Recurrent slope failure and submarine channel incision as key factors controlling reservoir potential in the South China Sea (Qiongdongnan Basin, South Hainan Island)

Abstract

High-resolution multi-beam bathymetry, 3D and 2D seismic reflection profiles from the South China Sea are used to investigate the morphology, characteristics, origin and implications to petroleum systems of recurrent slope failure in the Qiongdongnan Basin, northern South China Sea. Seven Late Miocene-Holocene mass-transport deposits (MTDs) and numerous submarine canyons were identified on the continental slope and rise. Providing new insights on the evolution of an enigmatic region of the South China Sea, this paper defends that the interpreted MTDs were caused by a combination of high sedimentation rates and local tectonic uplift. By comparing the stratigraphy of the study area with local sea-level curves, we show that a significant portion of shelf-edge deposits effectively bypassed most of the continental slope during the Miocene-Quaternary to accumulate as large MTDs on its lower part (i.e. on the 'basin-floor'), independently of sea-level changes. Our work has implications to the current sequence stratigraphic models for continental margins, and sheds new light on the reservoir potential of Miocene units in the South China Sea. Hence, regions where base-of-slope fans are expected to occur are, in the study area, occupied by large-scale recurrent MTDs sourced from the shelf edge. Stratigraphically, recurrent slope instability resulted: a) in abrupt episodes of accommodation space creation on the shelf-edge, b) on a moderate reduction in accommodation space at the base of the continental slope, and c) in a complete separation between shelf and distal slope depositional systems, with most stratigraphic markers on 3D seismic data being diachronous across the continental margin. As MTDs also comprise the bulk of channel-fill deposits in large submarine canyons, we propose that the reservoir potential of channel-fill deposits in the South China Sea is closely dependent on the nature of the sediment (i.e. net-to-gross ratio) eroded and transported by these same MTDs.

Bi-modal deformation styles in confined mass-transport deposits: Examples from a salt minibasin in SE Brazil

“…Mass-Transport Deposits (MTDs) reflect one of the key processes shaping continental margins around the world, and are capable of transferring large masses of sediment from proximal to distal slope domains (Hampton et al, 1996;Masson et al, 2006;Li et al, 2015). Long-term trigger mechanisms for MTDs include processes such as sediment loading, fluid overpressure, the presence of weak layers, or increasing slope gradients with time.…”

Distribution and characteristics of mud diapirs, gas chimneys, and bottom simulating reflectors associated with hydrocarbon migration and gas hydrate accumulation in the Qiongdongnan Basin, northern slope of the South China Sea

“…It trends NE and is bound to the north by Hainan Island, to the west by the YGHB, to the northeast by the PRMB, and to the southeast by the Xisha Massif and the north‐western sub‐basin of the SCS (Figure a). The QDNB spans an area of approximately 83,000 km 2 , with more than 60% of the area (53,000 km 2 ) in deep water (with water depths of 300–3,000 m; Wang, Sun, Zhu, Guo, & Jiang, ), and the submarine topography is complex and characterized by various landforms, such as channels, canyons, and seamounts (Li et al, ; Tian et al, ).…”

Along‐strike variability in shelf‐margin morphology and accretion pattern: An example from the northern margin of the South China Sea

“…For the PRM margin with sigmoidal slopes, large‐scale and mature submarine canyons are developed. (c) Seafloor bathymetric map showing the development of slope gullies on the slopes of the eastern QDN margin (sector 2) (modified from Li et al, ). (d) Seafloor variance map showing large‐scale, mature submarine canyons on the slope of the central PRM margin (sector 4).…”