Critical differences in sediment delivery and partitioning between marine and lacustrine basins: A comparison of marine and lacustrine aggradational to progradational clinothem pairs

Research Article| November 27, 2019 Critical differences in sediment delivery and partitioning between marine and lacustrine basins: A comparison of marine and lacustrine aggradational to progradational clinothem pairs Chenglin Gong; Chenglin Gong † 1State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China2College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China3Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA †chenglingong@hotmail.com, chenglingong@cup.edu.cn. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Orsolya Sztanó; Orsolya Sztanó 4Department of Physical and Applied Geology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117 Budapest, Hungary Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ronald J. Steel; Ronald J. Steel 3Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Benzhong Xian; Benzhong Xian 1State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China2College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar William E. Galloway; William E. Galloway 5Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Road, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gábor Bada Gábor Bada 6TXM Oil and Gas Exploration Ltd., Infopark Street 1, 1117 Budapest, Hungary Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Chenglin Gong † 1State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China2College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China3Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Orsolya Sztanó 4Department of Physical and Applied Geology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117 Budapest, Hungary Ronald J. Steel 3Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Benzhong Xian 1State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China2College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China William E. Galloway 5Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Road, Austin, Texas 78758-4445, USA Gábor Bada 6TXM Oil and Gas Exploration Ltd., Infopark Street 1, 1117 Budapest, Hungary †chenglingong@hotmail.com, chenglingong@cup.edu.cn. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 01 Mar 2018 Revision Received: 19 Aug 2018 Accepted: 04 Oct 2018 First Online: 27 Nov 2018 Online Issn: 1943-2674 Print Issn: 0016-7606 © 2018 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2019) 131 (5-6): 766–781. https://doi.org/10.1130/B32042.1 Article history Received: 01 Mar 2018 Revision Received: 19 Aug 2018 Accepted: 04 Oct 2018 First Online: 27 Nov 2018 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Chenglin Gong, Orsolya Sztanó, Ronald J. Steel, Benzhong Xian, William E. Galloway, Gábor Bada; Critical differences in sediment delivery and partitioning between marine and lacustrine basins: A comparison of marine and lacustrine aggradational to progradational clinothem pairs. GSA Bulletin 2019;; 131 (5-6): 766–781. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B32042.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Twenty-seven marine and 23 lacustrine clinothem pairs were recognized and analyzed in Qiongdongnan Basin and Pannonian Basin, respectively. A comparison of their architecture highlighted some critical differences in sediment delivery and partitioning between the marine and closed lacustrine basins. In marine Qiongdongnan Basin, rising but forward-moving shelf-edge trajectories and clinoforms with a height of hundreds of meters commonly link downdip to absent or limited sandy bottomsets, whereas the opposite occurs in the lacustrine Pannonian Basin, where very thick bottomsets developed in front of highly aggradational clinoforms. A further comparison of strongly progradational clinothem sets with fairly flat shelf-edge trajectories suggests that relatively thick versus thin or absent sandy bottomsets occur in the marine and lacustrine settings, respectively. The main reason for this marked contrast in sediment partitioning across marine versus lacustrine clinoforms is climate, where a wet-dry climate model needs to be used to explain sediment dispersal to the floor of deep Lake Pannon. During the humid half-cycle, catchment precipitation and sediment flux into Lake Pannon were probably high, and coeval lake-level rise and reduced salinity likely increased shelf accommodation and caused topset aggradation of the forward-moving clinothems. This, in turn, resulted in enhanced hyperpycnal flows and thick bottomsets on the lake-basin floor. During the semiarid half-cycle, lake level was fairly stable, and both the catchment precipitation and sediment flux into Lake Pannon were probably reduced, causing some increase in the salinity, less frequent hyperpycnal flows, and resultant short downlapping clinothems lacking or with only thin bottomsets. Critical differences in sediment delivery and partitioning between marine and lacustrine basins, as highlighted by a comparison of aggradational to progradational clinothem pairs documented herein, draw attention to the pitfall of mechanically applying conventional marine sequence stratigraphy to lacustrine basins. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.