The shale of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation is an important hydrocarbon source rock in the Middle and Upper Yangtze region. However,significant inconsistencies remain regarding the stratigraphic division and framework establishment of the Niutitang Formation in the Middle and Upper Yangtze region. Moreover,sequence stratigraphic studies focused specifically on the Niutitang shale are still limited. In this study,the stratigraphic framework and sedimentary evolution of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang shale in western Hubei Province were systematically analyzed using an integrated approach incorporating field outcrop observations,drilling core data,conventional and spectral logs,and geochemical proxies. Two third-order sequences are recognized within the Niutitang Formation shale in western Hubei Province. The first(Niu 1 Member)and second(Niu 2 Member)members each constitute a third-order sequence composed of a Transgressive Systems Tract(TST)and a Highstand Systems Tract(HST). Sequence stratigraphic correlation enabled the reconstruction of depositional environments and relative sea-level fluctuations,revealing four evolutionary phases during the Early Cambrian: a fluctuating transgressive stage,a fluctuating regressive stage,a rapid transgression,and a gradual regression. A comprehensive depositional model for the Niutitang shale is established,providing a theoretical foundation for predicting favorable reservoir intervals and guiding future shale gas exploration in the Central and Upper Yangtze region.
层序地层学研究在油气藏甜点段评价和预测中具有重要作用(Catuneanu and Zecchin,2013;Zecchin and Catuneanu,2013;Hemmesch et al.,2014;Kohl et al.,2014;郭旭升,2017)。随着北美页岩气勘探开发取得突破,层序地层研究逐渐由碎屑岩和碳酸盐岩转向泥岩和页岩(Wang and Carr,2012,2013)。然而,泥岩和页岩通常形成于较深水的环境中,通过地震剖面等传统的方法识别其中的不整合面相对较难。国外学者利用GR曲线、U、Th、K等能谱曲线、元素地球化学曲线、岩相组合和TOC含量变化等多参数多手段,综合判断泥岩和页岩等沉积时期的海侵与海退变化、水体氧化与还原的交替,进而识别层序地层界面,并开展层序地层学研究(Abouelresh and Slatt,2012;Hammes and Frébourg,2012;Hemmesch et al.,2014;Li and Schieber,2020)。研究表明,泥岩和页岩的三级层序通常由海侵体系域和高位体系域组成,海侵体系域顶部一般发育凝缩段,具有较高的有机碳含量,而高位体系域常代表了海退,一般有机碳含量开始降低(郭旭升,2017;陆扬博等,2017)。
埃迪卡拉纪至早寒武世,华北、扬子和华夏地块是独立的克拉通(Li et al.,2008;Cheng et al., 2016),均分布于赤道附近(1-a)。其中,扬子地块演化为被动大陆边缘盆地,东南部为南华洋(图1-b),西北部为秦岭洋(Wang and Li,2003;Guo et al., 2007;Li et al., 2008)。南华盆地位于扬子板块和华夏板块之间(Cheng et al.,2016;Niu et al.,2018),形成于新元古代罗迪尼亚大陆裂解时期,并在埃迪卡拉纪完全发育而成。早寒武世,扬子地块发生了1次大面积的海侵事件,导致扬子地区广泛覆盖底层缺氧的海水,而后牛蹄塘组黑色页岩沉积并覆盖在埃迪卡拉纪碳酸盐岩台地的顶部(Pi et al., 2013;Liu et al.,2015;Cheng et al.,2016;Li et al.,2018)。这一时期,受区域构造活动的影响,扬子地块上形成了若干洼地,这些洼地主要位于鄂西和渝东以及黔东南,以深水环境为特征,主要沉积灰黑色泥岩、富有机质黑色页岩等岩相组合(Jiang et al.,2011,2012;Li et al.,2018)。
鄂西地区位于扬子地台中部(图1-b),主要包括黄陵背斜、秭归向斜、当阳向斜和神农架背斜等构造单元(图1-c),区内主要断裂的展布方向均为NNE和NE向(Xu et al., 2021),区内震旦系—寒武系发育齐全,为本次研究提供了绝佳的地质记录。其中上震旦统灯影组(碳酸盐岩台地相)与上覆下寒武统牛蹄塘组(深水陆棚相)呈不整合接触,下寒武统石牌组(浅水陆棚相)与下伏牛蹄塘组(深水陆棚相)呈整合接触。早寒武世牛蹄塘组沉积时期,研究区自东向西水体依次加深,分别沉积了潮坪相、浅水陆棚相和深水陆棚相。牛蹄塘组可划分为3个岩性段(图1-d),即牛一段、牛二段和牛三段。其中,牛一段主要为灰黑色泥岩与深灰色泥灰岩组合; 牛二段主要为1套黑色富有机质页岩(区内主要的烃源岩),偶夹灰岩透镜体; 牛三段下部发育1套灰白色粉砂岩,上部为灰色泥晶灰岩。牛蹄塘组页岩主要为牛一段和牛二段,也是研究的目的层。
层序界面识别是开展层序地层学研究的基础和关键工作(邓宏文等,1996;王鸿祯和史晓颖,1998;林畅松等,2000;郑荣才等,2000;邓宏文,2009;姜在兴,2010)。由于黑色页岩常沉积于水体较深的环境,例如深水陆棚、盆地等,通过地震剖面解释来确定不整合面的传统方法在黑色页岩层序地层学研究中较难实现。然而,岩相特征、测井曲线和地球化学参数在黑色页岩层序地层界面的识别中具有敏感响应(Abouelresh and Slatt,2012;Slatt and Rodriguez,2012)。因此,在前人研究的基础上,通过ZD1井和YY1井GR曲线、U、Th、K能谱曲线和岩性标志对牛一段和牛二段进行层序界面识别(图2)。
牛一段层序(SQ1层序)海侵体系域时期,海平面在该层序底部迅速上升,但在该层序内部呈波动上升趋势,沉积环境为受海平面频繁波动引起的深水陆棚相贫氧环境,预示着早寒武世海平面的第1次上升,上升洋流携带了较多的营养物质进入研究区,该时期发育较多的硅质生物(如海绵骨针、放射虫)和藻类(Pi et al.,2013;Liu et al.,2015;Cheng et al.,2016;Li et al.,2018),而藻类与硅质生物具有良好的共生关系,因为藻类是硅质生物的食物来源(Caron et al.,1995;Dennett et al.,2002;Xiang et al.,2013)。这些生物死亡埋藏后,其硅质壳体为灰黑色泥岩中的硅提供了一定的来源(图8-a)。至该层序高位体系域时期,由于海平面呈波动下降趋势,沉积环境从深水陆棚相向浅水陆棚相过渡沉积,海洋的含氧量逐渐增加,可能导致该时期沉积的有机质不能很好地保存下来,造成高位体系域的TOC含量减少,海平面下降也会导致灰色泥质灰岩发育,因此高位体系域以灰黑色泥岩夹厚层状灰白色泥质灰岩组合为主(图8-b)。
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