| Citation: |
Xiao-yin Tang, Shu-chun Yang, Sheng-biao Hu, 2023. Tectonic-thermal history and hydrocarbon potential of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea: Insights from borehole apatite fission-track thermochronology, China Geology, 6, 429-442. doi: 10.31035/cg2022055
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Tectonic-thermal history and hydrocarbon potential of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea: Insights from borehole apatite fission-track thermochronology
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Abstract
The Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB) is one of the most petroliferous basins on the northern margin of the South China Sea. Knowledge of the thermal history of the PRMB is significant for understanding its tectonic evolution and for unraveling its poorly studied source-rock maturation history. Our investigations in this study are based on apatite fission-track (AFT) thermochronology analysis of 12 cutting samples from 4 boreholes. Both AFT ages and length data suggested that the PRMB has experienced quite complicated thermal evolution. Thermal history modeling results unraveled four successive events of heating separated by three stages of cooling since the early Middle Eocene. The cooling events occurred approximately in the Late Eocene, early Oligocene, and the Late Miocene, possibly attributed to the Zhuqiong II Event, Nanhai Event, and Dongsha Event, respectively. The erosion amount during the first cooling stage is roughly estimated to be about 455–712 m, with an erosion rate of 0.08–0.12 mm/a. The second erosion-driven cooling is stronger than the first one, with an erosion amount of about 747–814 m and an erosion rate between about 0.13–0.21 mm/a. The erosion amount calculated related to the third cooling event varies from 800 m to 3419 m, which is speculative due to the possible influence of the magmatic activity.
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Keywords:
- Oil and gas /
- Hydrocarbon potential /
- Apatite fission-track /
- Tectonic-thermal evolution /
- Thermal history modeling /
- Cooling event /
- Marine geological survey engineering /
- Heating event /
- Erosion amount and rate /
- Oil-gas exploration engineering /
- Pearl River Mouth Basin /
- The South China Sea
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References
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Xiao-yin Tang, Shu-chun Yang, Sheng-biao Hu, 2023. Tectonic-thermal history and hydrocarbon potential of the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea: Insights from borehole apatite fission-track thermochronology, China Geology, 6, 429-442. doi: 10.31035/cg2022055
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Figure 1.
Map showing the Pearl River Mouth Basin in a regional context (a) and the subdivision of this basin (b). EP–Eurasian Plate, IDP–India Plate, SCS–South China Sea, PSP–Philippine Sea Plate, PP–Pacific Plate, AP–Australian Plate. SH–Shenhu Uplift, PYL–Panyu Low-uplift, DSU–Dongsha Uplift, YK–Yunkai Low-uplift, BY–Baiyun Sag, LW–Liwan Sag. Red circles in (b) show the sample wells in this work and the red star presents the location of the ODP Site 1148.
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Figure 2.
Generalized stratigraphic column of the Pearl River Mouth Basin showing main seismic reflectors, depositional facies, and tectonic events (after Tang XY et al., 2017).
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Figure 3.
Radial plots of apatite fission-track data. Single-grain ages are color-coded according to their Dpar. n–number of analyses and dispersion gives the age-dispersion value as a percentage. Black lines represent statistically derived AFT population ages using the mixture model in RadialPlotter.
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Figure 4.
Apatite fission-track single grain ages and pooled/central ages (±1σ) vs depth/present temperature distribution of the well (a) BY13, (b) XJ24, (c) HZ25, and (d) HF28. Pooled ages are presented when P (χ2) > 5%, otherwise, the central ages are presented.
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Figure 5.
Thermal history results for Well BY13 in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, from simultaneously modeling of samples from (a) Zhuhai Formation (BY131), (b) Enping Formation (BY132), and (c) Wenchang Formation (BY133) (HeFTy version 1.9.3, Ketcham RA et al., 2018). Data are provided in Tables 2 and 3. Displayed are the time-Temperature (t-T) paths (left), the c-axis corrected confined fission-track length-frequency distribution overlain by a calculated probability density function (best fit) (except for sample BY131, see text section 5.1 for further details). Green and pink envelopes indicate the realm of time-temperature solutions for acceptable (goodness-of-fit (GOF) > 0.05) and good (GOF > 0.5) paths, respectively. Blue lines are the weighted mean paths generated by averaging all successful paths as each nodal position). Shaded areas are regions of t-T space that are controlled by the sample below, while non-shaded areas are independent. Boxes on t-T graphs are constraints through which t-T histories were forced to pass.
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Figure 6.
Thermal history results for Well HF28 in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, from simultaneously modeling of samples from (a) Zhuhai Formation (HF281), (b) Enping Formation (HF282), and (c) Wenchang Formation (HF283).
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Figure 7.
Thermal histories of sample XJ241 from the Zhuhai Formation in Well XJ24, Pearl River Mouth Basin.
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Figure 8.
(a) Weighted mean time-temperature paths for sample BY133, HF283, and XJ241, (b) Convergence rates and direction between the Indian–Eurasian Plates (Lee T and Lawver LA, 1995; Torsvik TH et al., 2008), and (c) Convergence rates and direction between the Pacific–Eurasian Plates (Maruyama S and Send T, 1986; Northrup CJ et al., 1995).