Depositional models of braided rivers: characteristics of sedimentary evolution and architecture
LI Wei1,2, YUE Dali1,2, WANG Wurong1,2, GAO Jian3, Wu Shenghe1,2, WANG Nansu1,2, LIU Jingyang1,2, ZHANG Jiajia1,2
1 National Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Engineering,China University of Petroleum(Beijing),Beijing 102249,China; 2 College of Geosciences,China University of Petroleum(Beijing),Beijing 102249,China; 3 PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development,Beijing 100083,China
Abstract：Braided river deposits are important components of continental sedimentary basins,and the important reservoirs for hydrocarbon,uranium and other mineral resources. In the past three decades,the study of braided rivers has made great progress in the deposit features,evolution and sedimentary architecture. It has high theoretical significance and industrial value to review previous researches and to forecast the development direction. Generally,braided rivers can be divided into relatively stable and classical ones,according to the variety of sedimentary architecture and the evolution rate of landform. There is no significant distinction between geomorphic features of the two kinds of braided rivers. Their formation and evolution processes are basically similar,mainly consisting of four developmental stages: (i)formation of transverse unit bars with limited relief from an initially featureless bed;(ii)channel development around bars and in some cases dissecting transverse unit bars;(iii)formation of relatively simpler compound bars;and(iv)amalgamation of these simpler compound bars into more complex compound bars. Nevertheless,characteristics of their inner architecture show significant differences. The mid-channel bars in relatively-stable braided rivers are usually composed of a set of vertically accretionary sandbodies and falling silt layers. In terms of the classical braided rivers,erosion/incision surfaces and chutes are in a heavy density. There are no clear boundaries between the bars and channels,and so the bars and channels are stacked on each other and forming a pan-connected sandbody. A large number of studies on the sedimentary architecture of braided rivers have been performed,which shows a growing trend of studying the various sedimentary models of braided rivers,and of exploring their major controls,evolution process and formation mechanism by integrating fluvial dynamics and sedimentology.
LI Wei,YUE Dali,WANG Wurong et al. Depositional models of braided rivers: characteristics of sedimentary evolution and architecture[J]. JOPC, 2023, 25(5): 1032-1048.
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