Abstract
AbstractThe Beikang Basin is located in the southern part of the South China Sea (SCS), which is one of most tectonically complex sea areas. It is a deepwater sedimentary basin that was mainly deposited during the Cenozoic era. Owing to data restrictions, the research on carbonate platforms of this area is still in its infancy. High‐resolution seismic data are analyzed to identify the Miocene carbonate platforms and reconstruct the architecture and growth history. The carbonate platforms of Beikang Basin began to develop in the Late Oligocene‐Early Miocene, were extended in the Middle Miocene, and declined in the Late Miocene. The carbonate platform mainly developed during two periods: the Oligocene to the Early Miocene, and the Middle Miocene. The carbonate platforms that developed in the Middle Miocene were the most prosperous. The Middle Miocene carbonate platform in the Beikang Basin can be divided into three stages. In the first stage, the platforms had wide range which were thin. During the second stage, the platforms had a smaller range that was controlled by faults. In the third stage, the platforms were gradually submerged. The platform structure developed in the Middle Miocene at the Beikang Basin was controlled by the rate of rising/falling of the sea level and the carbonate growth rate. Based on an analysis of these changes and relationship, the platform can be divided into several patterns: retrogradation, submerged, aggradation, progradation, outward with up‐stepping, outward with down‐stepping, and down‐stepping platforms. At the top of the carbonate platforms in the Beikang Basin a set of carbonate wings or mushrooms usually appeared. These were formed during a period of relative sea‐level decline. It is believed that the Miocene carbonate platforms in the Beikang Basin are mainly controlled by tectonic and sedimentary environments, and are also affected by terrestrial detritus.
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