The relationship between source supply and mixed deposition of siliciclastic and carbonate: First to second member of the Shahejie Formation, Paleogene, Bohai Sea area, China

Abstract

There are various types of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sediments developed in the Bohai Sea area during the period of the first to second member of the Shahejie Formation (E2s1-2) of the Paleocene. We have concluded that the period of E2s1-2 was very suitable for the development of carbonate minerals and organisms because of the stable tectonic background, the weak siliciclastic influence of large source systems outside the basin, and the high salinity of the water. There were many local uplifts inside the basin during E2s1-2, and the source area, supply direction, and quantity of the local provenance varied greatly. We summarized that the mixed sediments generally developed in the intermittent and stagnant periods of the source supply, or on the flank or distal end of the source supply direction due to the absence of direct interference of terrigenous clasts. To a large extent, the formation of different types of mixed deposits is controlled by the different spatiotemporal relationship with siliciclastic supply. The background of strong source supply led to the formation of large-scale mixed deposits that were mainly composed of terrigenous clasts. Mixed deposits are mainly composed of organisms and carbonate with relatively large depositional thickness formed on the flank of source supply in the steep slope area. On the flank of source supply in the gentle slope belt, thinner mixed deposits with terrigenous clasts mainly formed and thin-layer carbonate clastic-dominated deposits formed on abandoned deltas. On the uplift of the buried hill far away from the provenance, thick mixed deposits mainly composed of bioclastic were formed whereas fine-grained mixed deposits formed under the low-energy argillaceous background.