Basin-Scale Sand Deposition in the Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation of the Sichuan Basin, Southwest China： Sedimentary Framework and Conceptual Model

• Published in: Journal of earth science (Wuhan, China) China), 2013-02, Vol.24 (1), p.89-103
• Main Author: 谭秀成 夏青松 陈景山 李凌 刘宏 罗冰 夏吉文 杨家静
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Basins; Biogeosciences; Braiding; Channels; Coasts; Deposition; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth science; Earth Sciences; Freshwater; Geochemistry; Geological time; Geology; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Lakes; Networks; Reservoirs; River networks; Rivers; Sand; Sedimentation & deposition; Triassic; 上三叠统; 中国西南地区; 四川盆地; 概念模型; 泥沙淤积; 流域尺度; 须家河组; 风沙沉积
• ISSN: 1674-487X; 1867-111X
• DOI: 10.1007/s12583-013-0312-7

The Upper Triassic Xujiahe （须家河） Formation in the Sichuan （四川） Basin, Southwest China is distinctive for the basin-scale sand deposition. This relatively rare sedimentary phenomenon has not been well interpreted. Here we addressed this issue by discussing sedimentary framework and conceptual model. Analysis of sedimentary setting implied that the basin received transgression during the deposition. It had multiple provenance supplies and river networks, as being surrounded by old- lands in multiple directions including the north, east and south. Thus, the basin was generally charac-terized by coastal and widely open and shallow lacustrine deposition during the Late Triassic Xujiahe period. This is similar to the modern well-known Poyang （鄱阳） Lake. Therefore, we investigated the framework and conceptual model of the Sichuan Basin during the Xujiahe period with an analogue to the Poyang Lake. Results show that the conceptual model of the deposition can be divided into transgressive and regressive stages. The first, third and fifth mem- bers of the formation are in transgressive stage and the deposits are dominated by shore and shallow lacustrine mud. In contrast, the deposition is mainly of braided river channel sand deposits during the regressive stage, mainly including the second, fourth and sixth members of the formation. The sand deposited in almost the entire basin because of the lateral migration and forward moving of the cross networks of the braided rivers. The multiple alternations of short and rapid transgression and relatively long regression are beneficial to the basin-scale sand deposition. Thus, the main channel of the braided river and its extensional areas are favorable for the development of hydrocarbon reservoir. This provides practical significance to the reservoir evaluation and exploration. In addition, the results also justify the relatively distinctive sedimentary phenomenon in the study area and may also have im- plications for understanding the large-scale sand deposition elsewhere.