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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database
AAPG Bulletin
Abstract
AAPG Bulletin, V.
DOI: 10.1306/01162422069
Structural segmentation in the Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea: Insights from analogue models and implications for hydrocarbon exploration
Gengxiong Yang,1 Hongwei Yin,2 Jun Gan,3 Wei Wang,4 Jitian Zhu,5 Dong Jia,6 Xiaofeng Xiong,7 and Wenqiao Xu8
1School of Earth Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; [email protected]
2School of Earth Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; [email protected]
3Zhanjiang Branch of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Ltd., Zhanjiang, China; [email protected]
4School of Earth Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; [email protected]
5Zhanjiang Branch of CNOOC Ltd., Zhanjiang, China; [email protected]
6School of Earth Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; [email protected]
7Zhanjiang Branch of CNOOC Ltd., Zhanjiang, China; [email protected]
8School of Earth Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; [email protected]
ABSTRACT
The Qiongdongnan Basin at the northern margin of the South China Sea shows distinct lateral variations in trends, deformational styles, and structural complexities from the western to the eastern zones. It is widely accepted that the western zone undergoes orthogonal stretching, whereas the eastern zone undergoes oblique stretching under the control of preexisting structures with changed orientation. In addition, the weak lower crust may affect the structural segmentation of the Qiongdongnan Basin. This study considers factors related to crustal strength, such as brittle-to-viscous thickness ratios and extensional velocities to explore the structural segmentation between the western and eastern zones using physical analogue modeling. The results show that the control of preexisting velocity
discontinuity (VD) in the segmentation of the overlying structure is strongly associated with these two factors. In the case of a thinner lower crust or fast extension, deformation was concentrated along the VD, showing an apparent segmentation between the orthogonal and oblique zones. Conversely, when there was a thicker weak lower crust or slow
velocity
, the rift basin discrete development due to the control of preexisting VD weakened, and the segmentation was indistinct. A model with a thinner lower crust and faster stretching
velocity
successfully accounted for the observed segmentation characteristics of the Qiongdongnan Basin. Based on the experimental results, we explain the differential tectonic evolution between the eastern and western zones and their impact on the structurally formed reservoirs in the Qiongdongnan Basin.
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