Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution
The Songliao Basin in northeastern China is one of the largest and longest-lived Cretaceous sedimentary basins enriched in petroleum and geothermal resources worldwide. Although the modern Songliao Basin has a high geothermal gradient, the geological thermal history of the basin has not been well co...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | Minerals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/10/1101 |
| _version_ | 1797513786514472960 |
|---|---|
| author | Tian Dong Yuan Gao He Huang Xing Tian Qian Yang Yuyin Li Lu Niu Yongqiang Cao |
| author_facet | Tian Dong Yuan Gao He Huang Xing Tian Qian Yang Yuyin Li Lu Niu Yongqiang Cao |
| author_sort | Tian Dong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Songliao Basin in northeastern China is one of the largest and longest-lived Cretaceous sedimentary basins enriched in petroleum and geothermal resources worldwide. Although the modern Songliao Basin has a high geothermal gradient, the geological thermal history of the basin has not been well constrained. The SK-2 drilling program, as the second stage of the International Continental Drilling Project of Cretaceous Songliao Basin, is for recovering extensive Early Cretaceous terrestrial strata and providing valuable materials for decoding the mineralogical evolution and the paleoenvironmental changes. Here, we present whole-rock and clay mineralogical analysis on 72 core samples covering 3346–5705 m of the Shahezi Formation in the SK-2 borehole. The whole-rock minerals mainly include clay minerals, quartz, plagioclase, as well as some calcite, K-feldspar, siderite, and pyrite. The clay mineral assemblages include illite, chlorite, and illite–smectite interlayer minerals. Above 4500 m, clay minerals are dominated by illite and illite–smectite interlayers. Below 4500 m, more plagioclase, K-feldspar, and calcite are present, while illite–smectite interlayers are completely replaced by illite. The whole-rock and clay mineralogical evolution of the Shahezi Formation is primarily controlled by thermal diagenesis, although paleoenvironmental change may act as a minor contribution. Combined with published data from the Upper Cretaceous in SK-1 cores, we infer that Cretaceous greenhouse climatic and environmental changes left fingerprints on whole-rock and clay mineralogical assemblages and that the Songliao Basin reached a maximum burial depth and a peak of thermal evolution at the end of the Cretaceous. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:21:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c8655972dbb84a5684df2ff20676bd3d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-163X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:21:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Minerals |
| spelling | doaj.art-c8655972dbb84a5684df2ff20676bd3d2023-11-22T19:16:52ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2021-10-011110110110.3390/min11101101Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental EvolutionTian Dong0Yuan Gao1He Huang2Xing Tian3Qian Yang4Yuyin Li5Lu Niu6Yongqiang Cao7State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaThe Songliao Basin in northeastern China is one of the largest and longest-lived Cretaceous sedimentary basins enriched in petroleum and geothermal resources worldwide. Although the modern Songliao Basin has a high geothermal gradient, the geological thermal history of the basin has not been well constrained. The SK-2 drilling program, as the second stage of the International Continental Drilling Project of Cretaceous Songliao Basin, is for recovering extensive Early Cretaceous terrestrial strata and providing valuable materials for decoding the mineralogical evolution and the paleoenvironmental changes. Here, we present whole-rock and clay mineralogical analysis on 72 core samples covering 3346–5705 m of the Shahezi Formation in the SK-2 borehole. The whole-rock minerals mainly include clay minerals, quartz, plagioclase, as well as some calcite, K-feldspar, siderite, and pyrite. The clay mineral assemblages include illite, chlorite, and illite–smectite interlayer minerals. Above 4500 m, clay minerals are dominated by illite and illite–smectite interlayers. Below 4500 m, more plagioclase, K-feldspar, and calcite are present, while illite–smectite interlayers are completely replaced by illite. The whole-rock and clay mineralogical evolution of the Shahezi Formation is primarily controlled by thermal diagenesis, although paleoenvironmental change may act as a minor contribution. Combined with published data from the Upper Cretaceous in SK-1 cores, we infer that Cretaceous greenhouse climatic and environmental changes left fingerprints on whole-rock and clay mineralogical assemblages and that the Songliao Basin reached a maximum burial depth and a peak of thermal evolution at the end of the Cretaceous.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/10/1101Songliao Basinmineralogical evolutionthermal historypaleoenvironmental evolution |
| spellingShingle | Tian Dong Yuan Gao He Huang Xing Tian Qian Yang Yuyin Li Lu Niu Yongqiang Cao Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution Minerals Songliao Basin mineralogical evolution thermal history paleoenvironmental evolution |
| title | Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution |
| title_full | Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution |
| title_fullStr | Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution |
| title_short | Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution |
| title_sort | mineralogical evolution of the cretaceous strata in the songliao basin northeastern china implications for thermal history and paleoenvironmental evolution |
| topic | Songliao Basin mineralogical evolution thermal history paleoenvironmental evolution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/10/1101 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tiandong mineralogicalevolutionofthecretaceousstratainthesongliaobasinnortheasternchinaimplicationsforthermalhistoryandpaleoenvironmentalevolution AT yuangao mineralogicalevolutionofthecretaceousstratainthesongliaobasinnortheasternchinaimplicationsforthermalhistoryandpaleoenvironmentalevolution AT hehuang mineralogicalevolutionofthecretaceousstratainthesongliaobasinnortheasternchinaimplicationsforthermalhistoryandpaleoenvironmentalevolution AT xingtian mineralogicalevolutionofthecretaceousstratainthesongliaobasinnortheasternchinaimplicationsforthermalhistoryandpaleoenvironmentalevolution AT qianyang mineralogicalevolutionofthecretaceousstratainthesongliaobasinnortheasternchinaimplicationsforthermalhistoryandpaleoenvironmentalevolution AT yuyinli mineralogicalevolutionofthecretaceousstratainthesongliaobasinnortheasternchinaimplicationsforthermalhistoryandpaleoenvironmentalevolution AT luniu mineralogicalevolutionofthecretaceousstratainthesongliaobasinnortheasternchinaimplicationsforthermalhistoryandpaleoenvironmentalevolution AT yongqiangcao mineralogicalevolutionofthecretaceousstratainthesongliaobasinnortheasternchinaimplicationsforthermalhistoryandpaleoenvironmentalevolution |