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Paleozoic Salt Structure Styles of Yingmai 2 Work District in Yingmaili Area, Western Tabei Uplift

ZHAO Xing, LI Jiang-hai, CHENG Hai-yan   

  1. The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Science, Peking University,Beijing 100871, China
  • Received:2009-03-20 Revised:2009-03-20 Online:2009-03-20 Published:2009-03-20

Abstract: Research on salt tectonics is a crucial element of petroleum exploration and scientific problems. Tabei Uplift, one of the most important exploration areas in Tarim basin, has the most proved reserves and oil production in all the first level structure units of this region. Based on seismic and well data, the salt structure styles, formation mechanism and influence on regional tectonics of Tabei Uplift is investigated in this paper in Yingmai 2 work district, Yingmaili area, western Tabei Uplift. Middle Cambrian salt structures are extensively developed in western Tabei Uplift. Salt structure styles, such as salt domes, suprasalt reverse faults and suprasalt normal faults are recognized. Using event similarity prediction technique, the regular variation of salt domes from bottom to top can be clearly revealed in coherent horizontal slices, which shows that a intensely deformed bottom part usually has a slightly deformed top, and vice versa. In the coherent horizontal slices, this differential deformation forms a series of ellipses, which rotate 30° counter clockwise from bottom to top. It is implied that western Tabei Uplift underwent strike slip movement in Late Paleozoic when salt deformation took place. Salt structures were deformed in compressional tectonic setting in Late Paleozoic and, according to the analysis of the structural evolution section, the main fault was remobilized as a synsedimentary fault in Triassic with a limited scale. After Triassic these structures were relatively stable. Salt layers significantly influenced the tectonic deformation. In structural layers below and above them, inharmonious structure styles were formed. In addition, the Palaeozoic fractures, which were formed during salt movement, controlled the space distribution of latter developed magmatism.