Depositional Palaeogeography in East Kunlun and Animaqing during Early Permian

Key words: 
• depositional /
• palaeogeography /
• Early Permian

Abstract: During Early Permian, the palaeo ocean in East Kunlun and Animaqing area was composed of three depositional regions. They are the back arc basin in the southern slope of East Kunlun, reef island belt from Tuosuo Lake to Huashixia and deep ocean in Animaqing. The reef island belt from Tusuo Lake to Huashixia is mainly composed of massive reef limestone and bioclastic limestone. The back arc basin in the southern slope of East Kunlun was widely scattered by short dimension reef islands or carbonate buildups and relatively deep basins among the reef islands. However, the Animaqing ocean was dominated by deep ocean ooze and radiolarian chert. Carbonate palaeo-seamounts can also be found in Animaqing ocean. Although there are many well developed reefs in the southern slope of East Kunlun, the reef islands and carbonate buildups were distributed irregularly in this area. Carbonate palaeo seamounts in Animaqing ocean are relatively smaller and reef limestone is less developed, but the palaeo seamounts usually range like a string of beads. Basin sediments between the reef islands in the southern slope of East Kunlun are mainly composed of middle thin layer of limestone embedded with black slate, and basin ooze with different color can also be found in some places. Basin sediments in Animaqing ocean is characterized by widely distributed deep ocean ooze. However, blue green ooze can be found more easily in the southern slope of East Kunlun than in Animaqing.