Frontiers of Earth Science最新文献

Hydrocarbon exploration in the Dongying Sag is constrained by the development of many Cenozoic transtensional structures with complex patterns and dynamic mechanisms. This study uses seismic interpretation and analog modeling to investigate these transtensional structures. Significant results include dividing these transtensional structures into boundary fault, oblique rifting, and deep strike-slip fault controlled structures, according to the relationships between main and secondary faults. They developed in the steep slope zone, the central sag zone, and the slope zone, respectively. In profile, the transtensional structures formed appear to be semi-flower-like, step-like, or negative-flower-like. In plan-view, they appear to be broom-like, soft-linked, or en-echelon structures. Further, these transtensional structures are controlled by the oblique normal slip of boundary faults, by the oblique extension of sub-sags, and by the later extension of deep strike-slip faults. The geometric deformation of these transtensional structures is controlled by the angles between the regional extension direction and the strike of boundary faults, deep faults, or sub-sags, where a larger angle corresponds to less developed transtensional structures. Further, the transtensional structures in the Dongying Sag were created by multiphase and multi-directional extensions in the Cenozoic— which is also controlled by pre-existing structures. The strike of newborn secondary faults was determined by the regional extension direction and pre-existing structures.

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a key region for environmental and climatic research due to its significant linkages with large-scale atmospheric circulation. Understanding the long-term moisture evolution pattern and its forcing mechanisms on the TP during the Holocene may provide insights into the interaction between low-latitude climate systems and midlatitude westerlies. Here, we synthesized 27 paleoclimate proxy records covering the past 9500 years. The results of the rotated empirical orthogonal function analysis of the moisture variation revealed spatial-temporal heterogeneity, which was classified into 5 subregions. Proxy records were then compared with the results from the Kiel Climate Model and other paleorecords. The results showed that moisture evolution on the western-southern-central TP was controlled by the Indian summer monsoon (ISM). On the south-eastern TP, moisture change was affected by the interplay between the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and the westerlies, as well as the ISM. With diverse patterns of circulation system precipitation, moisture changes recorded in the paleorecords showed spatial-temporal discrepancies, especially during the early to middle Holocene. Moreover, given the anti-phase pattern of summer precipitation in the EASM area under El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions and the unstable relationship between the ISM and ENSO, it is reasonable to conclude that relatively strong ENSO variability during the late Holocene has contributed to these discrepancies as Asian summer monsoon precipitation has declined.

Sedimentation is a key process affecting wetland sustainability and carbon burial flux. In context of sea level rise, climate change and human activities, further understanding about the sedimentary dynamic in wetland is critical in predicting the landscape evolution or the change in carbon burial flux. In this study, based on the field hydrological observation in a mangrove system in the Nanliu River estuary, we found the net flux of suspended sediment to mangrove is 39–72 kg/m in tidal cycles with Turbidity Maximum Zone (TMZ) forming in surface layer and only is 9–18 kg/m in tidal cycles without TMZ. The higher net flux of suspended sediment to mangrove in tidal cycles with TMZ forming in surface layer is attributed to high SSC in rising tide and intense flocculation in mangrove. The significant discrepancy in sedimentation rate in the mangrove patches also can be explained by the probability of TMZ forming in the surface layer of estuary. In future, rapid sea level rising may lead to the change of TMZ pattern in estuary, which will result in non-negligible variation in sedimentation rate in wetlands. According to the present data of sedimentation rate in wetlands, the fragility of wetlands in river estuary may be miscalculated.

The Yarlung Tsangpo, the longest river in the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP), has attracted much research attention aimed at understanding the factors controlling its modern hydrology and possible future discharge in the context of ongoing climate change. However, partly due to the complex regional climatic background, no consistent conclusions have been reached, especially for its upper reaches. Paleohydrological reconstructions of the source region of the Yarlung Tsangpo can potentially improve our understanding of the history of humidity and its response to climatic variability. In this study, we used a 97 cm gravity core from Gongzhu Co to reconstruct the hydrology change during the late Holocene. The core was dated using AMS ¹⁴C and Pb/Cs methods, and we used measurements of element contents (determined by high-resolution XRF scanning), grain size, IC/TOC, and magnetic susceptibility to reconstruct hydroclimatic changes in the source of the Yarlung Tsangpo watershed since ∼4000 yr ago. Combined with a modern meteorological data set, we found that PC1 of the XRF data, the Ca/(Fe + Ti) ratio, and EM1 of the grain size data were indicative of changes in humidity. Our records demonstrate a wet interval during ∼4−1.7 ka BP (ka = 1000 yr, BP represents years before 1950 AD), followed by a dry period during since ∼1 ka BP. Comparison with independent regional paleoclimatic records revealed shifts in the dominant factors controlling humidity. The wet interval during ∼4−1.7 ka BP was coeval with a strengthened Westerlies, implying a dominant moisture supply from northern high latitudes. However, the extremely low values of Ca/(Fe + Ti) ratio during ∼4−2.5 ka BP indicate potential glacial freshwater source, which is corroborated by the concurrent high magnetic susceptibility values and increased grain size. The rapid drying trend during ∼1.7−1 ka BP suggests a switch in moisture supply from the Westerlies to the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). We attribute the drought conditions after ∼1 ka BP to a weakened ISM, although a Westerlies influence and the potential effect of high temperatures on evaporation cannot be excluded. We suggest that future hydroclimatic research in this region should attempt to distinguish the individual moisture contributions of the ISM and the Westerlies during the last millennium.

It has always been challenging to determine the ancient sedimentary environment and associated energy in deep-buried marine carbonates. The energy represents the hydrodynamic conditions that existed when the carbonates were deposited. The energy includes light and chemical energies in compounds and kinetic energy in currents and mass flow. Deep-buried marine carbonates deposited during the Ordovician depositional period in the eastern Tarim Basin result from a complex interplay of tectonics, sedimentation, and diagenesis. As a result, determining the ancient sedimentary environment and associated energy is complex. The natural gamma-ray spectrometry (GRS) log (from 12 wells) is used in this paper to conduct studies on the sedimentary environment and associated energy in deep-buried marine carbonates. The findings show that the values of thorium (Th), uranium (U), potassium (K), and gamma-ray without uranium (KTh) in a natural GRS log can reveal lithological associations, mineral composition, diagenetic environment, stratigraphic water activity, and ancient climatic change. During the Ordovician, quantitative analysis and determination of sedimentary environment energy are carried out using a comprehensive calculation of natural GRS log parameters in typical wells (penetrating through the Ordovician with cores and thin sections) of well GC4, well GC6, well GC7, and well GC8. The results show that GRS log can determine different lithology associations in typical wells than a sieve residue log. Furthermore, cores and thin sections can be used to validate the determination of lithology associations. Based on the determination of lithology associations, the lithology associations that reflect the sedimentary environment and associated energy can be analyzed in a new approach. Furthermore, the sedimentary environment energy curve derived from a natural GRS log can reveal hydrodynamic fluctuations during depositional periods, which will aid in the discovery of carbonate reservoirs, establishing sequence stratigraphic frameworks, and the reconstruction of sea-level changes in the future.

Reconstructing Holocene temperature evolution is important for understanding present temperature variations and for predicting future climate change, in the context of global warming. The evolution of Holocene global temperature remains disputed, due to differences between proxy reconstructions and model simulations, a discrepancy known as the ‘Holocene temperature conundrum’. More reliable and quantitative terrestrial temperature records are needed to resolve the spatial heterogeneity of existing records. In this study, based on the analysis of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) from a loess-paleosol sequence from the Ganjia Basin in the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP), we quantitatively reconstructed the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) over the past 12 ka. The MAAT reconstruction shows that the temperature remained low during the early Holocene (12–8 ka), followed by a rapid warming at around 8 ka. From 8 to 4 ka, the MAAT record reached its highest level, followed by a cooling trend from the late Holocene (4–0 ka). The variability of the reconstructed MAAT is consistent with trends of annual temperature records from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during the Holocene. We attribute the relatively low temperatures during the early Holocene to the existence of ice sheets at high-latitude regions in the Northern Hemisphere and the weaker annual mean insolation at 35°N. During the mid to late Holocene, the long-term cooling trend in the annual temperature record was primarily driven by declining summer insolation. This study provides key geological evidence for clarifying Holocene temperature change in the TP.

Normal-pressure shale gas reservoirs are widely distributed in south-eastern Chongqing and show good potential for resource exploration. This paper reports the organic matter (OM), physical, and pore characteristics, mineral composition, and gas content of representative shale samples from the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation and Member 1 of the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation (Long 1 Member). Microscopic pores within different shale layers of the Long 1 Member were classified, quantitatively evaluated, and their development mechanisms were systematically studied. We found that OM characteristics, mineral composition, and pore type were the main factors affecting the enrichment and preservation of shale gas. The characteristics of the Long 1 Member are mainly controlled by changes in the sedimentary environment. There are evident differences in total organic carbon content and mineral composition vertically, leading to a variable distribution of pores across different layers. Organic matter abundance controls the degree of OM pore development, while clay minerals abundance control the development of clay mineral-related pores. Total organic carbon content generally controls the porosity of the Long 1 Member, but clay minerals also play a role in OM-poor layers. Pore connectivity and permeability are influenced by the development of pores associated with brittle minerals. We propose a microscopic pore development model for the different layers. Combining geochemical data and this pore development model, layers 1–4 are considered to be excellent shale gas preservation and enrichment reservoirs. Poor preservation conditions in layers 5–7 result in high levels of shale gas escape. Layers 8–9 possess a better sealing condition compared with layers 5`-7 and are conducive to the enrichment and preservation of shale gas, and can thus be used as future potential target strata. This research provides a theoretical basis for exploring and evaluating shale gas potential in the studied region or other complex normal-pressure shale blocks.

As an important proxy for investigating past fire activities, charcoal is often used to explore the characteristics of fire distribution and its relationships with vegetation, climate, and human activities. Research into the spatial distribution and environmental determinants for charcoal, however, is still limited. In this study, we identified and counted charcoal from topsoil samples covering the Tibetan Plateau using the pollen methodology, and investigated its relationships with vegetation net primary production (NPP), elevation, climate (precipitation, mean temperature of the coldest month and warmest month) and human population by boosted regression trees (BRT). Results reveal that the concentration of microscopic charcoal, macroscopic charcoal, and total charcoal all increase from south-west to north-east, which is consistent with the trend that the population density on the Tibetan Plateau is high in the east and low in the west, suggesting that an increase in human activity is likely to promote the occurrence of fire. The BRT modeling reveals that NPP, elevation, and mean temperature of the coldest month are important factors for total charcoal concentration on the Tibetan Plateau, and the frequency and intensity of fires further increase with increasing vegetation biomass, decreasing elevation, and decreasing mean temperature of the coldest month. The spatial variation characteristics of charcoal from topsoil on the Tibetan Plateau not only reflect well the spatial fire situation in the region, but also have a good indicative significance for vegetation, climate, and human activities.

Long-chain n-alkanes are one of the most common organic compounds in terrestrial plants and they are well-preserved in various geological archives. nalkanes are relatively resistant to degradation and thus they can provide high-fidelity records of past vegetation and climate changes. Nevertheless, previous studies have shown that the interpretation of n-alkane proxies, such as the average chain length (ACL), is often ambiguous since this proxy depends on more than one variable. Both vegetation and climate could exert controls on the n-alkane ACL, and hence its interpretation requires careful consideration, especially in regions like the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) where topography, biome type and moisture source are highly variable. To further evaluate the influences of vegetation and climate on the ACL in highelevation lakes, we examined the n-alkane distributions of the surface sediments of 55 lakes across the QTP. Our results show that the ACL across a climatic gradient is significantly affected by precipitation, rather than by temperature. The positive correlation between ACL and precipitation may be because of the effect of microbial degradation during deposition. Finally, we suggest that more caution is needed in the interpretation of ACL data in different regions.

The permeability and its horizontal anisotropy induce a critical influence on staged CH₄ output inhibition process. However, a quantitative evaluation of this influence has been rarely reported in the literature. In this work, the impact of horizontal anisotropic permeability on CO₂-ECBM was numerically investigated. The variation in the staged CH₄ output inhibition was analyzed. The ideal displacement profile of the CO₂-ECBM process was established for the first time. Moreover, the variation in CH₄ output of different wellbores was discussed. The results showed that 1) low-permeable or weak-anisotropic reservoirs were not conducive to enhanced CH₄ recovery owing to long inhibition time (> 1091 days) and high inhibition level (> 36.9%). As permeability and anisotropy increased, due to the accelerated seepage of free water, the hysteresis time and inhibition time could decrease to as short as 5 days and 87 days, respectively, and the inhibition level could weaken to as low as 5.00%. Additionally, the CH₄ output and CO₂ injection could increase significantly. 2) Nevertheless, high permeability and strong anisotropy easily induced CO₂ breakthrough, resulting in lower CH₄ production, CO₂ injection and CO₂ storage than expected. While maintaining high efficiency of CO₂ storage (> 99%), upregulating CO₂ breakthrough concentration from 10% to 20% might ease the unfavorable trend. 3) Along the direction of fluid flow, the ideal displacement profile consisted of CO₂ enriched bank, CO₂ and CH₄ mixed bank, CH₄ enriched bank, and water enriched bank, whereas a remarkable gap in the displacement profiles of the dominant and non-dominant seepage directions was observed. 4) The potential of CH₄ output might vary greatly among different wellbores. The producers along the dominant seepage direction held more potential for CH₄ recovery in the short-term, while those along the non-dominant seepage direction avoided becoming invalid only if a long-time injection measure was taken for the injectors. These findings pave the way to understand fluid seepage in real complex reservoirs during CO₂-ECBM and conduct further field projects.