The Research of Deepwater Depositional System in the Northern South China Sea

Key words: 
• deepwater

Abstract: Detrital material of terrigenous origin is the main deepwater geological research aim and it is very important to the world research program of “from source to sink”. Submarine canyonchannel system mass transport deposition (submarine slide) the main transportation and deposition system of the continental slope. Based on the studies of 2D multichannel seismic data, 3D multichannel seismic data, multibeam depth measurement data, side sonar data, gravity and piston coring data, we find that the large scale block body transportation system and deepwater channel system widely develop in the northern South China Sea. The examples of Baiyun sag and Qiongdongnan Basin reveal the planform, internal structure and deformation process of representative block body transportation, and further discover the formation and evolution processes of block body transportation. Using 2D/3D seismic data and various new numerical model methods, deepwater high sinuosity channels of Quaternary and its depositional facies characteristics, Pliocene central channel in Qiongdongnan Basin and the paleopearl river deepwater channels of Miocene are discovered. Deepwater depositional system is very important for the study of formation mechanism and distribution of hydrocarbon, as well as predication and protection of geohazards of deepwater projects.