doushantuo Formation in South China: Implication for middle Ediacaran shallow marine redox conditions

The middle Ediacaran Shuram excursion, the largest negative δ 13 C carb excursion in Earth history, has been interpreted as indirect evidence for episodic oxidation and remineralization of deep ocean DOC (dissolved organic carbon). It has been hypothesized that such oxidation event may have occurred when anoxic DOC-laden deep water was brought to shallow shelves during oceanic upwelling, which is expected to cause localized anoxia in shallow environments. To test this prediction, we systematically analyzed rare earth elements (REE) and δ 13 C carb of the upper Doushantuo Formation carbonates in the Yangtze Gorges area of South China, which were deposited in an inner shelf environment and record a large negative δ 13 C carb excursion correlated to the Shuram event. The REE data show a significant positive shift in Ce/Ce* values, synchronous with a pronounced negative δ 13 C carb shift. This positive Ce/Ce* shift is interpreted to represent an oceanic anoxia event in shallow shelf environments, which may have been caused by the upwelling or impingement of oxygen-depleted and 12 C-enriched deep water onto shelves. This anoxia event coincides with a sharp decline in the abundance and diversity of Ediacaran acanthomorphic acritarchs, raising the possibility that these two geobiological events may be causally related.     

A regional tectonic event of Katian (Late Ordovician) age across three major blocks of China

The present paper deals with a tectonic event of Late Ordovician age affecting three blocks of China,i.e.South China,North China and Tarim.In the North China and the Tarim platforms,as well as their marginal belts,there was a regional uplift during the early Katian Stage of the Ordovician.The uplift was indicated by the unconformities between the Ordovician successions and overlying late Paleozoic strata.New biostratigraphic studies of conodonts and graptolites from many sections at Longxian and Yaoxian,North China shows that the youngest Ordovician strata are of the early Katian age corresponding to graptolite Diplacanthograptus spiniferus Biozone.The same level has been recognized to represent the uppermost Ordovician in the platform area of Tarim,whereas in the marginal belt the top boundary of the Ordovician is slightly younger,corresponding to the graptolite Dicellograptus complanatus Biozone.Thus,the regional uplift in North China and Tarim is shown by the disconformity between the early Katian strata and Late Paleozoic strata,the onset coinciding with that of the Kwangsian Orogeny in South China.The designation Kwangsian Orogeny later fell into disuse and was replaced by the term Caledonian Orogeny.However,in terms of geographic location,tectonic nature,and the timing of activity,the Caledonian Orogeny differs significantly from the orogenic event in South China,and the continued use of this term in South China is inappropriate and misleading.     

Main controlling factors of distribution and genetics of marine reservoirs in China

Marine reservoirs are mainly made up of clastics and carbonate reservoirs, which are distributed widely in central Tarim, Sichuan, Ordos basins from the Pre-Cambrian to Cenozoic, mainly in Palaeozoic. Marine clastic reservoirs are developed in foreshore and nearshore, tidal flat and delta environment. The sedimentary facies are important controlling factors for reservoir quality. Compaction, pressolution and cementation are factors of decreasing porosity, and low palaeo-temperature gradient, early emplacement of oil and gas and dissolution are favorable for preservation of pore. Carbonate reservoirs are divided into reef and bank, karst, dolomite and fracture reservoirs. Dolomitization, dissolution, TSR and fracture are important factors of controlling carbonate reservoirs＇ quality.     

Relationship between the later strong gas-charging and the improvement of the reservoir capacity in deep Ordovician carbonate reservoir in Tazhong area, Tarim Basin

Some large-scale oil-gas fields have recently been discovered in marine carbonate in China, especially the significant discoveries in deep reservoir that reveals a favorable exploration prospect. Tazhong area is the first-order tectonic unit in Tarim Basin, where there are nearly trillion cubic meters of natural gas resources in the Ordovician limestone reef flat complex in Lianglitage Formation. The reservoir is shelf edge reef flat complex, characterized by ultra-low porosity, low permeability and strong heterogeneous, with a current burial depth of 4500―6500 m. Studies find that the formation and distribution of deep reservoir of the Lianglitage Formation were controlled not only by the early high-energy sedimentary facies and corrosion, but the fracture network formed by the strong gas-charging process since the Himalayan epoch, which played an important role in optimizing and improving reservoir properties. This paper discusses the relationship between the strong later gas-charging and the improvement of the reservoir capacity in deep Ordovician carbonate reservoir, and also builts the corresponding mechanisms and modes, which is favorable for the prediction and evaluation of the advantageous exploration targets.     

Developmental modes of the Neoproterozoic-Lower Paleozoic marine hydrocarbon source rocks in China

Based on the researches on rock type, the mode of occurrence, diagnostic minerals and creatures, the sedimentary geochemistry and organic facies of Chinese marine source rocks from wells and outcrops, and on the research findings of developmental modes of foreign marine source rock, the authors consider that it is impossible to objectively make clear the formation mechanism of hydrocarbon source rock with high organic matter abundance by either single mode of preservation or high organic matter productivity. According to the Chinese geological features, the formation mechanism of the Neoproterozoic-Lower Paleozoic marine source rock is generalized into four modes, namely, thermal water activity-upwelling flow-anoxic; carbonate gentle slope-upwelling flow; xerothermic climate-brine euxinic milieu; and humid climate-retained euxinic milieu; as the Lower Cambrian undercompensation basin organic facies （the Tarim Basin, South China and southwestern margin of North China）, carbonate gentle lime mud bound organic facies （the Upper Ordovician in Tazhong region of the Tarim Basin and the Lower Silurian in the Upper Yangtze Platform）, the Middle Cambrian evaporation laggon organic facies （the Tarim Basin and the Upper Yangtze Platform）, enclosed undercompensation terrigenous bay organic facies （the Middle-Upper Ordovician in the west of the Tarim Basin, the Lower Silurian Long- maxi Formation in the Upper Yangtze platform）. Chinese marine sedimentations with lower organic matter abundance are generalized into two modes of consumption-dilution mode of open epicontinental sea and depletion-dilution mode of supercompensation basin.     

Trace element and rare earth element of cap carbonate in Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in Yangtze Gorges

For the Doushantuo cap carbonate at the Jiulongwan section in the Yangtze Gorges, its concentrations of redox sensitive elements suggest two distinct enrichments in stratigraphy. These enrichments occur at about 0.8 m and 3.3 m above the bottom of cap carbonate, respectively. They are interpreted as the temporary anoxic depositional conditions due to the oxidation of seeped methane. REE＋Y patterns of the cap carbonate are classified into three types with different styles： （1） from the bottom to 2.45 m, representing the behaviors of freshwater and suggesting that massive meltwater swarmed into surface oceans during the deglaciation; （2） from 2.45 m to 3.3 m, indicating the pattern of ancient seawater possibly due to upwelling of deep water; and （3） from 3.3 m to the top, showing ＂MREE bulge＂ pattern with HREE-depletion as a result of diagenesis. The three-stage REE＋Y patterns represent the transformations of shallow water in the wake of the Marinoan glaciation in this region： the fresh meltwater was dominant first, and then it interfused into the oceanic basin by the transgression and upwelling. Bloom of plankton further introduced anoxia near the water-sediment interface.     

轮南周缘地区奥陶系碳酸盐岩沉积相发育规律

塔里木盆地轮南周缘地区奥陶系发育良好,主要由海相碳酸盐岩和陆源碎屑岩组成。沉积相分析表明,中下奥陶统鹰山组为区域性的开阔台地相台内滩夹滩间海沉积,中奥陶统一间房组为区域性的海水变浅的开阔台地浅滩夹点礁沉积,上奥陶统吐木休克组发育沉没台地－斜坡相,上奥陶统良里塔格组是在晚奥陶世海侵背景下碳酸盐岩台地边缘－斜坡相的沉积产物。研究区奥陶系发育两期礁滩体,第一期礁滩体发育于中奥陶统一间房组,第二期礁滩体发育于上奥陶统良里塔格组上部,两期礁滩体的发育环境和分布范围各具特色。奥陶系碳酸盐岩沉积相带总体上呈近南北向展布,各相带在近东西方向上错落有序分布,并且随时间发生明显的侧向迁移。     

碳酸盐岩生物礁地震响应特征的数值模拟

针对碳酸盐岩生物礁储层具有较强非均质性的特点,利用叠前黏弹性波动方程正演数值模拟方法,模拟了碳酸盐岩生物礁、滩的地震响应特征,为地震资料识别生物礁储层提供依据.模拟结果显示,在生物礁两侧出现上超反射,礁顶明显见披覆现象,在礁体内部产生S形前积反射、弱反射或杂乱反射,在礁前缘斜坡相外形呈楔状且礁底为下超反射终止.此外,礁体顶底界反射产生极性反转,底部反射同相轴可能出现上凸或下凹现象,而深度域成像剖面可以消除上凸或下凹现象.     

Two episodes of microbial change coupled with Permo/Triassic faunal mass extinction

Microbial expansion following faunal mass extinctions in Earth history can be studied by petrographic examination of microbialites (microbial crusts) or well-preserved organic-walled microbes. However, where preservation is poor, quantification of microbial communities can be problematic. We have circumvented this problem by adopting a lipid biomarker-based approach to evaluate microbial community changes across the Permo/Triassic (P/Tr) boundary at Meishan in South China. We present here a biomarker stratigraphic record showing episodic microbial changes coupled with a high-resolution record of invertebrate mass extinction. Variation in the microbial community structure is characterized by the 2-methylhopane (2-MHP) index (a ratio of the abundance of cyanobacterial biomarkers to more general bacterial biomarkers). Two episodes of faunal mass extinction were each preceded by minima in the 2-MHP index, followed by strong maxima, likely reflecting microbial responses to the catastrophic events that caused the extinction and initiated ecosystem changes. Hence, both cyanobacterial biomarker and invertebrate fossil records provide evidence for two episodes of biotic crisis across the P/Tr boundary.     

西秦岭南带中志留统的岩石学特征与沉积环境

详细研究了西秦岭南带中志留统岩石学特征,对遭受重结晶作用的碳酸盐岩进行了结构成因分类。分析了该区中志留世的沉积环境及变化特征。在该区发现的层孔虫生物礁及其它“浅水”标志,表明志留纪时,为若尔盖微古陆北侧的边缘浅海环境。西部为局限陆棚环境,可分为:局限内陆棚、海湾、礁滩-泻湖-潮坪(孤立台地)等亚环境;东部为开阔陆棚环境,可分为浅海砂滩、内陆棚、外陆棚等亚环境。     

湖北兴山中寒武统覃家庙群微生物岩及其古环境意义

通过野外考察及对岩石光面的观察,发现湖北兴山古洞口剖面中寒武统覃家庙群微生物岩的类型主要为波状-半球状叠层石,少量为凝块石。显微镜下观察发现叠层石及凝块石中保存有蓝绿菌类丝状微生物Girvanella,依据Girvanella丝状体在微生物岩中的赋存状态,认为覃家庙群的微生物岩是由底栖微生物群落的钙化和粘结、捕获等共同作用形成的。此外,古洞口剖面中寒武统微生物岩的宏观形态和巨型构造及其伴生的碳酸岩沉积相,指示其形成环境位于深潮下带和浅潮下带。通过对比研究,发现扬子地块表现出的中寒武世微生物岩再繁盛现象具有全球性,推测后生动物的匮乏或衰退是其主要控制因子,反映了生物礁结构由元古代的叠层石礁演变为显生宙的后生生物礁的重要转折。     

碳酸盐岩沉积相研究进展

 总结碳酸盐岩沉积相研究进展及方法,指出其中存在的问题和发展趋势。结果表明,国外对海相碳酸盐岩沉积相划分注重碳酸盐岩沉积类型的地理分布规律和沉积能量差异,中国则侧重于沉积相的精细划分和岩相古地理分析。中国四川盆地和南海海域的生物礁研究取得重大进展,对生物礁的形成环境、控制因素、发育模式和表征方法等认识不断深化。湖相碳酸盐岩沉积模式多样,微生物碳酸盐岩逐渐成为研究热点,沉积模式不断完善。冷水碳酸盐岩的时空分布、发育机理、控制因素、沉积物特征及油气地质意义研究程度不断提高。碳酸盐岩沉积相研究方法包括地质分析法和地球物理法,其中地质分析法包括微相分析法、实验分析法、生物相法和地球化学法,地球物理法包括数学-测井法和地震方法。碳酸盐岩沉积相研究存在问题有：海相碳酸盐岩分类体系缺乏统一的标准和规范;实验分析法、生物相方法及地球化学法应用较少;浅滩发育模式和深水碳酸盐岩研究薄弱。碳酸盐岩沉积相的发展趋势为：研究方法不断实现定性方法和定量方法的结合,突破碳酸盐岩混合沉积研究技术瓶颈;不断深化深水、冷水等非常规碳酸盐岩理论认识和油气潜力分析;相控原则应用更为广泛,相控建模、相控成岩演化、相控储层分类等方法不断深入。     

Carbon isotope excursions across the Permian-Triassic boundary in the Meishan section, Zhejiang Province, China

Both gradual and sharp decrease in organic and carbonate carbon isotope values were detected across the Permian-Triassic boundary in the Meishan section, Changxing, Zhejiang Province, China. The gradual decrease in organic carbon isotope values started at the bottom of Bed 23, coinciding with the strong oscillations of total organic carbon (TOC) contents, indicates increasing fluxes from carbonate to organic carbon reservoir during this interval. A 2.3‰ sharp drop of inorganic carbon isotope values occurred at the uppermost part of Bed 24e. A 3.7‰ sharp drop of organic carbon isotope values occurred in Bed 26. The dramatic drop of inorganic carbon isotope value of 8‰ reported previously is not confirmed from the unweathered carbonate samples in Bed 27. The large-scale fluctuation of organic carbon isotope values in the Yinkeng Formation reflects different extent of mixing of marine and terrestrial organic matters. The gradual depletion and subsequent sharp drop of carbon isotopes near the Permian-Triassic boundary might indicate complex causes of the end-Permian mass extinction.     

华南上扬子区奥陶纪特马豆克阶的海平面变化

在较为精细的生物地层学研究基础上,对位于华南上扬子区4条剖面的沉积相组合以及沉积相序列进行分析,建立上扬子区特马豆克期高分辨率相对海平面变化曲线。识别出10个沉积相,划分出3个沉积相组合,分别沉积于浅潮下带、深潮下带和页岩盆地带;识别出5次重要的海侵事件,分别发生在TS.1a早期、TS.1a晚期、TS.1c早期、TS.1c晚期和TS.1d晚期,其中TS.1c早期的海侵为特马豆克期最大海侵事件。通过与其他板块海平面变化曲线的对比,发现上扬子区海平面变化主要受全球海平面变化的控制。     

蜀南地区上三叠统须家河组成岩相划分

蜀南地区须家河组储层物性的好坏受成岩作用的控制,研究成岩相及其展布规律,能有效地预测有利储层发育带,为油气勘探提供地质依据。根据控制沉积物孔隙形成与演化的成岩作用,将蜀南地区须家河组储层划分为五种成岩相,即浅埋藏强压实相、浅中埋藏钙质胶结相、中埋藏绿泥石胶结相、中深埋藏硅质胶结相和深埋藏溶蚀 高岭石胶结相。各种成岩相的形成和分布与沉积物的原始组分密切相关。各成岩相之间储层物性差别大,它们的不同组合可形成成岩圈闭。在蜀南地区的中部（川中—川南过渡带）有形成成岩圈闭的条件,因而在该地区进行油气勘探应不局限于构造圈闭。