Cenozoic fault systems in southwest Qaidam Basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Geometry, temporal development, and significance for hydrocarbon accumulation

Wu, Lei; Xiao, Anguo; Ma, Dade; Hong-ge, LI; Xu, Bo; Shen, Yue; Mao, Liguang

doi:10.1306/11131313087

Cited by 55 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Oligocene lacustrine strata are interpreted to have been deposited within a single depression, much larger than the modern Qaidam basin, which was subsequently partitioned by uplift associated with the Qimen Tagh thrust belt (Yin et al, ). Growth strata relationships indicate that deformation along the Eastern Kunlun margin of the basin commenced at circa 29–24 Ma (e.g., Cheng, Fu, et al, ; Cheng et al, ; X. Cheng, Fu, et al, ; Wu et al, ; Yin et al, , ).…”

Section: Phanerozoic Deformation History Of the Kunlun‐qaidam Terranementioning

confidence: 99%

Tectonics of the Eastern Kunlun Range: Cenozoic Reactivation of a Paleozoic‐Early Mesozoic Orogen

Zuza

Chen

et al. 2019

Tectonics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Eastern Kunlun Range in north Tibet, located along the northern margin of the eastern Tethyan orogenic system, records evidence for continental break‐up and ocean development in the Neoproterozoic, Paleozoic‐early Mesozoic subduction and continental collision, Mesozoic intracontinental extension, and Cenozoic contractional deformation. The Kunlun region is marked by active left‐lateral strike‐slip deformation of Kunlun fault system, one of the major intracontinental strike‐slip faults in Tibet that developed in response India‐Asia. To better constrain the tectonic evolution of the Eastern Kunlun Range and the closure of the various Kunlun oceans, we conducted detailed investigation integrating new geologic mapping, geochronology, and whole‐rock geochemistry with a synthesis of existing datasets across north Tibet. The Eastern Kunlun Range experienced three major deformation events in the Neoproterozoic, early Paleozoic, and Late Paleozoic‐early Mesozoic, which were associated with collision of the Proto‐, Paleo‐, and Neo‐Kunlun arcs, respectively. Our new detrital zircon analyses from Mesoproterozoic‐Cenozoic strata constrain stratigraphic age and sediment provenance and highlight the importance of three periods of arc activity. Our stratigraphic synthesis, including new field observations, provides new insights into connections between sediment dispersal and changes in tectonism and paleogeography. Miocene‐to‐present strike‐slip activity on the Kunlun fault and the associated strain pattern can be explained by clockwise rotation of the Kunlun fault and its wall rock as a bookshelf‐fault system, which has been proposed for northern Tibet as a result of distributed north‐south right‐lateral shear. The development of this fault system was facilitated by the presence of a Triassic suture that provided a preexisting weakness.

show abstract

Section: Phanerozoic Deformation History Of the Kunlun‐qaidam Terranementioning

confidence: 99%

Tectonics of the Eastern Kunlun Range: Cenozoic Reactivation of a Paleozoic‐Early Mesozoic Orogen

Zuza

Chen

et al. 2019

Tectonics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instance, early studies showed that the deformation of the NTP commenced in the Miocene (Meyer et al ., ; Tapponnier et al ., ). However, recent observations within the Qaidam Basin indicate an initial age of early Cenozoic (e.g., Yin et al ., , ; Zhuang et al ., ; Wu et al ., , ), synchronous with or shortly after the onset of the India–Tibet collision (Najman et al ., ; Yi et al ., ). These observations, in turn, support the idea that the whole Tibetan Plateau may have started uplifting nearly simultaneously soon after the collision (Yin and Harrison, ; Clark, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These observations, in turn, support the idea that the whole Tibetan Plateau may have started uplifting nearly simultaneously soon after the collision (Yin and Harrison, ; Clark, ). Existing studies of Cenozoic deformation of the Qaidam Basin are based mainly on subsurface geophysical data and field mapping, and focus on basin‐scale deformation (Zhou et al ., ; Yin et al ., ; Liu et al ., ) or detailed structural analysis of isolated areas within the basin (Zhang et al ., ; Wu et al ., ) or along the margins (Yin et al ., , ; Wu et al ., ). Little is known about how the orogenic belts bounding the Qaidam Basin have influenced the temporal and spatial evolution of the basin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal and spatial patterns of Cenozoic deformation across the Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau

Wei

Xiao

et al. 2016

Terra Nova

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We conducted a systematic analysis of the temporal and spatial patterns of Cenozoic deformation of the northeastern (NE) and southwestern (SW) parts of the Qaidam Basin, the largest and thickest Cenozoic sedimentary basin within the Tibetan Plateau, by constructing balanced cross-sections traversing the whole basin using high-resolution seismicreflection data. We found that that these two parts deformed synchronously with similar temporal patterns involving nearly constant NE-SW contraction before c. 2.5 Ma and much more intense shortening, possibly enhanced by fierce wind erosion, since then. However, the spatial deformation patterns of these two areas differ markedly: an eastward weakening trend in the SW part is not observed in the NE part. We believe that this difference is due to their different boundary conditions. This result places new constraints on the formation mechanisms of the northern Tibetan Plateau.

show abstract

“…2 The southwestern Qaidam Basin, which is located to the south of the Hero Hills (Fig. Significant tectonic movement of the Altyn Tagh and East Kunlun fault zones resulted in complex faulting and folding (Song & Wang, 1993), and the southwestern Qaidam Basin is dominated by a series of basement-involving reverse faults related with the Altyn Tagh and East Kunlun fault zones (Wu et al, 2014). Significant tectonic movement of the Altyn Tagh and East Kunlun fault zones resulted in complex faulting and folding (Song & Wang, 1993), and the southwestern Qaidam Basin is dominated by a series of basement-involving reverse faults related with the Altyn Tagh and East Kunlun fault zones (Wu et al, 2014).…”

Section: Geological Setting Qaidam Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3), is an important petroliferous region. Significant tectonic movement of the Altyn Tagh and East Kunlun fault zones resulted in complex faulting and folding (Song & Wang, 1993), and the southwestern Qaidam Basin is dominated by a series of basement-involving reverse faults related with the Altyn Tagh and East Kunlun fault zones (Wu et al, 2014). The overview of the Cenozoic strata in the southwestern Qaidam Basin has been mentioned in some studies (Song & Wang, 1993;Xia et al, 2001;Zhu et al, 2006;Li et al, 2015a), and the detailed introduction of the stratigraphy and sedimentary characteristics is given in Section Stratigraphy and Sedimentary Characteristics of the Sections.…”

Section: Geological Setting Qaidam Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cenozoic evolution of the Altyn Tagh and East Kunlun fault zones inferred from detrital garnet, tourmaline and rutile in southwestern Qaidam Basin (Northern Tibetan Plateau)

2017

Basin Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study focuses on the Cenozoic provenance and tectonic evolution of the southwestern Qaidam Basin through geochemical analysis of detrital garnet, tourmaline and rutile. The variation of detrital mineral compositions indicates that the Cenozoic evolution can be divided into three stages: (i) before the deposition of the upper Xiaganchaigou Formation (before 37.8 Ma); (ii) between the deposition of the upper Xiaganchaigou Formation and the Shangganchaigou Formation (from 37.8 to 22 Ma); (iii) since the deposition of the Xiayoushashan Formation (since 22 Ma). In the first stage, abundant garnets from high-grade meta-basic and ultramafic rocks in the sediments from the Ganchaigou area support a provenance from the South Altyn Tagh HP/UHP metamorphic zone. The low percentage of tourmalines from granitoid rocks in the sediments in the Kunbei-L€ ucaotan area suggests a provenance from the East Kunlun fault zone, indicating that the Qimen Tagh Shan was not high enough to prevent the transport of sediments from the southern Qaidam Basin. The sediments in the Qigequan area were derived from both the Altyn Tagh fault zone and the East Kunlun fault zone. In the second stage, the tectonic activity consisted in the rapid uplift of the Altyn Shan. Changes in garnet composition indicate a lower detrital contribution from high-grade metamorphic rocks. In the third stage, the disappearance of garnets from high-grade metamorphic rocks and scattered temperatures of rutiles in the Ganchaigou area suggest that the source area shifted from the South Altyn Tagh HP/UHP metamorphic rocks to weakly metamorphosed Meso-Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks. The increase in granitoid-derived tourmalines in the Kunbei-L€ ucaotan area is indicative of the rapid uplift of the Qimen Tagh Shan. The provenance evolution in the southwestern Qaidam Basin indicates that the tectonic activity along the Altyn Tagh fault zone can be divided into an early stage of Altyn Shan uplift and a later stage of left-lateral slip. At the same time, tectonic movement along the East Kunlun fault zone initiated.

show abstract

Cenozoic fault systems in southwest Qaidam Basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Geometry, temporal development, and significance for hydrocarbon accumulation

Cited by 55 publications

References 29 publications

Tectonics of the Eastern Kunlun Range: Cenozoic Reactivation of a Paleozoic‐Early Mesozoic Orogen

Tectonics of the Eastern Kunlun Range: Cenozoic Reactivation of a Paleozoic‐Early Mesozoic Orogen

Temporal and spatial patterns of Cenozoic deformation across the Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau

Cenozoic evolution of the Altyn Tagh and East Kunlun fault zones inferred from detrital garnet, tourmaline and rutile in southwestern Qaidam Basin (Northern Tibetan Plateau)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About