Palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Eocene-Oligocene Tarim Basin (NW China): Sedimentary response to late Eocene sea retreat

Jingyu Zhang; Fengcun Xing; Wout Krijgsman; Cheng Zhang; Wei Wei; Lin Chen; Suju Yang; Xiaochen Liu; Yongchao Lu

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110796

Palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Eocene-Oligocene Tarim Basin (NW China): Sedimentary response to late Eocene sea retreat

Jingyu Zhang, Fengcun Xing^*, Wout Krijgsman, Cheng Zhang, Wei Wei, Lin Chen, Suju Yang, Xiaochen Liu, Yongchao Lu

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

The Paleogene sedimentary successions of the Tarim Basin of western China document a major regression of the proto-Paratethys Sea, significantly changing the land-sea distribution and thereby the palaeoclimatic conditions in Central Asia. However, a comprehensive reconstruction of the palaeogeographic evolution of the basin is lacking because only few exposures are known from the central part of the basin that is mostly covered by the Taklamakan Desert. Here, we reconstruct the main palaeoenvironmental changes following Eocene sea retreat by determining the sedimentological facies of 69 wells that are internally correlated by using seismic profiles and externally to published sections of the exposed southwestern and northern margins of the Tarim Basin. Two major depocentres existed in the Southwest Foredeep and the Kuqa Depression, separated from each other by the Bachu Uplift that was most likely not a particularly high terrain during the Paleogene. We confirm that a major transition from marine to continental-lacustrine sedimentation took place during the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the central parts of the Tarim Basin. We provide new palaeogeographic maps with Eocene and Oligocene facies distributions in the Tarim Basin, which will facilitate a better understanding of the sedimentary response to Paleogene sea-level change and tectonic events of the neighboring mountain ranges. Our reconstruction confirms that both tectonic and eustatic forcing played an active role in controlling the late Paleogene transgression-regression in the Tarim Basin. Provenance and palaeocurrent analyses, combined with sediment distribution patterns, indicate gradual growth and continuous uplift of the Tibetan Plateau following India–Asia collision in the early Paleogene. The demise of the Tarim Sea at ~41 Ma correlates with palaeoclimatic and environmental changes observed in several basin of central Asia. After sea retreat, the Tarim region progressively transformed into a large and shallow lake system that potentially persisted up to the (early) Oligocene.

Original language	English
Article number	110796
Pages (from-to)	1-17
Journal	Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
Volume	587
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110796
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 41672103, 41302089), National Science and Technology Major Project of China (grant No. 2017ZX05049-004), the fellowship of China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (grant No. BX20200312), and China Scholarship Council (CSC), and Fundamental Research Funds for National Universities, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan. We thank SINOPEC Northwest Oilfield Company for providing a valuable opportunity for geological data, the wells and seismic reflection profiles have been made available to us. We thank Heng Fu (Chengdu University of Technology), Feng Guo (Xi'an Shiyou University), and Jun Wang for providing valuable geological data. Excellent field assistance was provided by Yue Chen, Xiaofeng Liu, Shaobo Wu, and Caiguang Zhi. We thank editor Thomas Algeo, and two anonymous reviewers for their thorough and constructive comments that significantly improved the manuscript.

Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 41672103 , 41302089 ), National Science and Technology Major Project of China (grant No. 2017ZX05049-004 ), the fellowship of China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (grant No. BX20200312 ), and China Scholarship Council (CSC), and Fundamental Research Funds for National Universities , China University of Geosciences, Wuhan. We thank SINOPEC Northwest Oilfield Company for providing a valuable opportunity for geological data, the wells and seismic reflection profiles have been made available to us. We thank Heng Fu (Chengdu University of Technology), Feng Guo (Xi'an Shiyou University), and Jun Wang for providing valuable geological data. Excellent field assistance was provided by Yue Chen, Xiaofeng Liu, Shaobo Wu, and Caiguang Zhi. We thank editor Thomas Algeo, and two anonymous reviewers for their thorough and constructive comments that significantly improved the manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 41672103, 41302089), National Science and Technology Major Project of China (grant No. 2017ZX05049-004), the fellowship of China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (grant No. BX20200312), and China Scholarship Council (CSC), and Fundamental Research Funds for National Universities, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan. We thank SINOPEC Northwest Oilfield Company for providing a valuable opportunity for geological data, the wells and seismic reflection profiles have been made available to us. We thank Heng Fu (Chengdu University of Technology), Feng Guo (Xi'an Shiyou University), and Jun Wang for providing valuable geological data. Excellent field assistance was provided by Yue Chen, Xiaofeng Liu, Shaobo Wu, and Caiguang Zhi. We thank editor Thomas Algeo, and two anonymous reviewers for their thorough and constructive comments that significantly improved the manuscript. This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 41672103 , 41302089 ), National Science and Technology Major Project of China (grant No. 2017ZX05049-004 ), the fellowship of China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (grant No. BX20200312 ), and China Scholarship Council (CSC), and Fundamental Research Funds for National Universities , China University of Geosciences, Wuhan. We thank SINOPEC Northwest Oilfield Company for providing a valuable opportunity for geological data, the wells and seismic reflection profiles have been made available to us. We thank Heng Fu (Chengdu University of Technology), Feng Guo (Xi'an Shiyou University), and Jun Wang for providing valuable geological data. Excellent field assistance was provided by Yue Chen, Xiaofeng Liu, Shaobo Wu, and Caiguang Zhi. We thank editor Thomas Algeo, and two anonymous reviewers for their thorough and constructive comments that significantly improved the manuscript.

Keywords

Asia
Palaeoclimate
Palaeoenvironment
Paleogene
Sedimentary facies
Tectonics

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110796

1-s2.0-S0031018221005812-mainFinal published version, 20.3 MBLicence: Taverne

Cite this

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title = "Palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Eocene-Oligocene Tarim Basin (NW China): Sedimentary response to late Eocene sea retreat",

abstract = "The Paleogene sedimentary successions of the Tarim Basin of western China document a major regression of the proto-Paratethys Sea, significantly changing the land-sea distribution and thereby the palaeoclimatic conditions in Central Asia. However, a comprehensive reconstruction of the palaeogeographic evolution of the basin is lacking because only few exposures are known from the central part of the basin that is mostly covered by the Taklamakan Desert. Here, we reconstruct the main palaeoenvironmental changes following Eocene sea retreat by determining the sedimentological facies of 69 wells that are internally correlated by using seismic profiles and externally to published sections of the exposed southwestern and northern margins of the Tarim Basin. Two major depocentres existed in the Southwest Foredeep and the Kuqa Depression, separated from each other by the Bachu Uplift that was most likely not a particularly high terrain during the Paleogene. We confirm that a major transition from marine to continental-lacustrine sedimentation took place during the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the central parts of the Tarim Basin. We provide new palaeogeographic maps with Eocene and Oligocene facies distributions in the Tarim Basin, which will facilitate a better understanding of the sedimentary response to Paleogene sea-level change and tectonic events of the neighboring mountain ranges. Our reconstruction confirms that both tectonic and eustatic forcing played an active role in controlling the late Paleogene transgression-regression in the Tarim Basin. Provenance and palaeocurrent analyses, combined with sediment distribution patterns, indicate gradual growth and continuous uplift of the Tibetan Plateau following India–Asia collision in the early Paleogene. The demise of the Tarim Sea at ~41 Ma correlates with palaeoclimatic and environmental changes observed in several basin of central Asia. After sea retreat, the Tarim region progressively transformed into a large and shallow lake system that potentially persisted up to the (early) Oligocene.",

keywords = "Asia, Palaeoclimate, Palaeoenvironment, Paleogene, Sedimentary facies, Tectonics",

author = "Jingyu Zhang and Fengcun Xing and Wout Krijgsman and Cheng Zhang and Wei Wei and Lin Chen and Suju Yang and Xiaochen Liu and Yongchao Lu",

note = "Funding Information: This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 41672103, 41302089), National Science and Technology Major Project of China (grant No. 2017ZX05049-004), the fellowship of China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (grant No. BX20200312), and China Scholarship Council (CSC), and Fundamental Research Funds for National Universities, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan. We thank SINOPEC Northwest Oilfield Company for providing a valuable opportunity for geological data, the wells and seismic reflection profiles have been made available to us. We thank Heng Fu (Chengdu University of Technology), Feng Guo (Xi'an Shiyou University), and Jun Wang for providing valuable geological data. Excellent field assistance was provided by Yue Chen, Xiaofeng Liu, Shaobo Wu, and Caiguang Zhi. We thank editor Thomas Algeo, and two anonymous reviewers for their thorough and constructive comments that significantly improved the manuscript. Funding Information: This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 41672103 , 41302089 ), National Science and Technology Major Project of China (grant No. 2017ZX05049-004 ), the fellowship of China National Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents (grant No. BX20200312 ), and China Scholarship Council (CSC), and Fundamental Research Funds for National Universities , China University of Geosciences, Wuhan. We thank SINOPEC Northwest Oilfield Company for providing a valuable opportunity for geological data, the wells and seismic reflection profiles have been made available to us. We thank Heng Fu (Chengdu University of Technology), Feng Guo (Xi'an Shiyou University), and Jun Wang for providing valuable geological data. Excellent field assistance was provided by Yue Chen, Xiaofeng Liu, Shaobo Wu, and Caiguang Zhi. We thank editor Thomas Algeo, and two anonymous reviewers for their thorough and constructive comments that significantly improved the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Elsevier B.V.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110796",

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T1 - Palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Eocene-Oligocene Tarim Basin (NW China)

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AU - Zhang, Jingyu

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AU - Zhang, Cheng

AU - Wei, Wei

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N2 - The Paleogene sedimentary successions of the Tarim Basin of western China document a major regression of the proto-Paratethys Sea, significantly changing the land-sea distribution and thereby the palaeoclimatic conditions in Central Asia. However, a comprehensive reconstruction of the palaeogeographic evolution of the basin is lacking because only few exposures are known from the central part of the basin that is mostly covered by the Taklamakan Desert. Here, we reconstruct the main palaeoenvironmental changes following Eocene sea retreat by determining the sedimentological facies of 69 wells that are internally correlated by using seismic profiles and externally to published sections of the exposed southwestern and northern margins of the Tarim Basin. Two major depocentres existed in the Southwest Foredeep and the Kuqa Depression, separated from each other by the Bachu Uplift that was most likely not a particularly high terrain during the Paleogene. We confirm that a major transition from marine to continental-lacustrine sedimentation took place during the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the central parts of the Tarim Basin. We provide new palaeogeographic maps with Eocene and Oligocene facies distributions in the Tarim Basin, which will facilitate a better understanding of the sedimentary response to Paleogene sea-level change and tectonic events of the neighboring mountain ranges. Our reconstruction confirms that both tectonic and eustatic forcing played an active role in controlling the late Paleogene transgression-regression in the Tarim Basin. Provenance and palaeocurrent analyses, combined with sediment distribution patterns, indicate gradual growth and continuous uplift of the Tibetan Plateau following India–Asia collision in the early Paleogene. The demise of the Tarim Sea at ~41 Ma correlates with palaeoclimatic and environmental changes observed in several basin of central Asia. After sea retreat, the Tarim region progressively transformed into a large and shallow lake system that potentially persisted up to the (early) Oligocene.

AB - The Paleogene sedimentary successions of the Tarim Basin of western China document a major regression of the proto-Paratethys Sea, significantly changing the land-sea distribution and thereby the palaeoclimatic conditions in Central Asia. However, a comprehensive reconstruction of the palaeogeographic evolution of the basin is lacking because only few exposures are known from the central part of the basin that is mostly covered by the Taklamakan Desert. Here, we reconstruct the main palaeoenvironmental changes following Eocene sea retreat by determining the sedimentological facies of 69 wells that are internally correlated by using seismic profiles and externally to published sections of the exposed southwestern and northern margins of the Tarim Basin. Two major depocentres existed in the Southwest Foredeep and the Kuqa Depression, separated from each other by the Bachu Uplift that was most likely not a particularly high terrain during the Paleogene. We confirm that a major transition from marine to continental-lacustrine sedimentation took place during the Eocene-Oligocene transition in the central parts of the Tarim Basin. We provide new palaeogeographic maps with Eocene and Oligocene facies distributions in the Tarim Basin, which will facilitate a better understanding of the sedimentary response to Paleogene sea-level change and tectonic events of the neighboring mountain ranges. Our reconstruction confirms that both tectonic and eustatic forcing played an active role in controlling the late Paleogene transgression-regression in the Tarim Basin. Provenance and palaeocurrent analyses, combined with sediment distribution patterns, indicate gradual growth and continuous uplift of the Tibetan Plateau following India–Asia collision in the early Paleogene. The demise of the Tarim Sea at ~41 Ma correlates with palaeoclimatic and environmental changes observed in several basin of central Asia. After sea retreat, the Tarim region progressively transformed into a large and shallow lake system that potentially persisted up to the (early) Oligocene.

KW - Asia

KW - Palaeoclimate

KW - Palaeoenvironment

KW - Paleogene

KW - Sedimentary facies

KW - Tectonics

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DO - 10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110796

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SN - 0031-0182

VL - 587

SP - 1

EP - 17

JO - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

JF - Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

M1 - 110796

ER -

Palaeogeographic reconstructions of the Eocene-Oligocene Tarim Basin (NW China): Sedimentary response to late Eocene sea retreat

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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