Next Article in Journal
Hydrophobicity and Charge Distribution Effects in the Formation of Bioorganoclays
Next Article in Special Issue
The Hydrothermal Alteration of the Cordón de Inacaliri Volcanic Complex in the Framework of the Hidden Geothermal Systems within the Pabelloncito Graben (Northern Chile)
Previous Article in Journal
Three-Dimensional Structural Analysis of Ferromanganese Nodules from the Western North Pacific Ocean Using X-ray Computed Tomography
Previous Article in Special Issue
Induced Polarization as a Tool to Assess Alteration in Geothermal Systems: A Review
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution

1
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
2
School of Earth Science and Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Minerals 2021, 11(10), 1101; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11101101
Submission received: 30 July 2021 / Revised: 17 September 2021 / Accepted: 5 October 2021 / Published: 8 October 2021

Abstract

The Songliao Basin in northeastern China is one of the largest and longest-lived Cretaceous sedimentary basins enriched in petroleum and geothermal resources worldwide. Although the modern Songliao Basin has a high geothermal gradient, the geological thermal history of the basin has not been well constrained. The SK-2 drilling program, as the second stage of the International Continental Drilling Project of Cretaceous Songliao Basin, is for recovering extensive Early Cretaceous terrestrial strata and providing valuable materials for decoding the mineralogical evolution and the paleoenvironmental changes. Here, we present whole-rock and clay mineralogical analysis on 72 core samples covering 3346–5705 m of the Shahezi Formation in the SK-2 borehole. The whole-rock minerals mainly include clay minerals, quartz, plagioclase, as well as some calcite, K-feldspar, siderite, and pyrite. The clay mineral assemblages include illite, chlorite, and illite–smectite interlayer minerals. Above 4500 m, clay minerals are dominated by illite and illite–smectite interlayers. Below 4500 m, more plagioclase, K-feldspar, and calcite are present, while illite–smectite interlayers are completely replaced by illite. The whole-rock and clay mineralogical evolution of the Shahezi Formation is primarily controlled by thermal diagenesis, although paleoenvironmental change may act as a minor contribution. Combined with published data from the Upper Cretaceous in SK-1 cores, we infer that Cretaceous greenhouse climatic and environmental changes left fingerprints on whole-rock and clay mineralogical assemblages and that the Songliao Basin reached a maximum burial depth and a peak of thermal evolution at the end of the Cretaceous.
Keywords: Songliao Basin; mineralogical evolution; thermal history; paleoenvironmental evolution Songliao Basin; mineralogical evolution; thermal history; paleoenvironmental evolution

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Dong, T.; Gao, Y.; Huang, H.; Tian, X.; Yang, Q.; Li, Y.; Niu, L.; Cao, Y. Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution. Minerals 2021, 11, 1101. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11101101

AMA Style

Dong T, Gao Y, Huang H, Tian X, Yang Q, Li Y, Niu L, Cao Y. Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution. Minerals. 2021; 11(10):1101. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11101101

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dong, Tian, Yuan Gao, He Huang, Xing Tian, Qian Yang, Yuyin Li, Lu Niu, and Yongqiang Cao. 2021. "Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution" Minerals 11, no. 10: 1101. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11101101

APA Style

Dong, T., Gao, Y., Huang, H., Tian, X., Yang, Q., Li, Y., Niu, L., & Cao, Y. (2021). Mineralogical Evolution of the Cretaceous Strata in the Songliao Basin, Northeastern China: Implications for Thermal History and Paleoenvironmental Evolution. Minerals, 11(10), 1101. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11101101

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop