Transgressive-regressive Cycles Research Articles

Sedimentology, depositional processes, and sequence stratigraphy of deep lacustrine fine-grained sedimentary rocks in the Lower Oligocene Xiaganchaigou Formation, Qaidam Basin, Northwestern China

Lacustrine deep-water fine-grained sedimentary rocks are characterized by high heterogeneities in lithology and lithofacies stacking patterns, controlled by sediment supply and lake level fluctuation. Despite their vital roles as source and reservoir rocks of unconventional oil and gas play, depositional processes and sedimentary sequence of lacustrine fine-grained sedimentary rocks are poorly understood compared to their extensively studied deep marine counterparts. Here, we studied lithofacies, transportation and depositional processes, depositional environments, and sedimentary cycles of deep-water fine-grained deposits of the Lower Oligocene Xiaganchaigou Formation from cored wells in the western Qaidam Basin. Nine lithofacies that stack repetitively in 6-18 m thick sedimentary cycles are identified based on petrographic observation, geochemical analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The regressive systems tract of a sedimentary cycle is composed of detrital-rich massive fine sandstone deposited by debris flows and thin-bedded fine sandstone deposited by high-density turbidity currents. The transgressive systems tract is dominated by laminated carbonate-rich mudrock facies deposited by low-density turbidity currents. A complete sedimentary cycle is interpreted to represent a transgressive-regressive cycle controlled by fifth-order lake-level variation. Coarse-grained detrital-rich debrite and high-density turbidite were deposited in the proximal sublacustrine fan and channel during lake-level regression, with sediments mainly supplied by terrigenous siliciclastic input. Carbonate-rich low-density turbidites are deposited primarily in the distal sublacustrine fan during lake-level transgression. Thin-laminated carbonate-rich mudrock facies with high organic matter abundance and well-developed laminae-induced fractures are considered both source rocks and target reservoirs of the upper Xiaganchaigou Formation.

Depositional setting and sequence stratigraphy of Upper Mississippian coal-bearing paralic cyclothems in Upper Silesian foreland

The upper Serpukhovian Poruba Member (c. 325–324 Ma) is a coal-bearing “paralic” succession deposited in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin located along the eastern foreland of the Moravo-Silesian segment of the Variscan fold and thrust belt. The basin formed an >150 km long, tectonically controlled embayment open to the north and northeast, with estuarine circulation, predominance of fluvial discharge and a limited tidal influence. A high-accommodation depocentre (possibly up to 1100 m/Myr) was filled by shallowing-upward successions related to the progradation of river dominated (bay-head) deltas, with subordinate fluvial and marine sediments. These strata form two orders of transgressive-regressive cycles, or genetic sequences, both overlapping with the Milankovitch band. Intervals of maximum transgression, marked by marine or brackish faunal horizons, immediately overlie coal beds, suggesting non-accretionary transgression in a low energy setting. Six medium-term genetic sequences (cyclothems) are recognized, each consisting of 4 to 6 elementary sequences and a number of smaller scale units of possible autocyclic origin. The medium-term sequences are attributed to a combined influence of relative sea-level change and changes in sediment input, both possibly as a far field response to Gondwanan glaciation through glacioeustasy and attendant changes in climatic seasonality.

Magnetostratigraphy of the Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene sediments from the Tulsipur section, western Nepal: Tectonic implications for the Indian northern passive margin

The sedimentary strata from the Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene in the Himalayan foothills offer detailed insights into land collision processes. Unfortunately, a comprehensive dating study on these strata has been lacking, limiting our understanding of the collision and splicing history of the Indian and Lhasa plates. To address this question, we conducted a paleomagnetic study on the Late Cretaceous to Early Eocene succession in the Tulsipur area, western Nepal. The paleomagnetic data obtained from a 357 m thick succession were used to establish a new magnetostratigraphic framework for this region. The observed magnetic polarity sequence contains six normal and six reversed polarity zones, spanning the age range of 68–54 Ma (Maastrichtian to Early Eocene). In addition, two major and two stable sediment accumulation rates (SARs) were identified which were likely controlled by tectonics. The rifting and subsidence events caused by continuous northward movement of the Indian plate might have modulated the shifting of distal offshore to tidal flat settings in this region. We document fifteen (Unit I) and seven (Unit II) transgressive-regressive cycles, indicative of passive margin instability influenced by near-field effects of the India-Asian convergence. This new magnetostratigraphic result is expected to serve as a basic age framework in reconstructing the Late Mesozoic and Early Cenozoic tectonic evolution. Furthermore, it will also facilitate reliable cross-regional correlation between lithostratigraphic units across passive margins in the southern Himalaya and similar strata in the Tethyan Himalaya and active continental margins of the southern Tibetan Plateau.

Sedimentological and sequence-stratigraphic analyses of the Tithonian Hith Anhydrite Formation in the Dahal Hit outcrop, Saudi Arabia

The Dahal Hit cavern in Central Saudi Arabia is the only locality where the Tithonian Hith Anhydrite Formation is exposed in the Middle East. In 2010, a 28.5-m interval in the 90-m-thick Hith Formation was logged and described in the cavern as part of a study to evaluate its sedimentological and sequence-stratigraphic architecture and to identify potential high-permeability layers within the seal of the world’s most prolific petroleum system. Seven facies types were interpreted as reflecting sabkha (subaerial) or salina (subaqueous) settings, and their vertical stacking patterns revealed that the logged interval consists of three transgressive–regressive cycles and part of a fourth cycle. The cavern was revisited in 2016 but only to find that the water level had risen by about 50 m rendering further geological studies impossible. The higher level of the water suggests that the cavern was flooded by the flow in the subsurface of treated sewage water released into a former quarry. The quarry is situated about 10 km southeast of the cavern, and the storage of water in it started in 2008. The flow pathways to the Dahal Hit cavern are apparently well-connected karsts, caverns, and high-permeability flow zones present in dolomite layers.

Литолого-фациальная модель бакинских отложений Астраханского Прикаспия

The influence of fluctuations in the Caspian Sea level on the lithological and facies characteristics of sedimentary deposits is analyzed. Special attention is paid to the study of periodic changes in the water level in the Caspian Sea during the Absheron and Baku time in order to determine the effect of fluctuations on sedimentation processes. The Turanian regression was considered, and its differentiation with the Absheron and Baku transgressions was carried out. The study included the study of climatic conditions of past eras and their impact on the diversity of flora and fauna, which, in turn, had an impact on sedimentation processes in various periods of the Baku stage. Geological and statistical methods were used to determine the characteristics of reservoirs in sediments, as well as to study their distribution over the territory. A lithological and facies model has been constructed that reflects two cycles of regression and transgression characteristic of the deposits of the Baku time, which made it possible to describe the distribution of sandy and clay facies in various sections of the section and interpret a map of sandiness to identify buried river valleys. It is concluded that two lithofacies bundles reflecting the transgressive-regressive cycle of the Great Caspian Sea were identified in Baku time. Hypotheses have been formed according to which the reservoirs were formed in the final stage of the Turkic regression and were later covered with sediments of the Baku transgression. It has been established that these reservoirs play a significant role for gas accumulations and are distributed almost throughout the territory of the Astrakhan Caspian Sea. The identification of areas with a high reservoir content may be important for future exploration in this region.

Late Ediacaran to Early Cambrian Breakup Sequences and Establishment of the Eastern Laurentian Passive Margin, Newfoundland, Canada

Sediment provenance studies were conducted to constrain the establishment of the eastern Laurentian or Humber passive margin in Newfoundland, Canada, and examine models for the opening of the Iapetus Ocean and Humber Seaway. Ediacaran to Cambrian Series 2 strata of the lower Labrador and Curling groups contain garnet, muscovite, and feldspar, and yield 1000–1500 Ma detrital zircon grains that reflect local derivation from Grenville Province basement rocks during regional extensional deformation. Cambrian Series 2 to early Miaolingian units of the upper Labrador and Curling groups are quartz-rich and characterized by 556–586 Ma and 1000–2700 Ma detrital zircon grains that instead reflect continental-scale drainage and transition to passive margin deposition along eastern Laurentia. The geological relationships along the Humber margin are compared with modern analogues in the Newfoundland-west Iberia rift system to propose a magma-poor rift model that includes two breakup sequences which formed in response to isostatic adjustment after the rupture of crust and mantle, respectively. Crustal breakup resulted in an Ediacaran to Cambrian Series 2 breakup sequence that was connected to hyperextension, mantle exhumation, and bimodal magmatism. Mantle breakup likely occurred >20 Myr after first mantle exhumation and resulted in a breakup sequence that is best characterized by Cambrian Series 2 to early Miaolingian strata. The mantle breakup sequence consists of regressive-transgressive cycles that record the transition from breakup to thermal subsidence and was probably driven by the separation of the Dashwoods microcontinent from eastern Laurentia and outboard opening of west Iapetus. The Humber Seaway opened between the Humber margin and Dashwoods and was at least partially underlain by exhumed continental mantle. Our scenarios support hypotheses for equivalent magma-poor rift elements elsewhere in the Caledonian-Appalachian orogen, and we predict that crustal and mantle breakup sequences are exposed in the Scotland-Ireland and Quebec-New England segments of the eastern Laurentian margin.

A Paleogene mixed carbonate-siliciclastic system in the western Tethys: spectral gamma-ray as a tool for the reconstruction of paleoclimate and transgressive-regressive cycles

The mixed carbonate-siliciclastic ramps of the Dauphinois-Provençal domain in northwest Italy are characterized by a common development process during the Paleogene. Spectral gamma-ray (SGR) analysis indicates the concentration of potassium (K), uranium (U), and thorium (Th) in the total gamma-ray signal, permitting the identification of subtle stratigraphic compositional trends, sedimentary minerals, paleoclimatic conditions, and the individualization of lithofacies characters through the stacking pattern cycles. This study integrates known lithological and fossil content analysis of the section with new independent data from the spectral gamma-ray (SGR) to explore the paleoclimate and stacking patterns for defining large-scale depositional cycles along a Paleogene succession in the southwestern Alps.The differences between the outcropping Microcodium Formation and the Capo Mortola Calcarenite Formation are indicated by the SGR, conventionally shown on a linear scale as American Petroleum Institute (API) units, i.e., Th/U, and Th/K ratios. Our data indicate lithofacies associated with normal marine to continental conditions and the presence of abundant smectite, rather than kaolinite, suggesting that the prevailing climate was characterized by prolonged dry periods. Furthermore, the SGR (API) reconstruction of the overall short cycles reflects a progradational and/or retrogradational stacking geometry that accumulated throughout the whole succession. However, the use of the derivative trend analysis (DTA) of the SGR indicates the establishment of long cycles in both formations. The short cycles observed in the Capo Mortola Calcarenite Formation are of particular importance because they characterize the marine transgression of the middle-upper Eocene, transgressive upon the Upper Cretaceous beds, and permit pinpointing the onset of the drowning ramp, which can be correlated regionally with sections spanning from the French-Italian Maritime Alps to the France-Switzerland border.

Taphofacies of coastal lakes based on mollusk death assemblages: a case study of Mirim Lake

Mirim Lake is the second-largest lacustrine body in Brazil, stretching for some 185 km and covering about 375 thousand hectares of water surface. This lake is part of the Patos-Mirim System, one of the world’s largest complexes of coastal lagoons, which is the result of the rise and fall of sea level over transgressive-regressive cycles triggered by glacio-eustasy during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Its characteristics and dynamics give it singular importance for studies on the genesis of shell accumulation in lagoons. This study aims to improve the knowledge of how the taphonomic signatures reflect the environmental characteristics and dynamics of Mirim Lake. Categorization of the arrangement and packing of death assemblages, as well as the orientation of shells, supported the biostratinomical approach. The taphonomic signatures included disarticulation, fragmentation, and corrosion of shells. Corrosion is the primary damage observed in the bioclasts, varying from a single loss of color to complete degradation. Differences in the characteristics of death assemblages observed in the dune fields and the lacustrine plain led to the recognition of two taphofacies. A more significant number of whole shells was observed in the dune field taphofacies, while sharp fragments and open-articulated bivalves in hydrodynamic unstable positions characterize the lacustrine plain taphofacies. The genesis of death assemblages and the taphonomic signatures of bioclasts were linked to three sedimentary dynamics attributed to the environment of Mirim Lake. Keywords: biostratinomy, taphonomic signatures, shell deposits, dune field, lacustrine plain.

Transgression–regression cycles drive correlations in Ediacaran–Cambrian rock and fossil records

AbstractStrata of the Ediacaran Period (635–538.8 Ma) yield the oldest known fossils of complex, macroscopic organisms in the geologic record. These “Ediacaran-type” macrofossils (known as the Ediacaran biota) first appear in mid-Ediacaran strata, experience an apparent decline through the terminal Ediacaran, and directly precede the Cambrian (538.8–485.4 Ma) radiation of animals. Existing hypotheses for the origin and demise of the Ediacaran biota include: changing oceanic redox states, biotic replacement by succeeding Cambrian-type fauna, and mass extinction driven by environmental change. Few studies frame trends in Ediacaran and Cambrian macroevolution from the perspective of the sedimentary rock record, despite well-documented Phanerozoic covariation of macroevolutionary patterns and sedimentary rock quantity. Here we present a quantitative analysis of North American Ediacaran–Cambrian rock and fossil records from Macrostrat and the Paleobiology Database. Marine sedimentary rock quantity increases nearly monotonically and by more than a factor of five from the latest Ediacaran to the late Cambrian. Ediacaran–Cambrian fossil quantities exhibit a comparable trajectory and have strong (rs > 0.8) positive correlations with marine sedimentary area and volume flux at multiple temporal resolutions. Even so, Ediacaran fossil quantities are dramatically reduced in comparison to the Cambrian when normalized by the quantity of preserved marine rock. Although aspects of these results are consistent with the expectations of a simple fossil preservation–induced sampling bias, together they suggest that transgression–regression and a large expansion of marine shelf environments coincided with the diversification of animals during a dramatic transition that is starkly evident in both the sedimentary rock and fossil records.

Conodonts paleobiogeographic dynamic of the Pennsylvanian epicontinental sea Itaituba-Piauí, in the northern intracratonic Brazilian basins, Western Gondwana

During the Pennsylvanian, icehouse glacioeustasy and the debasement of Western Gondwana caused widespread transgressive-regressive cycles in the Itaituba-Piauí epicontinental sea located in modern-day South America. This seaway extended from the most distal and western Solimões basin, into the medial Amazonas basin, and at times into the most eastern and restricted Parnaíba basin. These basins contain a rich variety of marine (e.g., invertebrates, conodonts, foraminifers) and continental (plant pollen-spore assemblages) fossils. This paper presents the conodonts retrieved from outcrops and wells in the Carauari (Solimões Basin), Itaituba (Amazonas Basin), and the Piauí (Parnaíba Basin) formations. The conodonts recovered from these formations include Idiognathodus, Neognathodus, Adetognathus, Idiognathoides, Diplognathodus, Declinognathodus, and Hindeodus. Biostratigraphic correlation of this Pennsylvanian conodont assemblage is possible between the three studied basins. The conodont-bearing marine units can identify transgression episodes when the Itaituba-Piauí sea inundated these basins.

Reply to the discussion and comments of Azerêdo et al. (2023) and Schneider et al. (2023) on the paper by Magalhães et al. ‘Middle Jurassic multi‐scale transgressive–regressive cycles: An example from the Lusitanian Basin’, The Depositional Record, 9, 174–202

Reply to the discussion and comments of Azerêdo et al. (2023) and Schneider et al. (2023).

Fine-grained gravity flow sedimentation and its influence on development of shale oil sweet sections in lacustrine basins in China

The geological conditions and processes of fine-grained gravity flow sedimentation in continental lacustrine basins in China are analyzed to construct the model of fine-grained gravity flow sedimentation in lacustrine basin, reveal the development laws of fine-grained deposits and source-reservoir, and identify the sweet sections of shale oil. The results show that fine-grained gravity flow is one of the important sedimentary processes in deep lake environment, and it can transport fine-grained clasts and organic matter in shallow water to deep lake, forming sweet sections and high-quality source rocks of shale oil. Fine-grained gravity flow deposits in deep waters of lacustrine basins in China are mainly fine-grained high-density flow, fine-grained turbidity flow (including surge-like turbidity flow and fine-grained hyperpycnal flow), fine-grained viscous flow (including fine-grained debris flow and mud flow), and fine-grained transitional flow deposits. The distribution of fine-grained gravity flow deposits in the warm and humid unbalanced lacustrine basins are controlled by lake-level fluctuation, flooding events, and lakebed paleogeomorphology. During the lake-level rise, fine-grained hyperpycnal flow caused by flooding formed fine-grained channel–levee–lobe system in the flat area of the deep lake. During the lake-level fall, the sublacustrine fan system represented by unconfined channel was developed in the flexural slope breaks and sedimentary slopes of depressed lacustrine basins, and in the steep slopes of faulted lacustrine basins; the sublacustrine fan system with confined or unconfined channel was developed on the gentle slopes and in axial direction of faulted lacustrine basins, with fine-grained gravity flow deposits possibly existing in the lower fan. Within the fourth-order sequences, transgression might lead to organic-rich shale and fine-grained hyperpycnal flow deposits, while regression might cause fine-grained high-density flow, surge-like turbidity flow, fine-grained debris flow, mud flow, and fine-grained transitional flow deposits. Since the Permian, in the shale strata of lacustrine basins in China, multiple transgression-regression cycles of fourth-order sequences have formed multiple source-reservoir assemblages. Diverse fine-grained gravity flow sedimentation processes have created sweet sections of thin siltstone consisting of fine-grained high-density flow, fine-grained hyperpycnal flow and surge-like turbidity flow deposits, sweet sections with interbeds of mudstone and siltstone formed by fine-grained transitional flows, and sweet sections of shale containing silty and muddy clasts and with horizontal bedding formed by fine-grained debris flow and mud flow. The model of fine-grained gravity flow sedimentation in lacustrine basin is significant for the scientific evaluation of sweet shale oil reservoir and organic-rich source rock.

Correlations between Petroleum Reservoir Fluid Properties and Amount of Evolved and Dissolved Natural Gas: Case Study of Transgressive–Regressive-Sequence Sedimentary Rocks

It is well recognized that PVT data are essential in oil and gas production facilities as well as in the determination of the reservoir fluid composition in reservoir engineering calculations. In the current work, the studied borehole is located in Tawke oilfield in the High Folded Zone. The structural geology and lithological facies of rocks are studied and found to comprise fine crystalline dolomite and anhydrite interbedded with claystone and dolomite. In addition, the practical PVT data of black oil from Tawke oilfield, Zakho, from reservoirs to transgressive–regressive cycles, are studied. The PVT data are investigated to derive the empirical models that rule and correlate the properties of the reservoir fluids in terms of the amount of natural gas (methane, ethane, and propane) dissolved in reservoir fluids and evolving from the wells. The characteristics of the reservoir fluid, including °API, viscosity at reservoir pressure and bubble-point pressure, reservoir pressure and temperature, gas–oil ratio (GOR), coefficient of compressibility at reservoir pressure, gross heating value, and sample depth, are correlated. The lithological part reveals that the carbonate and some clastic rock facies are conducive to enhancing natural gas adsorption. The reservoir fluid properties show adverse effects on the amount of natural gas constituents evolving from the wells, while it shows positive effects on the dissolved reservoir fluids. The estimated empirical correlations can help indicate the quantity of natural gas that is dissolved in reservoir fluids and liberated from the wells depending on the characteristics of the reservoir. In addition, they can be used in numerical simulators to predict oil well performance.

Sedimentology and stratigraphy of the earliest deltaic shorelines of the Paleocene Lower Wilcox Group in the Gulf of Mexico

ABSTRACT Large-scale growth of shelf-to-slope margins is well documented in regional 2-D seismic data, but it is only rarely linked to sedimentological processes and detailed stratigraphic architecture at smaller scales. This study documents the building of a shelf-to-slope margin topset through successive shoreline regressions and transgressions by using data from 824 wells, 80 m of core from 4 wells, and 3750 km3 of seismic data with a focus on the complexities of shoreline behavior during repeated cross-shelf transits. Our combined data set allows understanding of the variability of depositional processes on the shelf at the scale of individual regressive–transgressive cycles (less than 105 years), and shows that the paleogeography of the Wilcox Group in the northern Gulf of Mexico is more diverse than commonly depicted. At a fourth-order scale dominant processes (river, wave, and tide) control shoreline morphology and as a result are critical to understanding sandstone body distribution on the shelf and sediment delivery to the shelf margin and deep water. The earliest deltas of the Lower Wilcox prograded southward under conditions of rising relative sea level across a 50-km-wide shelf, but the sandstone rich deltas remained 10–20 km updip from the shelf edge, and the shelf margin grew through accretion of mud-rich clinothems. The plan-view morphology and internal architecture reflect depositional systems with wave-influenced and tide-modified deltas on the inner and mid shelf, and river flood and wave-reworked hyperpycnite deposits on the outer shelf. An abundance of normal and inverse graded beds, alternation of massive to flat to undulating lamination, and low intensities of bioturbation observed in cores indicate that the shelf sandstone bodies were deposited from hyperpycnal flows. Overall the study shows that the deltaic depositional systems of the Lower Wilcox Group in Texas have a greater architectural complexity and process variability than previously interpreted. Wave-modified hyperpycnites were identified for the first time in the Wilcox and are considered to form a significant component of the muddy shelf succession. The hyperpycnite lobes are located laterally from the deltaic supply fairway in more distal positions than previous studies identified on the shelf. This along-shore redistribution of sediment suggests that it takes more time for deltas to reach the shelf edge than is inferred for many shelf-to-slope margins, and there is likely to be correspondingly less delivery of sediment to deep water.

Paleo–Mesoarchean sedimentary record in the Dharwar Craton, India: Implications for Archean ocean oxygenation

The early Archean oceans were marked by significant redox changes which have subsequently shaped the Earth’s biosphere. Archean chemical sediments of banded Iron and Manganese formations provide important geochemical proxies for these historical shifts in the redox conditions and to trace the ancient sedimentation patterns and protoliths. In this study, we investigate the proto-ore of the Archean Mn-formations of the Sandur, Chitradurga and Shimoga greenstone belts of Dharwar Craton of southern Peninsular India, which is geochemically characterised as quartz arenites, Mn-arenites, Fe-arenites, Mn-argillites and Fe-argillites. The geochemical systematics suggest their deposition in shallow to deeper shelf in the Archean proto-ocean. The detrital zircon U-Pb systematics of Mn arenites and argillites indicate their maximum depositional age of 3230 ± 52 Ma representing the oldest onset of sedimentation during the Paleo–Mesoarchean timeframe in the Chitradurga Group of Dharwar Supergroup. The detrital influx proxies suggest variations in sedimentation rates associated with the Archean transgressive–regressive cycles and fluctuating hydrodynamic conditions, together reflecting an increasing trend in the contributions of recycled sediment from Sandur to Chitradurga and Shimoga greenstone belts. The available detrital zircon ages of the Mn arenites and argillites from these greenstone belts indicate a ∼ 600 Ma prolonged period of Mn deposition for which high-T hydrothermal fluids from Archean mid-oceanic ridges supplied the manganese. The trace element compositions of the concordant detrital zircons suggest 3.3–3.1 Ga Dharwar basement TTG/granitoid source which is corroborated by the zircon crystallization temperatures of 690–820 °C. The source-normalised α-dose rates of the detrital zircons signify greater degrees of sediment transport and multi-cycle nature which correspond to the earliest episode of crustal growth in the Indian sub-continent associated with the Mesoarchean Ur supercontinent. The clastic-chemogenic sedimentation attained through concomitant detrital sediment–seawater-metalliferous hydrothermal fluid mixing at an epicontinental passive margin resulted in the deposition of Mn-arenites and argillites closer to the higher Eh shore, while the Fe-rich sediments formed at a relatively deeper shelf characterised by comparatively lower Eh and more alkaline conditions. The comprehensive geochemical and geochronological data of the Archean Mn arenite-argillite sequences reveal the significance of regional episodes of ocean oxygenation at the shallow shelves of Archean oceans prior to great oxygenation event (GOE) that was mediated by the prolific growth of ancient microbiota which transformed the Earth to a more habitable planet.

High resolution sequence stratigraphy of the Mishrif Formation (Cenomanian-Early Turonian) at zubair oilfield (al-rafdhiah dome), southern Iraq

The Mishrif Formation (Cenomanian -E Turonian) is one of the most important geological formations in the Middle East and Iraq because it contains enormous petroleum accumulations. It is considered to be the first reservoir in the region, and is still being studied because of its economic significance. The carbonate of the Mishrif Formation derives from a variety of depositional settings, including mid-ramp, shoal, lagoon, and intertidal. The five main microfacies discussed in this paper are wackestone, packstone, grainstone, floatstone, and bindstone. The most frequent fossilised components found in the Mishrif Formation are rudists, benthic foraminifera, echinoderms, burrows molluscs, and algae. According to the microfacies and analysed wireline log data, the sequence stratigraphy of the studied formation is composed of two regression cycles. Five parasequences of transgressive–regressive cycles make up the depositional sequence of the Mishrif Formation. The standard depositional environments seem to demonstrate a gradual regression, beginning with a short period of the outer ramp, then a steady period of the mid-ramp, and ending in the intertidal environment. Additionally, the study recorded two regional maximum flooding surfaces: K-135 and K-140. The former is present in the lowermost part of the formation, while the other lies in the middle. This study shows a close relationship between facies (environments) and hydrocarbon accumulation. The increased accumulation focuses on the lower part of the studied formation, and seems to be lower in the upper part of the formation as a result of changes in the environment of deposition.

Middle Paleocene-early Eocene inter-regional correlations and palaeoclimatic changes in eastern Tethys Sea: Calcareous nannofossil evidence for Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) and sea-level change from the western Tarim Basin, NW China

Calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the interval covering the middle Paleocene to early Eocene (P/E), studied in sediments from two sections located in the western Tarim Basin (Kuzigongsu and Bashibulake), indicate that the record of the PETM (Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum) is inscribed in a transgression-regression cycle. A large sea transgression occurred concomitant to the Qimugen Formation, according to earlier studies. Here we present detailed evidence of richness and abundance of calcareous nannofossils to study the PETM and sea-level change in the western Tarim Basin. The gradually increasing sea level from the base of the Qimugen Formation is dated to the nannofossil zones NP7 to 9a (Thanetian), in which the first occurrences of H. riedelii and of D. multiradiatus have been recorded. The highstand of the sea level cycle coincides with increasing Discoaster spp. amounts near the Paleocene/Eocene boundary (NP9a-10), which is dated by the occurrence of RD assemblages (namely, Rhomboaster spp. and Discoaster araneus group). Evidence of regression, observed in the top of Qimugen Formation (NP10–11) corresponds to low abundance and diversity of nannofossils, and is characterized by a rapid increase of Micrantholithus spp. in the assemblage. Inter-regional correlations between the two sections show that in the Tianshan Mountain area the highest relative sea level occurred near the middle part of NP9a.

The Sulfur Isotopic Characteristics of Evaporites in the Yarkand Basin of Xinjiang Province in the Paleocene and Its Paleoenvironmental Evolution

The Yarkand Basin, located in the southwest of the Tarim Basin, is a northeastern part of the eastern Paratethys ocean in the Paleocene, and a significant amount of evaporites, with gypsum, anhydrite, and halite as the main types, were developed in this area. These evaporites record the sedimentary environment at that time. A study was conducted on the sulfur isotopic composition of gypsum in the Paleocene of the Yarkand Basin to explore the origin of the evaporites and interpret the sedimentary environment. The experimentally measured sulfur isotope δ34SCDT values of 187 gypsum samples ranged from 6.69‰ to 25.92‰ with an average value of 18.64‰. The overall trend of the Paleocene gypsum sulfur isotopic curve is consistent with the global seawater sulfur isotopic curve, which shows a decreasing trend. In the early and middle Paleocene, the curve shows four stages of sulfur isotope increase, indicating that the sedimentary environment during that time was mainly influenced by bacterial reduction and a relatively open sedimentary environment, while the late period shows a decreasing trend, suggesting that the late period may be primarily influenced by terrigenous freshwater. In addition, the sulfur isotope value has the characteristics of decreasing from northwest to southeast of the basin, which may indicate that the sedimentary environment of Paleocene evaporites in the Yarkand Basin may also be related to paleotopography and distance from the estuary, resulting in differences in sedimentary environments. The mainly original sulfur isotope values of the Paleocene evaporites in the Yarkand Basin should be in the range of 18‰–20‰, which is a supplement to the Paleocene global paleoseawater and is of great significance for the reconstruction of the marine transgressive–regressive cycle and sulfur isotopic composition of the eastern Paratethys ocean during this period.

Cycles of fine-grained sedimentation and their influences on organic matter distribution in the second member of Paleogene Kongdian Formation in Cangdong Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, East China

According to the theory of sequence stratigraphy based on continental transgressive-regressive (T-R) cycles, a 500 m continuous core taken from the second member of Kongdian Formation (Kong 2 Member) of Paleogene in Well G108-8 in the Cangdong Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, was tested and analyzed to clarify the high-frequency cycles of deep-water fine-grained sedimentary rocks in lacustrine basins. A logging vectorgraph in red pattern was plotted, and then a sequence stratigraphic framework with five-order high-frequency cycles was formed for the fine-grained sedimentary rocks in the Kong 2 Member. The high-frequency cycles of fine-grained sedimentary rocks were characterized by using different methods and at different scales. It is found that the fifth-order T cycles record a high content of terrigenous clastic minerals, a low paleosalinity, a relatively humid paleoclimate and a high density of laminae, while the fifth-order R cycles display a high content of carbonate minerals, a high paleosalinity, a dry paleoclimate and a low density of laminae. The changes in high-frequency cycles controlled the abundance and type of organic matter. The T cycles exhibit relatively high TOC and abundant endogenous organic matters in water in addition to terrigenous organic matters, implying a high primary productivity of lake for the generation and enrichment of shale oil.

Sedimentary Mn Metallogenesis and Coupling among Major Geo-Environmental Events during the Sturtian Glacial–Interglacial Transition

The Sturtian (720–670 Ma) glacial–interglacial transition period was an important interval for sedimentary manganese metallogenesis, including the Mn oxide deposit in the Otjosondu region in Namibia and Mn carbonate deposits in the Datangpo Formation in the south-eastern Yangtze Platform, South China. During this period, Earth experienced the breakup of Rodinia, the Sturtian glaciation, and the Neoproterozoic oxygenation event. In this study, we investigate scenarios that might have provided geologically and geochemically favorable conditions for Mn metallogenesis. In these scenarios, the global recovery of microorganisms enhanced marine primary productivity and O2 levels of the hydrosphere and atmosphere during the Sturtian glacial–interglacial transition. However, the water column was not completely oxidized, maintaining redox stratification. Transgression–regression cycles or O2-rich downwelling drove the exchange of oxygenated topwater and anoxic deep water in rift-related basins that developed due to Rodinia’s breakup. The coupling of these processes precipitated existing dissolved Mn(II) at the margins of basins (Otjosondu region) or at their centers (Yangtze Platform). In the latter case, precursor Mn oxides were further converted into Mn carbonates via the reduction of Mn oxides coupled with organic matter oxidation during early diagenesis. A brief review of Mn metallogenesis in the geological record reveals that Mn metallogenic processes typically occur under geo-environmental conditions that, in concert, produce favorable conditions for Mn sourcing, concentration, and sedimentation.