Analysis on characteristics and formation process of sediment waves on the Pleistocene channel levee backslope of Indus fan
Ehsan ul Haq1,3, Ji You-Liang1, Zhang Sheng-Jiu1, Liu Yan-Xin1, Khurram Shahzad2, Saad Ahmed Mashwani3, Liu Xiao-Yu1, Jiang Yan4
1 State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource and Prospecting,College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing),Beijing 102249,China; 2 Institut für Geologie,Universität Hamburg,Hamburg,Germany; 3 Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences,Hazara University Mansehra,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 21300,Pakistan; 4 Engineering Technology Research Institute of Huabei Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Hebei Renqiu 062550, China
Abstract：Architecture of the turbidity current sediment waves exhibit intricate morphologies and patterns on Indus fan channel levee back. The sediment waves are present on the channel levee of Pleistocene age in the study area,and their formation process is poorly understood. Through high-resolution seismic data and seismic interpretation technology, the difference between sediment wave and sediment deformation characteristics is expounded,and the distinguishing mark of the two sediments are summarized;the distribution law of sediment wave on the slope of the channel levee backslope and the regional slope is summarized;on this basis,the formation mechanism of the sediment wave is discussed,and the controlling factors and the formation process of sediment wave are analyzed. At last,the formation mode of sediment wave in Indus fan are established. The research result shows that: (1)The average wave length of the sediment wave in the study area is 486.84 m,and the maximum wavelength is 1473 m;the sediment wave height is between 10 m and 66 m,with an average of 30 m. (2)The morphology of sediment wave is symmetric and asymmetric,and its migration pattern include upslope migration type,aggregative type and downslope migration type. the sediment wave is mainly developed on the channel levee back,a small amount of sediment waves are also developed on the regional slope. The trends of these two types of sediment waves are very different. The sediment waves on the channel levee backslope are mainly distributed on the levee backslope in concave bank of the channel. The farther away from the channel,the smaller the dimension of sediment waves(wave length and wave height),and its trend is close to the NE-SW direction,parallel or oblique to the channel trend. The trend of sediment waves on the regional slope is mostly NW-SE,which is parallel to the trend of the regional slope,and its dimension is larger the farther away from the source area. (3)The sediment waves on the channel levee backslope is formed by the channel-type turbidity current overflowing the levee of the concave bank of the channel under the action of centrifugal force and depositing on the levee backslope outside the bank. The angle of the levee backslope have less effects on the dimension of the sediment waves. The intensity of turbidity current and the amount of sand conveying have a great influence on its dimension. The sediment waves developed on the regional slopes are formed by the non-channelized turbidity currents and are deposited along the slope,and it was considered that the undulating landforms caused by slump deformation,and the existence of early sediment waves all affect the development of later sediment waves.
Ehsan ul Haq,Ji You-Liang,Zhang Sheng-Jiu et al. Analysis on characteristics and formation process of sediment waves on the Pleistocene channel levee backslope of Indus fan[J]. JOPC, 2022, 24(2): 389-404.
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