Abstract
The Taichung foreland basin, sub-basin of the Taiwan foreland basin, has developed since Pliocene. We studied stratigraphic architecture and the lithofacies of the Taichung basin in detail. We recognized eleven lithofacies, which are grouped into ten facies associations. Based on facies association analysis, we suggest that the development of the Taichung basin can be divided into four stages accompanied by syn-depositional deformation characterized by westward propagating thrust faults.Prior to 2.78 Ma, the basin was characterized by offshore environment during underfilled stage. Later, the Shuangtung Fault located to the east of the Western Foothills began to thrust westward and uplifted the Tertiary strata, which supplied sediments to basin between the Shuangtung and Chelungpu faults in initial filled stage. About 1 Ma, the Chelungpu Fault started to thrust westward and uplifted the Western Foothills, which shed fluvial sediments to fill basin between the Chelungpu and Tachia faults. After 0.46 Ma, the Tachia Fault began to thrust westward and strata immediately to the east of the Tachia Fault were uplifted to form ramps, producing Houli and Tatushan tablelands. The basin-filling reached the overfilled stage when the Chingshui Coastal Plain is dominated with fluvial facies.The Taichung foreland basin is bounded by Tachia and Shuangtung faults with the Chelungpu Fault in the middle and formed by active, sequentially propagating westward thrust faults from Pliocene to Pleistocene. The youngest Tachia Fault carried the piggyback basin in front of the older Chelungpu Fault, representing similar style to piggyback basins of the Po Basin and the Ebro Basin in Europe.
Highlights
A foreland basin is an elongate region of potential sediment accommodation that is adjacent to an orogenic belt (DeCelles and Giles 1996)
This paper presents sedimentology studies of the Pliocene-Holocene strata of the Taichung foreland basin based on lithofacies analysis (Reading 1986; Boggs 2001)
We examined three surface sections, nine outcrops and cores from eight wells in the Taichung foreland basin
Summary
A foreland basin is an elongate region of potential sediment accommodation that is adjacent to an orogenic belt (DeCelles and Giles 1996). The load of the Taiwan orogen flexed down the foreland region in the southeastern edge of EP and formed mountain belt and has resulted in various sub-basins that are accompanied by a series of westward propagating thrust faults. They proposed that the central part of the Taiwan foreland basin (Taichung foreland basin) resulted from thrusting of the Shuangtung and the Chelungpu faults. This contrast provides a room for better understanding of the evolution of Taiwan foreland basin in general and motivates us to concentrate to the refinement of the sedimentary evolution from underfilled to overfilled stages of the Taichung foreland basin in particular
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
