Quantitative reconstruction of the palaeoclimate of the Shahejie Formation in the Chezhen Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China

Abstract

This paper uses pollen climate analysis and coexistence analysis to systematically analyze the climatic evolution of the Shahejie Formation in the Chezhen Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China and discusses the relationship between palaeoclimatic evolution and lake level rise. The results show that the sedimentary period of the Shahejie Formation in the Chezhen Depression had an overall temperature change trend from hot to cold and simultaneously experienced a dry and wet balance–wet–dry and wet balance–wet transition process. The climatic parameters of the Shahejie Formation in the Chezhen Depression include a mean annual temperature of 8.1°C−15.1°C, a mean coldest monthly temperature of −0.1°C−2°C, a mean warmest monthly temperature of 18.6°C−28°C, a mean annual precipitation of 389−1164 mm, a wettest monthly precipitation amount of 215−262 mm, and a driest monthly precipitation amount of 8−48 mm. Climate change is believed to affect the rise and fall of lake levels to some extent. The quantitative reconstruction of these climatic parameters allows researchers to more intuitively understand the geological background of the Chezhen Depression and guide the exploration and development of oil and gas resources.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Shahejie Formation / Chezhen Depression / pollen / coexistence analysis / palaeoclimate reconstruction

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Acknowledgments

We very much appreciate the Shengli Oilfield Exploration and Development Research Institute for identifying samples and providing some experimental data. We appreciate the editor for the suggestions to revise this manuscript, as well as the two anonymous reviewers who provided constructive comments that substantially improved the quality of this manuscript. This research was supported by the Shengli Oilfield, Sinopec, and the project name is “Reunderstanding the sedimentary system of the third to the fourth member of the Shahejie Formation in the Chezhen Depression and the distribution of hidden traps.”

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