Paleoenvironmental Evolution and Organic Matter Enrichment Genesis of the Late Turonian Black Shale in the Southern Songliao Basin, NE China

• Published in: Acta geologica Sinica (Beijing) Vol. 98; no. 5; pp. 1338 - 1358
• Main Authors: BAI, Jing, XU, Xingyou, LIU, Weibin, ZHAO, Wenzhi, JIANG, Hang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Richmond Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.10.2024; Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration Development of PetroChina,Beijing 100083,China%State Key Laboratory of Continental Shale Oil,Beijing 100029,China; Key Laboratory of Unconventional Oil and Gas,China Geological Survey,Beijing 100029,China; State Key Laboratory of Continental Shale Oil,Beijing 100029,China; Oil and Gas Survey,China Geological Survey,Beijing 100029,China; Oil and Gas Survey,China Geological Survey,Beijing 100029,China%Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration Development of PetroChina,Beijing 100083,China%Strategic Research Center of Oil and Gas Resources,Ministry of Natural Resources,Beijing 100860,China
• Edition: English ed.
• Subjects: Anoxia; Cretaceous; enrichment genetics; Geochemistry; Lakes; late Turonian; Organic matter; organic matter‐rich shale; paleoenvironmental evolution; Primary production; Regression analysis; Regression models; Seawater; Sedimentary rocks; Shale; Shales; Songliao Basin; enrichment genetics; late Turonian; paleoenvironmental evolution; Cretaceous; organic matter-rich shale; Songliao Basin
• ISSN: 1000-9515; 1755-6724
• DOI: 10.1111/1755-6724.15209

The Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation black shales, deposited in the late Turonian (LTB shales), are the main source rocks of the Songliao Basin. The origins of organic matter enrichment of the shales is a contentious subject fuelling many ongoing debates. This study investigates the genesis of the organic matter‐rich shale by using molecular geochemistry. The LTB shales can be divided into three sections. The Section I shales were deposited in saline, stratified and anoxic water conditions, which are related to seawater incursion events. At least three episodic and periodic seawater incursion events were recognized during Section I shale deposition. The Section II shales deposited in brackish to fresh and deep lake‐level conditions with high primary productivity, which are related to lake‐level transgression. The Section III shales were deposited under fresh and slightly oxidized water conditions, which are related to lake‐level regression. Two organic matter enrichment models for the LTB shales are identified, that is, the seawater incursion model and the maximum lake‐level transgression sedimentation model, which act on different shale sections, both playing significant roles in the enrichment of organic matter.