Seismic characteristics of a reef carbonate reservoir and implications for hydrocarbon exploration in deepwater of the Qiongdongnan Basin, northern South China Sea

Our analysis of approximately 40,000 km of multichannel 2-D seismic data, reef oil-field seismic data, and data from several boreholes led to the identification of two areas of reef carbonate reservoirs in deepwater areas (water depth >= 500 in) of the Qiongdongnan Basin (QDNB), northern South China Sea. High-resolution sequence stratigraphic analysis revealed that the transgressive and highstand system tracts of the mid-Miocene Meishan Formation in the Beijiao and Ledong-Lingshui Depressions developed reef carbonates. The seismic features of the reef carbonates in these two areas include chaotic bedding, intermittent internal reflections, chaotic or blank reflections, mounded reflections, and apparent amplitude anomalies, similar to the seismic characteristics of the LH11-1 reef reservoir in the Dongsha Uplift and Island Reef of the Salawati Basin, Indonesia, which house large oil fields. The impedance values of reefs in the Beijiao and Ledong-Lingshui Depressions are 8000-9000 g/cc x m/s. Impedance sections reveal that the impedance of the LH11-1 reef reservoir in the northern South China Sea is 800010000 g/cc x m/s, whereas that of pure limestone in BD23-1-1 is > 10000 g/cc x m/s. The mid-Miocene paleogeography of the Beijiao Depression was dominated by offshore and neritic environments, with only part of the southern Beijiao uplift emergent at that time. The input of terrigenous sediments was relatively minor in this area, meaning that terrigenous source areas were insignificant in terms of the Beijiao Depression: reef carbonates were probably widely distributed throughout the depression, as with the Ledong-Lingshui Depression. The combined geological and geophysical data indicate that shelf margin atolls were well developed in the Beijiao Depression, as in the Ledong-Lingshui Depression where small-scale patch or pinnacle reefs developed. These reef carbonates are promising reservoirs, representing important targets for deepwater hydrocarbon exploration. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Petroleum System in Deepwater Basins of the Northern South China Sea

The northern South China Sea margin has experienced a rifting stage and a post-rifting stage during the Cenozoic. In the rifting stage, the margin received lacustrine and shallow marine facies sediments. In the post-rifting thermal subsidence, the margin accumulated shallow marine facies and hemipelagic deposits, and the deepwater basins formed. Petroleum systems of deepwater setting have been imaged from seismic data and drill wells. Two kinds of source rocks including Paleogene lacustrine black shale and Oligocene-Early Miocene mudstone were developed in the deepwater basin of the South China Sea. The deepwater reservoirs are characterized by the deep sea channel rill, mass flow complexes and drowned reef carbonate platform. Profitable capping rocks on the top are mudstones with huge thickness in the post-rifting stage. Meanwhile, the faults developed during the rifting stage provide a migration path favourable for the formation of reservoirs. The analysis of seismic and drilling data suggests that the joint structural and stratigraphic traps could form giant hydrocarbon fields and hydrocarbon reservoirs including syn-rifting graben subaqueous delta, deepwater submarine fan sandstone and reef carbonate reservoirs.

Vertical transferring process of rare elements in coral reef lagoons of Nansha Islands, South China Sea

The vertical fluxes and vertical transferring forms of 18 rare elements were studied for the first time in the coral reef ecosystem of Nansha Islands, South China Sea, by deploying sediment traps, The results showed that the vertical transferring flux of most of the measured rare elements in Yongshu lagoon were higher than that in Zhubi lagoon. The vertical transferring forms of rare elements were mainly in the carbonate form, but Ta, As, Th mainly in the ion-exchange form, Ag in iron-manganese oxide form and Sb in the organic matter + sulphide form. None of the 18 rare elements was transferred mainly in the form of detritus silicate to sea floor. This proved that rare elements originating from the earth's crust were redistributed in sinking particulates after they were brought into ocean. The relation between the fluxes and surface seawater temperature (STT) was also studied. The sensitivity of rare elements to SST was in order: Rb>V>As>Ti>U>Zn>Sb>Hf>Ag>Cs.

Microorganisms linked to Neoproterozoic microspar carbonate sedimentation in the Jilin-Liaoning area

Molar-tooth carbonate refers to a sort of rock that has ptygmatical folded structure comparable to the ivory. This kind of carbonate exists in a special time range (from Middle to Neoproterozoic). Its origin and the possibility to use it in stratigraphic correlation of the paleocontinent is the key task of the IGCP447, a project on Proterozoic molar tooth carbonates and the evolution of the earth (2001-2005). The importance lies in that the molar-tooth structure is the key to solving problems related to Precambrian biological and global geochemical events. The molar-tooth structure is associated with microorganisms. Development and recession of such carbonates have relations with the evolution process of early lives and abrupt changes in sea carbonate geochemistry. In recent years, based on researches on petrology, geochemistry and Sr isotope of molar-tooth carbonate in the Jilin-Liaoning and Xuzhou-Huaiyang area, the authors hold that it can be used as a marker for stratigraphic sequence and sedimentary facies analyses.

Microorganisms linked to Neoproterozoic microspar carbonate sedimentation in the Jilin-Liaoning area

Molar-tooth carbonate refers to a sort of rock that has ptygmatical folded structure comparable to the ivory. This kind of carbonate exists in a special time range (from Middle to Neoproterozoic). Its origin and the possibility to use it in stratigraphic correlation of the paleocontinent is the key task of the IGCP447, a project on Proterozoic molar tooth carbonates and the evolution of the earth (2001-2005). The importance lies in that the molar-tooth structure is the key to solving problems related to Precambrian biological and global geochemical events. The molar-tooth structure is associated with microorganisms. Development and recession of such carbonates have relations with the evolution process of early lives and abrupt changes in sea carbonate geochemistry. In recent years, based on researches on petrology, geochemistry and Sr isotope of molar-tooth carbonate in the Jilin-Liaoning and Xuzhou-Huaiyang area, the authors hold that it can be used as a marker for stratigraphic sequence and sedimentary facies analyses.