Thickening-upward cycles in deep-marine and deep-lacustrine turbidite lobes: Examples from the Clare Basin and the Ordos Basin
Lei-Fu Zhang1,2,3,4,*, Da-Zhong Dong1,3,4
1 PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China; 2 School of Geological Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland; 3 National Energy Shale Gas Research (Experiment) Center, Langfang 065007, Hebei Province, China; 4 CNPC Key Laboratory of Unconventional Oil and Gas, Langfang 065007, Hebei Province, China
Abstract Deep-marine and deep-lacustrine reservoirs have been targets for conventional and unconventional oil and gas exploration and development for decades. Thickening-upward cycles in the deep-marine Carboniferous Ross Sandstone Formation outcrops in western Ireland and the deep-lacustrine Triassic Yanchang Formation outcrops in southeast Ordos Basin have been investigated and correlated in this study. Typical thickening-upward cycles consisting of, from bottom to top: (1) laminated shales/shales with interbedded siltstone beds; (2) interbedded sandstones/siltstones and mudstones; (3) structureless massive sandstones, are well recognized in these outcrops and are interpreted as turbidite lobes. A continuously prograding lobe-element model is proposed to explain the repeated stacking of thickening-upward cycles. Thickening-upward cycles developed within deep-marine and deep-lacustrine environments are highly comparable in many aspects, such as sedimentary structures, sheet-like geometries and amalgamation features. A frequent and strong degree of amalgamation is developed within the massive sandstone at the top of each thickening-upward cycle, suggesting a layer-by-layer depositional manner. Field observations and comparison with deep-marine counterparts support the occurrence of turbidity flows in the Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin.
. Thickening-upward cycles in deep-marine and deep-lacustrine turbidite lobes: Examples from the Clare Basin and the Ordos Basin[J]. Journal of Palaeogeography, 2020, 9(2): 216-231.
. Thickening-upward cycles in deep-marine and deep-lacustrine turbidite lobes: Examples from the Clare Basin and the Ordos Basin[J]. Journal of Palaeogeography, 2020, 9(2): 216-231.
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2020, Vol. 9 
