Study on the slope break belts in the Jurassic down-warped lacustrine basin in western-margin area, Junggar Basin, northwestern China

Abstract

The Junggar Basin is one of the large-scale petroliferous basins in northwestern China. During the Jurassic Age it was a down-warped continental basin. Different types of slope break belts with different origins have been identified in the basin, including the fracture, flexure, erosional and depositional slope break belts. Fracture and flexure slope break belts were mainly developed in the western-margin area of the Junggar Basin. Slope break belts can be further divided into two types, which are basin margin and inner basin according to their geographical locations. Tectonic movements are the important origin mechanisms controlling the development of the slope break belts, such as deep-seated thrust structure, inherited paleouplift and secondary fracture movement in the basin. Obviously slope break belts are developed in episodes, developed in multi-stages and are differential in movements and can be inherited and transformed due to the changes of tectonic movements in different periods and different areas. Detailed studies indicate that slope break belts obviously control the strata onlap, the vertical lithologic succession and the vertical and lateral distribution of depositional systems. Slope break belts can control the distribution of different non-structural traps.