Depositional process of hyperpycnal flow deposits: A case study on Lower Cretaceous Sangyuan outcrop in the Luanping Basin, Northeast China

Abstract

Sedimentary process research is of great significance for understanding the distribution and characteristics of sediments. Through the detailed observation and measurement of the Sangyuan outcrop in Luanping Basin, this paper studies the depositional process of the hyperpycnal flow deposits, and divides their depositional process into three phases, namely, acceleration, erosion and deceleration. In the acceleration phase, hyperpycnal flow begins to enter the basin nearby, and then speeds up gradually. Deposits developed in the acceleration phase are reverse. In addition, the original deposits become unstable and are taken away by hyperpycnal flows under the eroding force. As a result, there are a lot of mixture of red mud pebbles outside the basin and gray mud pebbles within the basin. In the erosion phase, the reverse deposits are eroded and become thinner or even disappear. Therefore, no reverse grading characteristic is found in the proximal major channel that is closer to the source, but it is still preserved in the middle branch channel that is far from the source. After entering the deceleration phase, normally grading deposits appear and cover previous deposits. The final deposits in the basin are special. Some are reverse, and others are normal. They are superimposed with each other under the action of hyperpycnal flow. The analysis of the Sangyuan outcrop demonstrates the sedimentary process and distribution of hyperpycnites, and reasonably explain the sedimentary characteristics of hyperpycnites. It is helpful to the prediction of oil and gas exploration targets in gravity flow deposits.

Keywords

Hyperpycnal flow / Sedimentary characteristics / Depositional process / Gravity flow deposit / Hyperpycnite / Red mud pebble / Gray mud pebble / Oil and gas exploration engineering / Luanping Basin

CRediT authorship contribution statement

De-zhi Yan: Methodology, investigation, validation, writing - original draft, visualization. Ru-kai Zhu: Resources, data curation, supervision, project administration. Hao Shou: Resources, data curation, supervision, project administration. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the editor and anonymous reviewers for very constructive and useful comments. The authors are also thankful for permission to publish this paper from the Scientific research and technology development project of PetroChina(2021DJ5303).

References

[1] Bates CC. 1953. Rational theory of delta formation. AAPG Bulletin, 37, 2119-2162.

[2] Cao YC, Wang SJ, Wang YZ, Li WQ, 2017. Sedimentary characteristics and depositional model of slumping deep-water gravity flow deposits: A case study from the middle Member 3 of Paleogene Shahejie Formation in Linnan subsag, Bohai Bay Basin. Journal of Palaeogeography, 19, 419-432. doi: 10.7623/syxb201706001.

[3] Cope T. 2003. Sedimentary Evolution of the Yanshan Fold-Thrust Belt, Northeast China. Stanford University, 123-144.

[4] Cope T, Luo P, Zhang XY, Zhang XJ, Song JM, Zhou G, Shultz RM. 2010. Structural controls on facies distribution in a small half-graben basin: Luanping basin, northeast China. Basin Research. 22, 33-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2117.2009.00417.x.

[5] Dadson S, Hovius N, Pegg S, Dade WB, Horng MJ, Chen H. 2005. Hyperpycnal river flows from an active mountain belt. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 110 (F4).

[6] Er C, Gu JY, Niu JY, Cheng N, Han SF. 2010. Gravity-Driven Processes: A more important transport mechanism of deposits in Xiguayuan Formation of Lower Cretaceous in Luanping Basin,Northern Hebei. Geological Review, 56(3), 312-320.

[7] Henstra GA, Grundvåg SA, Johannessen EP, Kristensen TB, Midtkandal I, Nystuen JP, Rotevatn A, Surlyk F, Sæther T, Windelstad J. 2016. Depositional processes and stratigraphic architecture within a coarsegrained rift-margin turbidite system: The Wollaston Forland Group, east Greenland. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 76, 187-209. doi: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2016.05.018.

[8] Khan SM, Imran J, Bradford S, Syvitski J. 2005. Numerical modeling of hyperpycnal plume. Marine Geology, 222, 193-211.

[9] Lamb MP, Mohrig D. 2009. Do hyperpycnal-flow deposits record riverflood dynamics? Geology, 37(12), 1067-1070. doi: 10.1130/G30286A.1.

[10] Li Y. 2003. Fan- delta depositional systems of Xiguayuan Formation in Luanping Basin. Acta Geoscientia. Sinica, 24, 353-356.

[11] Lowe DR. 1982. Sediment gravity flows: II. Depositional models with special reference to the deposits of high-density turbidity currents. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 52, 279-297.

[12] Middleton GV, Hampton MA. 1973. Sediment gravity flows:Mechanics of flow and deposition. In: Middleton GV, Bouma AH (Eds.),Turbidites and Deep-Water Sedimentation. Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Special Publication, 1-38.

[13] Middleton GV. 1976. Hydraulic interpretation of sand size distributions. The Journal of Geology, 84, 405-426. doi: 10.1086/628208.

[14] Mulder T, Migeon S. 2001. Twentieth century floods recorded in the deep Mediterranean sediments. Geology, 29, 1011-1014. doi: 10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<1011:TCFRIT>2.0.CO.

[15] Mulder T, Syvitski JPM, Migeon S, Faugeres JC, Savoye B. 2003. Marine hyperpycnal flows: Initiation, behavior and related deposits: A review. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 20, 861-882. doi: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2003.01.003.

[16] Parsons JD, Bush JWM, Syvitski JPM. 2001. Hyperpycnal plume formation from riverine outflows with small sediment concentrations. Sedimentology, 48, 465-478. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3091.2001.00384.x.

[17] Peter AL, Steel RJ. 2006. Hyperpycnal flow variability and slope organization on an Eocene shelf margin, Central Basin, Spitsbergen. AAPG bulletin, 90(10), 1451-1472. doi: 10.1306/04240605144.

[18] Pierdomenico M, Casalbore D, Chiocci FL. 2019. Massive benthic litter funnelled to deep sea by flash-flood generated hyperpycnal flows. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-10. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-41816-8.

[19] Shanmugam G. 2019. Slides, slumps, debris flows, turbidity currents, hyperpycnal flows, and bottom currents. In: Cochran JK, Bokuniewicz HJ,Yager PL (Eds). Encyclopedia of ocean sciences, 3rd edn. San Diego, Academic Press, 228-257. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.10884-X.

[20] Shanmugam G. 2000. Deep-water processes and facies model: A critical perspective. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 17(2), 285-342. doi: 10.1016/S0264-8172(99)00011-2,.

[21] Soyinka OA, Slatt RM. 2008. Identification and micro-stratigraphy of hyperpycnites and turbidites in cretaceous lewis shale, Wyoming. Sedimentology, 55, 1117-1133. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3091.2007.00938.x.

[22] Sun FN, Yang RC, Li DY. 2016. Research progresses on hyperpycnal flow deposits. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 3, 452-462.

[23] Walker RG. 1978. Deep-water sandstone facies and ancient submarine fans-models for exploration for stratigraphic traps. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 62, 932-966. doi: 10.1306/C1EA4F77-16C9-11D7-8645000102C1865D.

[24] Warrick JA, Milliman JD. 2003. Hyperpycnal sediment discharge from semiarid southern California rivers: Implications for coastal sediment budgets. Geology, 31(9), 781-84. doi: 10.1130/G19671.1.

[25] Woltemade CJ. 1994. Form and process: Fluvial geomorphology and flood-flow interaction, Grant River, Wisconsin. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 84(3), 462-479. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8306.1994.tb01870.x.

[26] Wu FD, Chen YJ, Hou YA, Zhang F, Li Y. 2004. Characteristics of sedimentary tectonic evolution and high-resolution sequence stratigraphy in Luanping Basin. Journal of China University of Geosciences. 29, 625-630.

[27] Xian BZ, Wang JH, Gong CL, Yin Y, Chao CZ, Liu JP, Zhang GD, Yan Q. 2018. Classification and sedimentary characteristics of lacustrine hyperpycnal channels: Triassic outcrops in the south Ordos Basin, central China. Sedimentary Geology, 368, 68-82. doi: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2018.03.006.

[28] Yan DZ, Xu HM, Xu ZH, Lei ZC, Tian M, Cheng L, Ma YH, Wang ZL, Ostadhassan M. 2020. Sedimentary architecture of hyperpycnal flow deposits: Cretaceous Sangyuan outcrop, from the Luanping Basin, North East China. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 121, 104593. doi: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104593.

[29] Yang RC, Jin ZJ, Sun DS, Fan AP. 2015. Discovery of hyperpycnal flow deposits in the Late Triassic Lacustrine Ordos Basin. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 33(1), 10-20. doi: 10.14027/j.cnki.Cjxb.2015.01.002.

[30] Zavala C, Ponce JJ, Arcuri M, Drittanti D, Freije H, Asensio M. 2006. Ancient lacustrine hyperpycnites: A depositional model from a case study in the Rayoso Formation (Cretaceous) of West-Central Argentina. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 76, 41-59. doi: 10.2110/jsr.2006.12.

[31] Zavala C, Arcuri M. 2016. Intrabasinal and extrabasinal turbidites: Origin and distinctive characteristics. Sedimentary Geology, 337, 36-54. doi: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2016.03.008.

[32] Zavala C, Pan SX. 2018. Hyperpycnal flows and hyperpycnites: Origin and distinctive characteristics. Lithologic Reservoirs, 30(1), 1-18. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-8926.2018.01.001.

[33] Zavala C. 2020. Hyperpycnal (over density) flows and deposits. Journal of Palaeogeography, 9, 1-21. doi: 10.1186/s42501-020-00065-x.

[34] Zhang YL, Qu HJ, Meng QR. 2007. Depositional process and evolution of Luanping Early Cretaceous basin in the Yanshan structural belt. Acta Petrologica Sinica, 23, 667-678.

[35] Zou CN, Wang L, Li Y, Tao SZ, Hou LH. 2012. Deep-lacustrine transformation of sandy debrites into turbidites, Upper Triassic, Central China. Sedimentary Geology, 265/266, 143-155. doi: 10.1016/j.sedgeo.2012.04.004.