The Geophysical Survey and Sedimentary Basins Found in the Western Taiwan Strait of China: ABSTRACT

Abstract

The Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources of China, having conducted geophysical surveys in the Western Taiwan Strait by R/V Haiyang No.2 in 1981 and 1985, discovered for the first time three sedimentary basins, namely, the Jinjiang Depression, the Jiulongjiang Depression, and the Hanjiang Depression. The Jinjiang Depression is situated off the coast of Quanzhou Estuary at the mouth of the Jinjiang River, Fujian Province, covering an area of some 4,800 km{sup 2}, with Mesozoic-Cenozoic sediments as thick as 6,000 m. The Jiulongjiang Depression lies in the sea region between Xiamen of Fujian Province and the Penghu Islands of Taiwan Province, with an area of 3,100 km{sup 2} and Mesozoic-Cenozoic sediments about 6,000 m thick. The Hanjiang Depression, situated off the coast of Shantou City, Guangdong Province, occupies an area of 2,100 km{sup 2} with the thickness of sediments exceeding 5,000 m. During June-August 1989, our R/V Fendou No.4 carried out a detailed survey on Jinjiang and Jiulongjiang Depressions, acquiring over 6,000 km of multichannel seismic and magnetic survey data. The interpretation of the data shows that this region is of favorable geological condition for oil and gas, which has not been recognized before.