Paleoproductivity of the Chang 7 unit in the Ordos Basin (North China) and its controlling factors

Abstract

Primary paleoproductivity provides basic organic matter for the formation of high-quality hydrocarbon source rock. A progressive method to quantitatively calculate paleoproductivity on the basis of total organic carbon (TOC) has been proposed to evaluate the contribution of primary paleoproductivity to a hydrocarbon source rock with high organic matter abundance. In this study, pyrite contents, organic maceral compositions and high-resolution sedimentation rates (SRs) were used to recover the amount of organic matter oxidation and to exclude the effect of terrestrial clastic input during the deposition of the Chang 7 sediment. Multiple calculation methods were used to quantitatively reconstruct paleoproductivity, and the results suggest that the Ordos Basin was a eutrophic lacustrine basin (approximately 2 × 104 mg C cm−2 kyr−1 to 10 × 104 mg C cm−2 kyr−1) during the Chang 7 stage compared with modern lake productivity. The paleoclimatic analysis indicates that a warm humid paleoclimate was beneficial for increasing the weathering intensity, which could have provided more nutrient inputs to the depositional environment with incoming terrestrial debris. In addition, the plate collision between the North China Block and Yangtze Block generated moderate volcanic ash that spread to the study area and provided large amounts of essential nutrients for algae blooms. Moreover, a brackish water condition promoted upward mixing of deep water, which inhibited water mass stratification and then facilitated primary paleoproductivity. In general, the Chang 7 high-quality hydrocarbon source rock is a result of increased paleoproductivity resulting from suitable paleoclimate conditions, brackish water masses and abundant essential nutrient inputs.