Cenozoic tectonic subsidence in deepwater sags in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea

Xie, Hui; Zhou, Di; Li, Yuanping; Pang, Xiong; Li, Pengchun; Chen, Guanghao; Li, Fucheng; Cao, Jianyu

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2014.01.010

Cited by 123 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Hu et al (2009) noted that this type of function has the advantage that it can prevent the converted depths from being under-or over-estimated by cubic or quadratic polynomial time-depth functions, and it is applied to sedimentary units only. This time-depth relationship was also adopted successfully by Chen (2013) and Xie et al (2014) in their studies.…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 91%

The continent–ocean transition at the mid-northern margin of the South China Sea

Gao

McIntosh

et al. 2015

Tectonophysics

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Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 91%

The continent–ocean transition at the mid-northern margin of the South China Sea

Gao

McIntosh

et al. 2015

Tectonophysics

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“…Recently, this basin was analyzed to determine the degree of excess subsidence, as well as the timing of when this particular subsidence anomaly formed. It has been recognized for some time that much of the subsidence that is observed in this basin occurred after the end of active extension under the continental shelf, i.e., after ~24 Ma (Clift and Lin 2001;Xie et al 2014). Various theories have been advanced to explain why such great subsidence has occurred in this particular place, with some arguing that this extra subsidence is related to the intrusion of very dense, mafic magmatic bodies at the base of the crust (Shi et al 2005).…”

Section: Baiyun Sag Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupled onshore erosion and offshore sediment loading as causes of lower crust flow on the margins of South China Sea

Clift

2015

Geosci. Lett.

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Hot, thick continental crust is susceptible to ductile flow within the middle and lower crust where quartz controls mechanical behavior. Reconstruction of subsidence in several sedimentary basins around the South China Sea, most notably the Baiyun Sag, suggests that accelerated phases of basement subsidence are associated with phases of fast erosion onshore and deposition of thick sediments offshore. Working together these two processes induce pressure gradients that drive flow of the ductile crust from offshore towards the continental interior after the end of active extension, partly reversing the flow that occurs during continental breakup. This has the effect of thinning the continental crust under super-deep basins along these continental margins after active extension has finished. This is a newly recognized form of climate-tectonic coupling, similar to that recognized in orogenic belts, especially the Himalaya. Climatically modulated surface processes, especially involving the monsoon in Southeast Asia, affects the crustal structure offshore passive margins, resulting in these "load-flow basins". This further suggests that reorganization of continental drainage systems may also have a role in governing margin structure. If some crustal thinning occurs after the end of active extension this has implications for the thermal history of hydrocarbon-bearing basins throughout the area where application of classical models results in over predictions of heatflow based on observed accommodation space.

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“…The PRMB is a Mesozoic‐Cenozoic sedimentary basin located in the northern part of the SCS. The multistage tectonic history of the basin resulted in the formation of five major structural zones: the North Uplift, North Depression (Zhu 1 and Zhu 3 depressions), Central Uplift, South Depression, and South Uplift zones (Chen et al, ; Guo et al, ; Xie et al, ; Figure a). The Zhu 1 depression, situated in the North Depression Zone, is the most prolific hydrocarbon‐bearing subbasin of the PRMB (Shi et al, ).…”

Section: Geological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Across the depression, the bottom and top of Wenchang Formation are marked by two regional unconformities, T g and T 80 (Guo et al, ; Shu et al, ; Wu et al, ). T g is the boundary between the basement and Wenchang Formation and T 80 , recognized in seismic reflection data, separates the Wenchang and Enping formations in the study area (Guo et al, ; Liu et al, ; Wu et al, ; Xie et al, ). The T 80 boundary was formed at ∼40 Ma, during the second episode of Zhuqiong movement, when the whole PRMB was uplifted, resulting in extensive erosion and a hiatus in deposition (Chen et al, ; Guo et al, ; Wang et al, ).…”

Section: Geological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Detrital Zircon Geochronology to Constrain Paleogene Provenance and Its Relationship to Rifting in the Zhu 1 Depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea

Wei

Bidgoli

et al. 2017

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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Paleogene syn‐rift successions in the South China Sea are poorly understood and systematic provenance analysis, which could provide clues to their history, is lacking. Here we report 409 new concordant U‐Pb ages from detrital zircons separated from the Paleogene Wenchang, Enping, and Zhuhai formations in the Zhu 1 depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin. The new data, combined with the published age data from the region, document changes in the provenance of syn‐rift successions. Detrital zircons from the Eocene Wenchang Formation are unimodal, with Jurassic‐Cretaceous (180–80 Ma) ages making up >80% of grains. The ages are consistent with the geochronology of intrabasinal highs, dominated by igneous rocks emplaced during the Yanshanian orogeny, and suggest local provenance. By contrast, detrital zircons from the upper Eocene to lower Oligocene Enping Formation form three well‐recognized age‐clusters, with peaks at 150, 254, and 438 Ma that match documented tectonomagmatism in South China Block (SCB). Combined with increasing numbers of Precambrian zircons, the data suggest increasing influence of regional provenance of the SCB. Similar age peaks are also recognized from the limited number of zircons analyzed from the upper Oligocene Zhuhai Formation and comparability with modern shelf and river sediment indicates the unit was mainly sourced from the SCB and likely transported by a paleo‐Pearl River. We infer that the change in provenance, from local uplifts within the Zhu 1 to the SCB, is related to distinct phases of PRMB rift development; however, later changes are best explained by SCB drainage evolution.

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Cenozoic tectonic subsidence in deepwater sags in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea

Cited by 123 publications

References 37 publications

The continent–ocean transition at the mid-northern margin of the South China Sea

The continent–ocean transition at the mid-northern margin of the South China Sea

Coupled onshore erosion and offshore sediment loading as causes of lower crust flow on the margins of South China Sea

Using Detrital Zircon Geochronology to Constrain Paleogene Provenance and Its Relationship to Rifting in the Zhu 1 Depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea

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