Numerous soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDS) within thin-bedded, heterolithic lacustrine shoreline deposits of the Upper Triassic Tumble Falls Member, Lockatong Formation of eastern Pennsylvania, demonstrate liquefaction, fluidization and shearing features processes affecting sediment. This study employs thin-section analysis of SSDS to interpret them as probable seismites from the Triassic-Jurassic Newark Basin. Sedimentary structures include right-lateral offset of desiccation cracks and ichnofossils, thrust, reverse, and normal faults with mm-scale offsets, horsts and grabens, lateral spreads, and single and complex multiple networks of dikes and sills and associated sedimentary volcanoes, thin mudflows on a paleosurface linked to sediment dikes, load and flame structures, ball and pillow structures, recumbent folds, and incipient breccias. Dike fill consists of mudstone, angular sedimentary clasts, sandstone margins with mudstone cores, and plastically deformed sediment fill. The SSDS indicate that Late Triassic lacustrine shoreline sediments were subjected to forces, probably compressive with a minimal shear component reflected in the offset of the dikes and ichnofossils, that induced liquefaction followed by fluidization and vertical movement of fluids. Kinetic forces that altered sediment vertical stability, leading to deformation of the sediment included gravitationally unstable density gradients, vertical shear stress, and gravitational body forces.
SSDS can be induced by seismic and aseismic processes. However, this unique combination of forces and resulting sedimentary structures indicate an origin by earthquake activity, likely produced by the nearby, active Newark Basin border fault system. The Lockatong Formation SSDS seismites improve our understanding via thin section analysis of the rheology and preservation potential of SSDS in lacustrine shoreline deposits, critical for the geologic history of Newark Basin, as well as the refinement for paleoseismic reconstruction in general.

Modelling the diagenetic history of a tectonically active basin is crucial for understanding the depositional and post-depositional processes including the evolution and development of porosity and permeability. This study describes the diagenetic imprints of the inverted Lower Cretaceous Weald Basin and examines the depositional and tectonic controls on the diagenetic, porosity and permeability evolution of its sandstones. Seventy-two representative sandstone samples from the Weald Basin were subjected to detailed microscopic (optical and scanning electron) analyses. The dominant early diagenetic fabrics include grain-coating detrital clays, degraded and dissolved detrital grains, and vermiform kaolinite pore-filling cement while uplift-related or telogenetic characteristics are mainly post-compactional pore-filling goethite and hematite cement. This work is significant because it presents the first diagenetic model of the Lower Cretaceous Wealden sandstones which can be very useful for understanding basins with similar depositional and tectonic settings.

Geochemical analyses of fine-grained clastic sedimentary rocks, such as shales, are significant since they portray the nature of the control factors from source to sink in a sedimentary basin, and help characterizing the heterogeneity in potential source and/or reservoir rocks. Bulk rock geochemistry (including major element oxides, trace elements and rare earth elements) of 20 shale samples from the Permian Barren Measures Formation, West Bokaro Basin, Peninsular India, is presented to decipher the provenance, paleo-weathering, paleotectonic, paleo-depositional and paleoredox conditions of the basin within the Lower Gondwana paleogeographic framework. X-ray diffraction (XRD) peaks and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals an abundance of quartz, muscovite and clay minerals, viz., illite, kaolinite, etc., with less abundant feldspar and glauconite. The concentrations of the major element oxides, the trace elements and rare earth elements (REEs) of the shale samples are compared with predefined standards such as PAAS and UCC. The CIA (chemical index of alteration) and the A-CN-K values, based on the ratios of the major element oxides, signify intense chemical weathering. The ratios of Sr/Cu versus Rb/Sr and K₂O/Al₂O₃ versus Ga/Rb, and high ΣREE values indicate a temperate paleoclimate. Ratios of the major element oxides (e.g., K₂O/Na₂O versus SiO₂) suggest a passive tectonic setting. The Eu/Eu* and (Gd/Yb)_n values depict predominantly post-Archean granitic and gneissic source rocks. The ratios of trace elements, viz., Th/Sc, Th/Co, Th/Cr, La/Sc and Eu/Eu*, and the distribution pattern of the REEs (higher LREE in comparison to HREE) attest to a felsic-intermediate source from a nearby provenance. The redox sensitive trace elements, such as V and Ni, indicate a dysoxic condition that prevailed during deposition. The ratios of Fe₂O₃ versus MgO and Log(MgO/Al₂O₃) versus Log(K₂O/Al₂O₃), and the ternary plots of Fe₂O₃-MgO-SiO₂/Al₂O₃ suggest a non-marine to deltaic transitional environment. Such evidence of marine influences during the sedimentation of the Permian Barren Measures Formation confirms the fluvio-marine transgressive paleogeography inferred from sedimentological and paleontological inputs from the Gondwana Basins in Peninsular India, and opens up a scope for regional correlations of paleogeographic changes during the Middle Permian (Guadalupian) across the Gondwanaland.

The distinctive sedimentation patterns of the late Neoproterozoic Girbhakar Sandstone were investigated within the context of a Precambrian sedimentation system devoid of vegetation. This comprehensive study utilized an integrated approach, incorporating facies analysis, fluvial architectural elements analysis, and palaeocurrent analysis, to offer detailed insights into the controlling factors of sedimentology and depositional settings within the studied interval. Process-based facies analysis revealed thirteen distinct facies types organized into five associations, uncovering a diverse range of depositional palaeoenvironments — from alluvial fan and braided fluvial to transitional marine settings. An alluvial fan, dominated by debris flow and multiple ephemeral channels at the basin margin, emerged initially. The stratigraphic architecture of this alluvial fan and the associated ephemeral fluvial system was primarily influenced by water table fluctuations in arid to semiarid climatic conditions. A transition to a semi-perennial to perennial braided fluvial system occurred as the depositional slope decreased. However, the stratigraphic architecture of these fluvial systems exhibited distinctive variations in response to fluctuating base level rise. Notably, the basal segment, characterized by an unconformity below and a granular lag succeeded by wave-agitated sandstone above, represented the lowstand systems tract (LST). During the early LST, channel belts prograded at the northern distal end of upstream aggradational semi-perennial braided systems in response to the transgression of Girbhakar Sea from the north, aligning with the late Neoproterozoic Indian plate configuration. The coarsening upward deposits suggest a potential classification as a braid-delta, formed by a gradual rise in base level, low epeiric gradient, and episodic flashy discharges, which facilitate the downstream development of this deposit. During the late LST, the evolution of perennial fluvial systems resulted in braid-plain deposits throughout the study area, with a transitional marine unit at the downstream site. An accelerated rate of base level rise facilitated marine reworking, leading to the deposition of transitional marine sediments. The final phase of base level rise marked the cessation of terrestrial deposition, culminating in the submergence of the site underneath the sea. The study highlights the unique responses of alluvial sediments to diverse controlling factors along the deposition downslope. This enhances insights into Neoproterozoic alluvial sedimentation dynamics and the resulting stratigraphic architecture in time and space from a broad perspective.

The story of the Earth’s changing landscapes is often told through paleogeographic maps. These images are some of the most accessible and widely used illustrations in the Earth sciences. However, no formal procedure for the creation of photorealistic paleomaps (i.e., paleosatellite images) exists. Using an example from the Late Jurassic of the Rocky Mountain region, we present a method for making paleoenvironmental and paleosatellite maps that is scalable, reproducible, testable, and incorporates peer review. The process includes a literature review followed by data-visualization, paleoenvironmental interpretation, peer-review, iterative revisions, and the creation of a false contour map and color gradient used to render a paleosatellite image. Paleosatellite images are photorealistic versions of paleoenvironmental maps that incorporate global climatic and tectonic information as well as principles of actualism; they can be made through comparison to analogous modern landscapes. An important component of this process is that the data maps that ground this paleomapping process allow evaluation of where paleoenvironmental interpretations are well-supported by outcrop and subsurface data, and where such visualization is highly interpretive - often because of lack of available rocks or studies in a given area. As such, our paleoenvironmental maps and paleosatellite images are testable pictorial hypotheses. By outlining a procedure that produces referenced, data-rich, and visually realistic maps, we hope to demystify the paleoenvironmental map-making process and improve accessibility of paleomaps for the broader geoscience community. Where resources and complementary data are available, such maps also have potential for georeferencing and integration with larger continent-scale paleogeographic maps.

Sandstone-hosted copper deposits, a type of Sediment-Hosted Stratiform Copper (SSC) deposits, are widely distributed globally. While economically viable deposits of SSC are relatively scarce, they account for approximately 30 % of the world's total discovered copper resources. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive and in-depth research into the depositional and metallogenic models of these deposits. The Jiashi area of the Tarim Basin in northwestern China, known for its economically significant Paleogene SSC deposit, lacks in-depth studies on metallogenic processes. To address this, field profile observations were conducted to analyze the sedimentary evolution, sequence stratigraphy, and tectonism of the Paleogene strata in the Jiashi area. Combined with elemental geochemical analysis of samples, the provenance of sediment, and the source of metallogenic materials, a robust metallogenic model was established. The results reveal the influence of provenance for the origin of Paleogene copper-rich strata. Sedimentary evolution played a crucial role in controlling the distribution of copper and sulfur elements, as well as the spatial arrangement of metallogenic beds. Additionally, nappe movement potentially generated faults, allowing upward movement of basin fluids, which played a crucial role in the formation of copper deposits within sandstone-hosted systems. Thus, this study offers a comprehensive analysis of the metallogenic processes involved in sandstone-hosted copper deposits, thereby contributing significant insights to the broader research on SSC deposits worldwide.

River-dominated lacustrine deltas typically consist of multiple lobes due to autogenic lobe switching that occurs over short time scales. However, the switching patterns of multiple lobes in these deltas remain poorly understood, and the architectural features attributed to lobe switching are also lacking. By integrating Delft3D simulations, flume experiments, and modern deposit analysis, we proposed that autogenic lobe switching follows a cyclic pattern. Autocyclicity begins with the formation of an offshore lobe and concludes after a series of longshore lobe growth events, marked by longshore avulsions occurring along the sides of offshore distributary channels. Longshore avulsions follow a sequence that usually occurs earlier distally than proximally and subsequently occurs on one longshore side and then on the other side. Each lobe begins with rapid growth, which gradually slows and then stops once a channel avulsion is influenced by the backwater effect that triggers lobe switching. Three signals indicate lobe switching: a decrease in progradation rate, foreset slope steepening coupled with topset slope gentling, and the deposition of mud-dominated sediments. The number of autocyclic events never exceeds seven. The first two autocyclicities contribute to more than 55% of delta length and 70% of delta area. The lobes are separated by 1-6 stages of mud-dominated accretion beds that exhibit a downstream-inclined shape and convex-up or lateral overlapping pattern. This study conducts a coupled growth-geometric assessment to establish an architectural pattern for river-dominated lacustrine deltas. This architectural pattern offers valuable insights into predicting sandy lobe distribution in river-dominated lacustrine delta reservoirs, and the architecture of muddy accretion beds aids in predicting the rule of oil-water movement and distribution of remaining oil.

The non-marine strata of the Ypresian Naredi Formation have been deposited and intermittently pedogenized after the culmination of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). This continental interval comprises intercalation of laterite and palaeosol horizons developed by cyclic episodes of erosion, subaerial exposure, and deposition. The palaeopedological analyses investigate the morphological and micromorphological features evidencing repeated subaerial exposure and consequently moderate to well-developed palaeosol horizons. The topmost laterite bed records an intensely bioturbated ichnofabric (consisting of the root traces and the composite ichnotaxa of lungfish aestivation burrows, Macanopsis (possible arachnid burrows), and Skolithos. The pedogenized shale horizons contain the paucispecific Camborygma-root trace ichnofabric with highly localised patchy preservation of Camborygma symplokonomos, C. eumekenomos, and rhizoturbation. The ichnospecies variation of Camborygma along with the ichnofabric analyses led to the demarcation of stratigraphic horizons and evaluation of the palaeowater-table fluctuations vis-à-vis the low-order allocyclicity, the ethology of producers, and the depositional setting. The paucispecific suite of trace fossils refers to the Camborygma Ichnofacies, where the substrate is intermittently pedogenized and lateritized with upward increasing thickness of beds and intensity of pedogenesis, lateritisation, ichnodiversity, and ichnoabundance. Hence, as an expression of high-frequency (interpreted as 5^th-order) stratigraphic fluctuations within an early Falling Stage Systems Tract (FSST), a hot palaeoclimate with seasonality varying between humid inundated to dry desiccated conditions is interpreted with the palaeowater table being the base-level control. It culminates with the driest condition at the top with the thickest laterite development associated with the RAeMaS ichnofabric. With the onset of early transgression as documented in the overlying marine deposits of the Bartonian Harudi Formation, the top of the studied interval marks an induced subaerial unconformity.

The early Silurian conodonts are firstly described and illustrated from western Thailand. Samples were collected from the Kroeng Kravia Forest Park area for conodont and lithofacies analyses. An upper Telychian Lower Pterospathodus amorphognathoides amorphognathoides Subzone is recognized for the studied succession. Three lithofacies were identified from the carbonate succession, including stromatolite-thrombolite limestone, nodular limestone, and red limestone. Both analyses on lithofacies and conodont assemblages indicate a deeper marine depositional environment. The conodont fauna in the study area is similar to that from Baoshan of Yunnan Province and Langao of Shaanxi Province in West China and resembles that from similar depositional environments in Australia, Laurentia, and peri-Gondwana, suggesting good connections among these regions by ocean currents.

We report geochemical data for carbonate rocks from the Cambrian Zhangxia Formation, southern North China Block, including trace-element contents and C, O, and Sr isotopic compositions, to determine the controls on the development of microbialites in this formation. The sedimentary environment of the Zhangxia Formation evolved from carbonate-slope through platform-margin-reef to ooid-shoal, and then to open-platform settings, corresponding to the development of micrites, microbialites, and oolitic limestones. Geochemical data show that δ¹³C values decrease upwards through the Zhangxia Formation, from 0.99‰ to -1.59‰, whereas δ¹⁸O values increase from -9.91‰ to -7.10‰. Total rare earth element (REE) contents decrease upwards through the stratigraphy, and the contents of Th and Sc show a similar trend. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios reach a maximum of 0.710544 in the horizons of microbialite development, Member 2 of the Zhangxia Formation, above which the ratios are uniform, with a mean value of 0.709251. Combining these geochemical data with the inferred sedimentary evolution, the Zhangxia Formation is interpreted to have formed in a depositional environment that changed from transgression to regression. Continental weathering played a crucial role in promoting the input of terrigenous materials, which in turn favored the development of microbialites during the early stage of deposition of the Zhangxia Formation.

The Sunda Shelf is a prime biodiversity hotspot where some of the planet’s most endemic species can be found. Much of the diversity in this important bioregion has been shaped by sea-level fluctuations that took place during the Pleistocene. Using depth contours obtained from the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans Grid 2023, we provide high-resolution reconstruction of land areas and palaeo-drainages on the Sunda Shelf at the 50, 75, 100, and 120 m isobaths, as well as palaeo-catchments at the 120 m isobath, in order to elucidate the history of this region. The maps presented here aim to reconstruct the connection between palaeo-rivers in the Sunda Shelf and contemporary rivers and identify possible dispersal routes and barriers for the floras and faunas/biotas associated with riverine systems found here.

Neoichnological characterization of modern depositional settings addresses the response of benthic animals to ecological conditions and their fluctuations, usually on a relatively short time scale. In this way, analogue models for interpretation of sedimentary strata in the geological record can be developed. Macrophthalmus japonicus (De Haan, 1835), a crab, is commonly found in the Pearl River Delta front of southern China. The burrows of M. japonicus are vertical or inclined, I-, U-, Y-, J- and L-shaped tubes, and these are imaged in 7.5-cm-diameter sediment cores. The cores were studied by X-ray radiography, computed tomography, and VG Studio MAX reconstruction to obtain three-dimensional images for elaborate morphological study. This crab’s burrows are analogous to the trace fossil Psilonichnus. Several environmental parameters, i.e., sediment grain size and its total organic carbon (TOC) content, and turbidity and salinity of water, have been measured. The results indicated that M. japonicus prefers to live in mesohaline water with turbidity levels of 20-170 NTU, where bioturbation is more abundant. It prefers to occur in mud and silty sand substrates, with TOC content decreasing as particle size increases. The sedimentary environment, grain size and ichnofacies of analogical trace fossils Psilonichnus are discussed which supports the interpretation that Psilonichnus is a good indicator of delta front environments.

The hydrodynamics and their evolution on the Upper Yangtze Block during the Ordovician-Silurian transition period remain unclear. The present study is an assessment of how regional and global events may have influenced the hydrodynamic evolution based on a planar lamination investigation of the shales from the Upper Yangtze Block. Analyses of large thin sections and argon-ion polished thin sections using field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed that there are four types of planar lamination, namely, silty graded planar lamination (SGPL), silt-clay graded planar lamination (SCGPL), silt-clay interlaminated planar lamination (SCIPL), and paper-like planar lamination (PPL). SGPL is formed by turbidity current with a flow speed less than 15 cm/s. SCGPL is formed by turbidity currents with a flow speed less than 15 cm/s for normal grading type and 15-25 cm/s for alternating grading type. SCIPL has a continuum of sparsely spaced type, closely spaced type, and alternating type, which is formed by bottom current with an increasing flow speed from 15-25 cm/s to above 25 cm/s. PPL can be divided into normal grading and composite grading types. The former is formed by vertical settling, while the latter is formed by bottom current with a flow speed of 5-15 cm/s. Vertically, types of planar lamination varied from SGPL to PPL and then SCIPL manifesting the waxing and waning of flow speed with a positive excursion at graptolite biozone Metabolograptus extraordinarius (WF4) and a negative excursion at graptolite biozone Persculptogr.persculptus (LM1). The sudden decrease in flow speed across Linxiang and graptolite biozone Paraorthogr.pacificus (WF3) and the subsequent progressive increase from graptolite biozone Akidograptus ascensus (LM2) to graptolite biozone Demirastrites triangulatus (LM6) and to graptolite biozone Stimulograptus sedgwickii (LM8) during deposition of the Ordovician-Silurian transition succession on the Upper Yangtze Block were linked to the bulge uplift, the rapid subsidence, and the relaxation controlled by the Kwangsian orogeny. In contrast, the positive excursion at WF4 and the negative excursion at LM1 were strongly controlled by the Hirnantian Glaciation and global warming, respectively.

Various data were utilized to analyze the sedimentary facies, completely reconstruct the palaeogeographic maps, and evaluate the reservoir quality of the Middle-Late Cambrian Xixiangchi Formation in the Sichuan Basin, including evidence from field outcrops, drilling cores, microscopic thin sections, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), combined with experimental analysis data, such as petrophysical data (porosity (%) and permeability (mD)), and radioactive elements (uranium (²³⁸U), thorium (²³²Th), and potassium (⁴⁰K)), and isotopic data (δ¹³C)). In the Sichuan Basin, the Middle-Late Cambrian Xixiangchi Formation was principally deposited in a restricted platform with a lithology predominantly composed of dolomite, with local occurrences of limestone and other rock types in small thicknesses. Graded beddings, cross beddings, horizontal beddings, storm depositions, and mud cracks locally developed in some samples. Four 3^rd-order sequences (SQ1-SQ4) were identified within the Xixiangchi Formation in this study. Each sequence is subdivided into a highstand systems tract (HST) and a transgressive systems tract (TST). Reservoirs are principally developed in high-energy grain shoal deposits located in SQ2 and SQ3, with a minor occurrence in SQ1 and SQ4. The lithology of these shoal deposits is essentially composed of sandy dolomite and crystalline dolomite characterized by relatively low average porosity (2.61%) and permeability (1.0073 mD) values. The increase of these values in several studied samples might be related to seepage and connecting dissolution pores and vugs through fractures which have a constructive effect on porosity and permeability. The occurrence of karst caves through superimposed supergene karstification and bedding karstification highly improved the reservoir's physical properties in some areas. The reservoir space is dominated by intergranular dissolution pores, karst caves, and fractures, and their formation was controlled by sedimentation, diagenesis, penecontemporaneous dissolution, and tectonic fractures, which can also be influenced by palaeogeomorphology and sea level fluctuation. Favorable hydrocarbon exploration areas with relatively good source conditions, high positions in the paleostructure, which are conducive to the migration and accumulation of hydrocarbon were identified in three areas of the basin: (1) on the slope around the Central Sichuan Uplift; (2) in the northeastern part, dolomite reservoirs developed with good physical properties and large cumulative thicknesses; and (3) in the southeastern part, shoal facies reservoirs were developed in high and steep structural settings with anticlinal traps. The insights gained in this study fill a significant gap in geological complexities related to sedimentology, palaeogeography, and hydrocarbon reservoir prediction.

This study investigates the morphological and mineralogical characteristics of proto-dolomite induced by two specific microorganisms with varying lifestyles: the extremely halophilic bacterium Vibrio harveyi QPL2 and the cyanobacterium Leptolyngbya boryana. Halophilic bacterially-induced proto-dolomite (HBD) and cyanobacterially-induced proto-dolomite (CBD) were subjected to comprehensive characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Focused Ion Beam, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that both HBD and CBD exhibit a low degree of crystallinity and possess comparable molar ratios of MgCO₃ to CaCO₃. Moreover, neither of them exhibits the ordered structure of ideal dolomite. HBD and CBD exhibit notable distinctions in external morphology and internal structure. HBD forms a subunit aggregate with a less dense surface and numerous pinhole structures resulting from bacterial survival. In contrast, CBD adopts a bispherical shape with a relatively dense surface and minimal indications of cyanobacterial survival. Both HBD and CBD have an internal hollow structure. However, HBD is characterized by sparse population and loosely arranged subunits , while CBD features only a central cavity. Additionally, HBD particles are smaller compared to CBD particles. These morphological differences suggest that HBD primarily grows through bacterial surface-dependent processes, whereas the growth of CBD is not directly reliant on the surface of cyanobacteria. Compositionally, the weight percentage of crystalline water in CBD exceeded that of HBD with a value of 29.42% compared to 5.9%. This increase in internal crystalline water enables a faster conversion of CBD to the ordered ideal dolomite in a specific diagenetic environment. This study implies that the morphology and composition of microbial proto-dolomite may aid in identifying the type of dolomite-inducing microbes.

The Member 4 of the Paleogene Shahejie Formation (Es4) in the Bohai Bay Basin is interspersed with a set of high-quality source rocks typified as intercalation of red and black mudstones. A large amount of petroleum (crude oil) originates from these source rocks. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) event occurred during the deposition of Es4 in the Bohai Bay Basin, and the organic matter enrichment model under this event is worth further investigation due to its relationship with and influence on petroleum accumulations. Well LK25-A, as the first oil exploration well drilled into the Es4 in Miaoxi area, serves as a valuable case to study organic matter accumulation. In this study, we integrate total organic carbon (TOC), Rock-Eval pyrolysis, microscopic observation, vitrinite reflectance (VRo), elemental analysis, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to evaluate the hydrocarbon generation potential, organic matter types, thermal maturity, and sedimentary environment of the Es4 in Miaoxi area. The analysis of maceral and rock pyrolysis data reveals that Type I and Type II organic matter make up the majority of Paleogene mudstones in this region. The TOC and rock pyrolysis data show that mudstones in this area have high organic matter abundance and oil-generation potential. The measured vitrinite reflectance distribution of mudstone samples, which ranges from 0.3% to 0.74%, demonstrates that the Paleogene strata are at the immature to mature stage, and the samples from this area contain a sizable amount of bituminite and mineral-bituminous groundmass. The analysis of biomarkers in the mudstone samples indicates that most of the mudstones in this area are in lacustrine and brackish-hypersaline lacustrine environment under a reducing condition, and some of the red mudstones in the Es4 are formed under a suboxic condition. Based on the size and morphology of the pyrite framboid, the redox conditions of the water mass during deposition or diagenesis are further analyzed. The ratio of the size of framboid pyrite (D) to the size of its micrograins (d) suggests that the Es4 black mudstone developed in an anoxic sulfuretted water environment. Both the inorganic and organic geochemical indexes show that the Paleogene paleoclimate has a great influence on the source rocks of Es4 in this area. The distribution of red-black strata in the area is the result of the combined action of the water redox state and the climatic variation during the PETM event. The development models of organic-rich source rocks from the Es3 and Es4 in this area have been created in light of potential connections between rapid redox variation and the PETM event during the Paleogene. These models may offer a theoretical guidance for petroleum exploration in Miaoxi area of Bohai Bay Basin and other contemporaneous continental basins around the world.