Genesis, evolution and reservoir identification of a Neogene submarine channel in the southwestern Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea
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Abstract: A rarely reported middle−late Miocene−Pliocene channel (incised valley fill), the Huaguang Channel (HGC), has been found in the deep-water area of the southwestern Qiongdongnan Basin (QDNB). This channel is almost perpendicular to the orientation of another well-known, large, and nearly coeval submarine channel in this area. Based on the interpretation of high-resolution 3D seismic data, this study describes and analyzes the stratigraphy, tectonics, sedimentation, morphology, structure and evolution of HGC by means of well-seismic synthetic calibration, one- and two-dimensional forward modeling, attribute interpretation, tectonic interpretation, and gas detection. The HGC is located on the downthrown side of an earlier activated normal fault and grew northwestward along the fault strike. The channel is part of a slope that extends from the western Huaguang Sag to the eastern Beijiao Uplift. The HGC underwent four developmental stages: the (1) incubation (late Sanya Formation, 20.4–15.5 Ma), (2) embryonic (Meishan Formation, 15.5–10.5 Ma), (3) peak (Huangliu Formation, 10.5–5.5 Ma) and (4) decline (Yinggehai Formation, 5.5–1.9 Ma) stages. The channel sandstones have a provenance from the southern Yongle Uplift and filled the channel via multistage vertical amalgamation and lateral migration. The channel extended 42.5 km in an approximately straight pattern in the peak stage. At 10.5 Ma, sea level fell relative to its lowest level, and three oblique progradation turbidite sand bodies filled the channel from south to north. A channel sandstone isopach map demonstrated a narrow distribution in the early stages and a fan-shaped distribution in the late stage. The formation and evolution of the HGC were controlled mainly by background tectonics, fault strike, relative sea level change, and mass supply from the Yongle Uplift. The HGC sandstone reservoir is near the Huaguangjiao Sag, where hydrocarbons were generated. Channel-bounding faults and underlying faults link the source rock with the reservoir. A regionally extensive mudstone caprock overlies the channel sandstone. Two traps likely containing gas were recognized in a structural high upstream of the channel from seismic attenuation anomalies. The HGC will likely become an important oil and gas accumulation setting in the QDNB deep-water area.
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Key words:
- South China Sea /
- Qiongdongnan Basin /
- submarine channel /
- channel evolution /
- reservoir identification
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Figure 1. Map of the regional location of the study area, the location of the relevant area and the division of tectonic units in the Qiongdongnan Basin. a. The background map is the current bathymetric map of the South China Sea, the yellow area is the location of the study area, and the yellow dotted line is the Central Canyon Channel. b. Seafloor isochronic map of the 3D seismic survey and the Huaguang Channel distribution of the Huangliu Formation. c. Structural unit map of the Qiongdongnan Basin, with the distribution of typical submarine channels and gas fields in the South China Sea. BJ: Beijiao Uplift, BJS: Beijiao Sag, CC: Changchang Sag, HGJ: Huaguangjiao Sag, LDLS: Ledong-Lingshui Sag, LN: Lingnan Low Uplift, LS: Lingshui Uplift, ZRMB: Zhujiang River Mouth Basin, QDNB: Qiongdongnan Basin, SD: Songdong Sag, SN: Songnan Uplift, ST: Songtao Uplift, SX: Songxi Sag, YB: Yabei Sag, YC: Yacheng Uplift, YGHB: Yinggehai Basin, YL: Yongle Sag, YN: Yanan Low Uplift, YNS: Yanan Sag, YZJ: Yuzhuojiao Sag, ZJ: Zhongjian Uplift.
Figure 2. Lithologic column, Well LS33-1-1 and cross-well seismic profile in the northern part of the study area (modified from Liu et al. (2018)).
Figure 4. Superposition map of the Huaguang Channel (HGC) at different stages and with seismic profiles of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the cross-channel in the southwestern Qiongdongnan Basin. N1s: Sanya Formation; N1m: Meishan Formation; N1h: Huangliu Formation; N2y: Yinggehai Formation.
Figure 5. Seismic profiles of the cross-channel in the southwestern Qiongdongnan Basin. The positions of the sections are shown in Fig. 4a. N1s: Sanya Formation; N1m: Meishan Formation; N1h: Huangliu Formation; N2y: Yinggehai Formation; Mz: Mesozoic basement.
Figure 7. Stratigraphic thickness (paleotectonics) and structural evolution profiles of each period of channel evolution. The position of Section AA′ is shown in Fig. 1b. a. The stratigraphic thickness map of different periods related to the development of the channel. The yellow low-value area in the middle of the thickness map of the Meishan Formation is not a paleotectonic uplift but a small residual thickness caused by channel incision. b. The Cenozoic tectonic evolution profiles of the NE-trending cross-section in the study area drawn using the “top-surface-flattening” method, in which the red sand body suggests a submarine fan in the Sanya Formation, and the yellow suggests the channel sand body in the embryonic stage of the Meishan Formation, the peak stage of the Huangliu Formation and the decline stage of the Yinggehai Formation. E2l: Lingtou Formation; E3y: Yacheng Formation; E3l: Lingshui Formation; Mz: Mesozoic basement; N1s: Sanya Formation; N1m: Meishan Formation; N1h: Huangliu Formation; N2y: Yinggehai Formation.
Figure 8. Interpretation of three progradational seismic reflections developed in the channel of the late Huangliu Formation (T31−T3). a. Seismic profile of the T3 horizon flattened along the NW channel direction. b. Profile and sequence division of three progradational bodies in T31−T3. c. Superimposition map of three progradation bodies, in which yellow is Progradation I, pink is Progradation II, green is Progradation III, and the location of Section BB′ is shown inFig. 1b.
Figure 12. Changes in NW-striking Yuzhuojiao fault activity in the middle of the study area. a. NE-directed seismic profile of the cross-cutting channel. b. Difference in the stratigraphic thickness of the Sanya Formation and Yinggehai Formation between the upper and lower sides. The thickness difference between the upthrown and downthrown sides of the Yuzhuojiao fault shows that the fault activity gradually weakened over time and is not related to the thickest and longest channel sandstone during the deposition of the Huangliu Formation.
Figure 13. Chart of relative sea level changes since the Cenozoic (modified from Haq et al. (1987); Li et al. (2009); Chen et al. (2014); Yang et al. (2019)), tectonic evolution and major tectonic events (according to Tapponnier et al. (2007); Allen et al. (1984); Xie et al. (2008); Li et al. (2009)) and evolution of prototype basins (Lei et al., 2011) in the Qiongdongnan Basin.
Figure 14. Comparisons before and after channel development and genetic mechanism model of the Huangliu Formation. The paleostructures of T4 and T31 were studied using the equilibrium profile method of flattening T31 and T3, respectively. See Fig. 4a for the position of the profile. The peak period HGC developed in the lowest position of the regional paleostructure when the sea level of T31–T4 gradually rose and the provenance of the southern uplift was in large supply.
Figure 16. Forward modeling and seismic response profile of the channel in the Yinggehai to Sanya formations. The forward modeling results indicate that the Huangliu Formation develops three layers of 20 m thick gas-bearing sandstone, the Meishan Formation develops one layer of 35 m and one layer of 15 m thick gas-bearing sandstone, and the Sanya Formation develops one layer of 15 m thick gas-bearing sandstone.
Figure 17. A NW-directed conventional seismic profile with a channel (a); corresponding attenuation anomaly profile (b); corresponding geological profile (c). The attenuation of the channel sandstone represents an approximately 110 m gas reservoir in total based on the forward model. The location of the Section CC′ is shown in Fig. 1b, and the abnormal range for aa′ and bb′ is shown in Figs 15a and c.
Table 1. Classification basis and characteristic comparison of four development stages of the Huaguang Channel
Stages Morphology Distribution
scale/km2Axial
length/kmAverage incised
depth/mIncubation stage (early Miocene) C- or trumpet-shaped, diverged westward and fanned out 136 30.3 136 Embryonic stage (middle Miocene) “tree-trunk-like” proto-channel, NW-ward spreading 160 22 176 Peak stage (late Miocene) approximate straight form, NW-trending 94.3 43 340 Decline stage (Pliocene) small sand body 48.9 14.5 108 Table 2. Velocities of sandstone and mudstone for the forward models of the channel in the Yinggehai to Meishan formations
Formation Lithology AC/(μs·m−1) Velocity/(m·s−1) Representative wells Yinggehai sandstone 390 2 564 LS22 mudstone 429 2 326 Huangliu sandstone 370 2 700 LS22 mudstone 403 2 480 Meishan sandstone 350 2 857 LS33 mudstone 379 2 632 Note: AC indicates acoustic travel time. -
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