Search

The early Jurassic black shales are the most important source rocks in the Qiangtang Basin, Tibet. These black shales may provide a useful example for understanding the sedimentary conditions during the early Jurassic in the eastern Tethys. Thirty-two black-shale samples were collected from the Qiangtang Basin to reconstruct the depositional environments during the early Jurassic in the eastern Tethys. The palaeoclimate index Σ(Fe + Mn + Cr + Ni + V + Co)/Σ(Ca + Mg + Sr + Ba + K + Na) varies between 0.58 and 1.14, together with low Sr/Ba (0.20-0.60) and Sr/Cu (1.68-7.88) ratios, indicating a warm humid to semi-humid climatic condition during black-shale deposition. The early Jurassic black shales exhibit slight Ce anomalies (0.89-0.94) and Mn enrichment (EF = 1.2), suggesting a slightly oxic depositional environment. The conditions of the sedimentary water system during black-shale deposition were apparently brackish as evidenced by middle B/Ga (3.96-5.73) and Th/U (3.96-6.51) ratios. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Early Jurassic was characterized by a global disturbance of the carbon cycle known as the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE). This event is recorded by a large negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in marine carbonates and marine organic matter, as well as fossil wood. Here, we present new high-resolution carbonate (δ 13 C carb ) and organic (δ 13 C org ) carbon-isotope records and total organic content from the Bilong Co section in the Qiangtang Basin, the eastern Tethys. This section is high in organic carbon, and black shale facies are also identified. The Bilong Co section shows heavy δ 13 C org values compared to other reported marine organic carbon-isotope values for the T-OAE. This is explained by variable mixing of terrestrial and marine organic matter. Compared to European sections, the magnitude of the negative CIE in the Bilong Co section is slightly different, which could be explained by different local paleoenvironmental conditions and strata missing. Although these, the carbon-isotope profile from the Bilong Co area displays a similar trend to those in contemporaneous strata in the western Tethyan and Boreal realms of NW Europe, which is characterized by a distinct negative excursion in the Early Toarcian. Our new data from the Bilong Co section in N Tibet provide the first high-resolution record of the Early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event in the eastern Tethys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qiangtang Basin is a significant prospective area for hydrocarbon and gas hydrate resources in the Tibetan Plateau, China. However, relatively little work has been performed to characterise heat flow in this basin, which has restricted petroleum and gas hydrate exploration. In this study, we compare present and palaeo-heat flow in the Qiangtang Basin to provide information on geothermal regime, hydrocarbon generation and permafrost that is necessary for further petroleum and gas hydrate exploration. We base our study on temperature data from a thermometer well, thermal conductivity tests, vitrinite reflectance data, homogenisation temperature data from fluid inclusions, stratigraphic information and a time-independent modelling approach. Our results indicate that in the central Qiangtang Basin, the present thermal gradient is approximately 15.5 °C/km, and heat flow is approximately 46.69 mW/m 2 . Heat flow in the Qiangtang Basin is not relatively stable since the Early Jurassic, as previous research has suggested, and it is generally decreasing with time. Additionally, there is a clear difference between the hottest thermal regime of the southern and northern Qiangtang Depressions during Cretaceous to Pleistocene time. In the southern Qiangtang Depression, the palaeogeothermal gradient is approximately 32.0 °C/km, and palaeo-heat flow is approximately 70 mW/m 2 . However, in the northern Qiangtang Depression, the palaeogeothermal gradient exceeds 81.8 °C/km, and palaeo-heat flow is greater than 172.09 mW/m 2 . The high thermal regime in the northern Qiangtang Depression is driven mainly by hydrothermal convection. Gas reservoirs are possible targets for hydrocarbon exploration in this depression. Currently, the northwestern part of the northern Qiangtang Depression is the most favourable area for gas hydrate exploration in the Qiangtang Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]