Wave processes in relation to the tectono-sedimentary of the Tarim basin: A new method for basin study

Abstract

This study gives insights into the tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the Tarim basin, the largest petroleum-bearing basin in Western China, by analyzing sedimentary wave process using multi-scale decomposition of the wavelet transform method, and the mathematical defects of sliding-window method in the process of sedimentary wave analysis was discussed. The filtering analysis, in the time domain, was carried out on cores collected from 14 wells in the Tarim basin. The results show that the evolution of the Tarim basin was controlled by various wave processes. The periods of 212 ± Ma, 102 ± Ma and 33 ± Ma indicated a strong sedimentary rhythm, which displayed a spatial and temporal evolution of wave characteristics. The 33 ± Ma period represented a third-order sequence of the stratigraphic division, which identified with the unconformities of the Tarim basin; 102 ± Ma period corresponded to an important period of sedimentation and the plate collision around the Tarim basin, which marked a second-order period of the basin evolution. The centers of subsidence showed periodic shifts since the Cambrian, and the time for periodic migration (completing a circle) of the depocenters or the centers of subsidence is traced as 212 ± Ma, which corresponded to the first-order period of the basin evolution. The coupling relationships between the wave processes and the evolution and distribution of source, reservoir and cap rocks in the basin were given by three kinds of patterns, which were important in predicting the space-time distribution of source, reservoir and cap rocks. This study gives a new insight on predicting the formation and distribution of petroleum, which could be used for selecting petroleum exploration targets effectively.