Facies model for a coarse‐grained,tide‐influenced delta: Gule Horn Formation (Early Jurassic), Jameson Land,Greenland

Tide‐dominated deltas have an inherently complex distribution of heterogeneities on several different scales and are less well‐understood than their wave‐dominated and river‐dominated counterparts. Depositional models of these environments are based on a small set of ancient examples and are, therefore, immature. The Early Jurassic Gule Horn Formation is particularly well‐exposed in extensive sea cliffs from which a 32 km long, 250 m high virtual outcrop model has been acquired using helicopter‐mounted light detection and ranging (LiDAR). This dataset, combined with a set of sedimentological logs, facilitates interpretation and measurement of depositional elements and tracing of stratigraphic surfaces over seismic‐scale distances. The aim of this article is to use this dataset to increase the understanding of depositional elements and lithologies in proximal, unconfined, tide‐dominated deltas from the delta plain to prodelta. Deposition occurred in a structurally controlled embayment, and immature sediments indicate proximity to the sediment source. The succession is tide dominated but contains evidence for strong fluvial influence and minor wave influence. Wave influence is more pronounced in transgressive intervals. Nine architectural elements have been identified, and their internal architecture and stratigraphical distribution has been investigated. The distal parts comprise prodelta, delta front and unconfined tidal bar deposits. The medial part is characterized by relatively narrow, amalgamated channel fills with fluid mud‐rich bases and sandier deposits upward, interpreted as distributary channels filled by tidal bars deposited near the turbidity maximum. The proximal parts of the studied system are dominated by sandy distributary channel and heterolithic tidal‐flat deposits. The sandbodies of the proximal tidal channels are several kilometres wide and wider than exposures in all cases. Parasequence boundaries are easily defined in the prodelta to delta‐front environments, but are difficult to trace into the more proximal deposits. This article illustrates the proximal to distal organization of facies in unconfined tide‐dominated deltas and shows how such environments react to relative sea‐level rise.     

松辽盆地王府凹陷泉三、四段浅水三角洲沉积特征及模式

在岩心观察的基础上,结合测井、地震和区域背景资料分析,认为王府凹陷泉三、四段沉积时期普遍发育浅水三角洲沉积。由于受地形、古气候和水动力条件等多重因素的影响,研究区发育的浅水三角洲在沉积构造、沉积序列、微相类型、三角洲内部结构以及地球物理响应特征等方面呈现出与经典三角洲不同的沉积特征:具有建设性三角洲沉积特征,平面上呈网状,前缘相带延伸较远。具有相对发育的水下分流河道,河口砂坝欠发育;垂向上发育多次间断正韵律。紫红色泥岩大面积展布,生物扰动强烈。砂岩中发育强水动力浅水沉积构造,Gilbert型三角洲的3层结构不明显。浅水三角洲识别出两个亚相和7个微相。研究区具有良好的生储盖配置关系,利于岩性油气藏的形成,其中水下分流河道和分流河道砂体储层物性好,为最有利储层。     

Depositional environments in an extensive tide-influenced delta plain, Middle Devonian Gauja Formation, Devonian Baltic Basin

The Middle Devonian Gauja Formation in the Devonian Baltic Basin preserves tide‐influenced delta plain and delta front deposits associated with a large southward prograding delta complex. The outcrops extend over 250 km from southern Estonia to southern Lithuania. The succession can be divided into 10 facies associations recording distributary channel belts that became progressively more tide influenced when traced southwards towards the palaeo‐shoreline, separated by muddy intra‐channel areas where deposition was characterized by crevasse splays, delta plain lakes, abandoned channel deposits and tidal gullies. Tidal currents influenced deposition over the entire delta plain, extending up to 250 km from the contemporary shoreline. Tidal facies on the upper delta plain differ from those on the lower delta plain and delta front. In the former case, deposition from river currents was only occasionally interrupted by tidal currents, e.g. during spring tides, resulting in mica and mudstone drapes, and distinctive graded cross‐stratification. The lower delta plain was dominated by tidal facies and tidal currents regularly influenced deposition. There was a change from progradation to aggradation from the lower to the upper part of the Gauja Formation coupled with a vertical decrease in tidal influence and a decrease in coarse‐grained sediment input. The Gauja Formation contrasts with established models for tide‐influenced deltas as the active delta plain was not restricted by topography. The shape of the delta plain, the predominant southward (basinward)‐directed palaeocurrents, and the thick sandstone succession, show that although tidal currents strongly influenced deposition at bed scale, rivers still controlled the overall morphology of the delta and the larger‐scale bedforms. In addition, there are no signs of wave influence, indicating very low wave energy in the basin. The widespread tidal influence in the Devonian Baltic Basin is explained by changes in the wider basin geometry and by local bathymetrical differences in the basin during progradation and aggradation of the delta plain, with changes in tidal efficiency accompanying the change in basin geometry produced by shoreline progradation.     

Asymmetrical deltas below wave base: Insights from the Fraser River Delta,Canada

The Fraser River Delta exhibits distinct asymmetry in the sedimentological and neoichnological characteristics of the updrift (south) and downdrift (north) sides of the main distributary channel in water depths below storm‐wave base. The asymmetry is the result of net northward tidal flow. Tides erode sediments across the updrift delta front, whereas the downdrift delta front is an area of net deposition. A submarine channel prevents sand eroded from the updrift delta front from reaching the downdrift delta. The updrift delta front and updrift upper prodelta are composed of sand or heterolithic sand and mud that show a low density of burrowing (Bioturbation Index 0 to 3) and are dominated by simple traces. The downdrift delta front and prodelta, and the updrift lower prodelta are composed of homogeneous muds with significantly higher bioturbation intensities (Bioturbation Index 3 to 6), and a more diverse suite of traces akin to Cruziana Ichnofacies. Using the Fraser River Delta as an archetype and comparing the Fraser to the Amazon River Delta, a preliminary model for deep‐water (below storm‐wave base: ca 20 m) asymmetrical deltas is proposed. Firstly, deep‐water asymmetrical deltas are recognized from sediments deposited below storm‐wave base. At these depths, tidal and ocean currents are more likely to impact sediment transport, but wave processes are less effective as a sediment transport mechanism. Sediments deposited below storm‐wave base in deep‐water asymmetrical deltas will display the following: (i) the updrift delta front will be coarser‐grained (for example, sand‐dominated or heterolithic sand and mud), than the downdrift delta front (for example, mud‐dominated); and (ii) the updrift delta front should show low‐diversity suites of simple burrows. Depending on sedimentation rates, the downdrift delta front and prodelta may show either high diversity suites of traces that are dominated by both complex and simple burrows (low sedimentation rates) or low density and diversity suites akin to the updrift delta front (high sedimentation rates).     

The role of tidal,wave and river currents in the evolution of mixed‐energy deltas: Example from the Lajas Formation (Argentina)

Many modern deltas show complex morphologies and architectures related to the interplay of river, wave and tidal currents. However, methods for extracting the signature of the individual processes from the stratigraphic architecture are poorly developed. Through an analysis of facies, palaeocurrents and stratigraphic stacking patterns in the Jurassic Lajas Formation, this paper: (i) separates the signals of wave, tide and river currents; (ii) illustrates the result of strong tidal reworking in the distal reaches of deltaic systems; and (iii) discusses the implications of this reworking for the evolution of mixed‐energy systems and their reservoir heterogeneities. The Lajas Formation, a sand‐rich, shallow‐marine, mixed‐energy deltaic system in the Neuquén Basin of Argentina, previously defined as a tide‐dominated system, presents an exceptional example of process variability at different scales. Tidal signals are predominantly located in the delta front, the subaqueous platform and the distributary channel deposits. Tidal currents vigorously reworked the delta front during transgressions, producing intensely cross‐stratified, sheet‐like, sandstone units. In the subaqueous platform, described for the first time in an ancient outcrop example, the tidal reworking was confined within subtidal channels. The intensive tidal reworking in the distal reaches of the regressive delta front could not have been predicted from knowledge of the coeval proximal reaches of the regressive delta front. The wave signals occur mainly in the shelf or shoreface deposits. The fluvial signals increase in abundance proximally but are always mixed with the other processes. The Lajas system is an unusual clean‐water (i.e. very little mud is present in the system), sand‐rich deltaic system, very different from the majority of mud‐rich, modern tide‐influenced examples. The sand‐rich character is a combination of source proximity, syndepositional tectonic activity and strong tidal‐current reworking, which produced amalgamated sandstone bodies in the delta‐front area, and a final stratigraphic record very different from the simple coarsening‐upward trends of river‐dominated and wave‐dominated delta fronts.     

Evaluating delta asymmetry using three‐dimensional facies architecture and ichnological analysis,Ferron ‘Notom Delta’, Capital Reef,Utah, USA

Delta asymmetry occurs where there is strong wave influence and net longshore transport. Differences in the morphology and facies architecture between updrift and downdrift sides of asymmetric deltas are potentially significant for exploration and exploitation of resources in this class of reservoirs. Although delta asymmetry has been recognized widely from modern wave‐influenced deltaic shorelines, there are few documented examples in the ancient record. Based on an integrated sedimentological and ichnological study, the along‐strike variability and delta asymmetry within a single parasequence (Ps 6) is documented in continuously exposed outcrops of the Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale Formation near Hanksville in southern Utah. Two intra‐parasequence discontinuity surfaces are recognized which allow subdivision of the parasequence into three bedsets, marked as Ps 6‐1 to Ps 6‐3. Four facies successions are recognized: (i) wave/storm‐dominated shoreface; (ii) river‐dominated delta front; (iii) wave/storm‐reworked delta front; and (iv) distributary channel and mouth bar. Dips of cross‐strata within distributary‐mouth bars and shorefaces show a strong downdrift (southward) component. Ps 6‐3 predominantly consists of river‐dominated delta‐front deposits, whereas Ps 6‐1 and Ps 6‐2 show an along‐strike facies change with shoreface deposits in the north, passing into heterolithic, river‐dominated delta‐front successions south to south‐eastward, and wave/storm‐reworked delta‐front deposits further to the south‐east. Trace fossil suites correspondingly show distinct along‐strike changes from robust and diverse expressions of the archetypal Cruziana Ichnofacies and Skolithos Ichnofacies, into suites characterized by horizontal, morphologically simple, facies‐crossing ichnogenera, reflecting a more stressed, river‐dominated environment. Further south‐eastward, trace fossil abundance and diversity increase, reflecting a return to archetypal ichnofacies. The overall facies integrated with palaeocurrent data indicate delta asymmetry. The asymmetric delta consists of sandier shoreface deposits on the updrift side and mixed riverine and wave/storm‐reworked deposits on the downdrift side, similar to that observed in the modern examples. However, in contrast to the recent delta asymmetry models, significant paralic, lagoonal and bay‐fill facies are not documented in the downdrift regions of the asymmetric delta. This observation is attributed to a negative palaeoshoreline trajectory during delta progradation and subsequent transgressive erosion. The asymmetric delta was induced by net longshore transport from north to south. The forced regressive nature of the delta precludes significant preservation of topset mud.     

鄂尔多斯盆地东北缘神木地区浅湖三角洲沉积作用及煤聚集

鄂尔多斯盆地东北缘延安组含有大量的优质煤,属稳定大地构造条件下的浅湖三角州沉积物。三角洲体系有以下单元组成:(1)前三角洲;(2)三角洲前缘(水下分流河道相和河口坝相);(3)三角洲平原(分流河道相,天然堤、决口扇、沼泽和具决口三角洲的分流间湾);(4)废弃三角洲平原.通过详细的露头观察和岩心研究及沉积岩的地质填图工作,浅湖三角洲特征可归纳如下:(1)推进速度非常快、舌形体长而窄,间湾在其间发育,决口事件频繁发生;(2)前三角洲非常薄(0.2～0.5m),三角洲剖面几乎绝大部分由三角洲前缘和三角洲平原构成;(3)河口坝相由砂岩和泥岩互层组成;(4)水下分流河道砂岩厚度在0.5～3.5m范围内,被河口坝沉积物围绕;(5)在废弃三角洲平原中,由于极少沉积物带入沼泽,因此沉积了厚的低灰煤层。     

鄂尔多斯盆地神木地区下二叠统太原组浅水三角洲沉积特征

鄂尔多斯盆地神木地区太原组是在北隆南倾的古地形背景下形成的以浅水三角洲为主的充填沉积。携带沉积物的河流进入海水后,由于河水与海水之间存在着较大的密度差异、侧向扩散较少,其三角洲前缘沿着海底继续向前快速推进,使水下分流河道延伸较远。研究区地形坡度平缓、水体浅,三角洲平原向前推进并进一步降低了地形坡度,从而减弱了携带沉积物的流体的动能,使得大部分沉积物在三角洲平原的分流河道中沉积下来。同时因水体浅,河口坝、席状砂等前缘沉积物常遭受进积的水下分流河道的冲刷和侵蚀而难以保存。研究区三角洲平原分流河道沉积极为发育,前三角洲相对不发育,三角洲前缘也以水下分流河道沉积为主。分流河道、水下分流河道常对下伏沉积物强烈冲刷,切割先期的沉积物乃至包括海相沉积物在内的深水沉积物。在三角洲废弃期,三角洲前缘沉积物常被潮汐作用改造。三角洲平原分流河道及三角洲前缘水下分流河道砂体呈带状分布,是天然气勘探的有利目标。     

陕西省榆林地区延安组湖滨下三角洲平原沉积中的决口扇三角洲沉积及其意义

陕西榆林延安组湖滨下三角洲平原沉积中决口扇三角洲具如下特点:（1）发育在湖滨下三角洲平原的分流间地区;（2）平面上垂直主分流河道向外呈扇形或朵叶状;（3）剖面上呈透镜状夹在两个煤分层之间;（4）前三角洲沉积的厚度小,前缘中植物碎屑含量高;（5）发育时间短,一般不超过1万年。决口扇三角洲沉积体间的排列关系受控于压实沉降作用,不同的排列形式导致煤层出现叠瓦状分叉和环状分叉。     

Enhanced bioturbation on the down‐drift flank of a Turonian asymmetrical delta: Implications for seaway circulation,river nutrients and facies models

Extant models predict delta front environments down‐drift of river mouths as unfavourable for organisms because of the physico‐chemical stresses caused by sediment and fresh water influx. This study, however, finds evidence for near‐optimal living conditions down‐drift of contemporaneous mouth bars and distributary channels, as well as at the tops of abandoned lobes, in part of the asymmetrical ‘Notom Delta’ complex of the Ferron Sandstone (Turonian, south‐eastern Utah, USA). Presented herein is a sedimentological and ichnological model using thirty‐two detailed measured sections along a 16 km transect through two continuously exposed, ca 10 m thick allomembers containing delta front, mouth bar and distributary channel facies. Azimuths from sedimentary structures show south‐eastward deflection of near‐shore palaeocurrents relative to the inferred north–south shoreline, as well as minor reversal of flow. Two end‐member trace fossil suites are recognized in delta front sandstones: (i) a stressed suite of low abundance, low diversity, diminutive traces reflecting mobile deposit feeding, resting and locomotion behaviours; and (ii) a comparatively unstressed, high abundance, moderate diversity suite with a regular, heterogeneous distribution of deep, vertical or U‐shaped suspension‐feeding burrows which, in places, thoroughly homogenize the sandstones. The down‐drift side of the delta was colonized by suspension feeders during seasonal reversal of the seaway gyre when mud plumes were swept northward or when river‐derived nutrients were sufficiently concentrated relative to fresh water and sediment input. During normal seaway circulation, very high sedimentation rates and mud‐laden, wave‐dampened waters down‐drift of the river mouths heightened the preservation potential of the pervasively bioturbated facies. Up‐drift of the river mouths, these bioturbated facies were either not preserved or not developed until the lobe was abandoned. This alternative model for delta planform asymmetry contributes to the refinement of facies models for deltaic systems and provides a framework for predicting the distribution of bioturbation‐enhanced porosity and permeability in lobe‐deflected deltas.     

松辽盆地中央坳陷南部下白垩统泉头组四段沉积相

松辽盆地中央坳陷南部下白垩统泉头组四段沉积时期，松辽盆地地形平缓，基底沉降缓慢，在湖平面整体扩张及浅水背景下河流入湖成三角洲沉积。通过岩心观察、相标志与测井相研究，该区储层主要为岩屑长石砂岩和长石岩屑砂岩，识别出三角洲平原、三角洲前缘、前角洲3种亚相，以及分支河道、天然堤、决口扇、分支河道间湾、水下分支河道、水下决口扇、河口坝、远沙坝、水下分支河道间湾9种微相三角洲平原、三角洲前缘广泛发育，前三角洲不发育。三角洲平原分支河道通过填积和频繁的分叉改道，向湖盆中心方向长距离推进，在三角前缘的浅水区域发育了大量水下分支河道，分支河道与水下分支河道砂体相互切割、叠加，形成了平均宽度200~600 m、平均厚度3~8 m的道单砂体，（水下）分支河道砂体构成了油气富集的主要储集体。该区沉积相的精细研究，为进一步调整开发井网奠定了基础。     

高邮凹陷北斜坡戴二段辫状河三角洲沉积特征和演化

以岩心、录井、测井、分析化验和地震资料为基础,结合区域地质背景,对高邮凹陷北斜坡戴二段沉积相类型、展布及其演化规律进行研究。在总结、比较各类型三角洲特征的前提下,认定北斜坡戴二段主要发育辫状河三角洲相,局部发育曲流河三角洲和湖泊相。在此基础上,重点对戴二段辫状河三角洲各亚相、微相进行分析,划分出辫状河三角洲平原、辫状河三角洲前缘和前辫状河三角洲亚相,并针对各亚相对其包含的微相进行进一步划分。在综合考虑目标区域沉积背景和沉积特征的基础上,对沉积相展布和演化进行分析,并对辫状河三角洲形成机理进行了探讨。     

三角洲沉积模式存在的问题与讨论

三角洲是一类非常重要的沉积相,是油气聚集的有利场所。准确可靠的三角洲沉积模式,对指导油气的勘探和开发有重要意义。关于教科书中经典的三角洲沉积模式和一些相关概念,很少有人质疑过。但研究发现,该模式及一些相关概念存在许多问题,诸如对于三角洲平原、三角洲前缘和前三角洲等亚相的定义含糊不清,各亚相之间缺乏明确的、具可操作性的界限。由于海(湖)平面是波动的,模式中未明确三角洲平原与三角洲前缘究竟以哪种海(湖)平面为界。三角洲平原与正常河流冲积平原的边界、三角洲前缘与前三角洲的边界、前三角洲与正常海(湖)的边界均未明确,也没有系统总结它们各自的识别、区分标志,致使不同的研究者根据自己的理解对古代同一地层可能得出不同的结论。三角洲有多种类型,且不同类型的三角洲沉积特征不同,应有各自的沉积模式,但许多研究者将曲流河三角洲沉积模式用于所有三角洲亚相、微相划分。经典沉积模式中,三角洲前缘发育水下分支河道和水下天然堤,但笔者等研究表明这2个微相不存在。而三角洲平原上普遍发育的砂体——汊口滩与并口滩,在经典三角洲沉积模式中未提及。作者针对三角洲沉积模式存在的各种问题,进行了深入讨论,并结合现代沉积,系统总结了能用于古代沉积不同亚相和微相的识别、区分标志。     

Facies characteristics and architecture related to palaeodepth of Holocene fjord–delta sediments

Lithofacies characteristics and depositional geometry of a sandy, prograding delta deposited as part of the Holocene valley‐fill stratigraphy in the Målselv valley, northern Norway, were examined using morpho‐sedimentary mapping, facies analysis of sediments in exposed sections, auger drilling and ground penetrating radar survey. Various lithofacies types record a broad range of depositional processes within an overall coarsening‐upward succession comprising a lowermost prodelta/bottomset unit, an intermediate delta slope/foreset unit containing steeply dipping clinoforms and an uppermost delta plain/topset unit. Bottomset lithofacies typically comprise sand‐silt couplets (tidal rhythmites), bioturbated sands and silts, and flaser and lenticular bedding. These sediments were deposited from suspension fall‐out, partly controlled by tidal currents and fluvial effluent processes. Delta foreset lithofacies comprise massive, inverse graded and normal graded beds deposited by gravity‐driven processes (mainly cohesionless debris flows and turbidity currents) and suspension fall‐out. In places, delta foreset beds show tidal rhythmicity and individual beds can be followed downslope into bottomset beds. Delta plain facies show an upward‐fining succession with trough cross‐beds at the base, followed by planar, laminated and massive beds indicative of a bedload dominated river/distributary system. This study presents a model of deltaic development that can be described with reference to three styles within a continuum related primarily to water depth within a basin of variable geometry: (i) bypass; (ii) shoal‐water; and (iii) deep‐water deltas. Bypass and deep‐water deltas can be considered as end members, whereas shoal‐water deltas are an intermediate type. The bypass delta is characterized by rapid progradation and an absence of delta slope sediments and low basin floor aggradation due to low accommodation space. The shoal‐water delta is characterized by rapid progradation, a short delta slope dominated by gravity‐flow processes and a prodelta area characterized by rapid sea‐floor aggradation due to intense suspension fallout of sandy material. Using tidal rhythmites as time‐markers, a progradation rate of up to 11 m year^?1 has been recorded. The deep‐water delta is characterized by a relatively long delta slope dominated by gravity flows, moderate suspension fall‐out and slow sea‐floor aggradation in the prodelta area.     

Shoal‐water deltas in high‐accommodation settings: Insights from the lacustrine Valimi Formation (Gulf of Corinth,Greece)

The stratigraphic architecture of shoal‐water deltaic systems developed in low‐accommodation settings is relatively well‐known. In contrast, the features of shoal‐water deltas developed in high‐accommodation settings remain relatively poorly documented, especially when compared with the available data sets for Gilbert‐type deltaic systems developed in the same settings. The lacustrine Valimi Formation (Gulf of Corinth, Greece) provides an opportunity to investigate the facies assemblage and architectural style of shoal‐water deltaic systems developed in high‐accommodation settings. The studied interval accumulated during the Pliocene and Pleistocene and represents part of the early syn‐rift Gulf of Corinth succession. Six facies associations, each described in terms of depositional processes and geometries, have been identified and interpreted to represent a range of proximal to distal deltaic sub‐environments: delta plain, distributary channel, mouth‐bar, delta front, prodelta and open lake. The facies associations and their architectural elements reveal characteristics which are not common in traditionally described shoal‐water deltas. Of note, different facies arrangements are observed in the distributary channels in different sectors of the delta, passing from thick single‐storey channel fills embedded within delta‐plain fines in landward positions, to thin, amalgamated and multi‐storey channels closer to the river mouth. This study proposes a new depositional model for shoal‐water deltas in high‐accommodation settings documenting, for the first time, that shoal‐water delta deposits can form a substantial part of stratigraphic successions that accumulate in these settings. The proposed depositional model provides new criteria for the recognition and interpretation of these deposits; the results of this study have applied significance for reservoir characterization.     

湘西北龙山、永顺地区龙马溪组潮控三角洲沉积的发现--志留纪“雪峰隆起”形成的新证据

通过露头沉积学与岩石学分析,在湘西北龙山、永顺地区下志留统龙马溪组中首次发现完整的潮控型三角洲沉积,也是华南地区龙马溪组中存在三角洲相的首次报道。识别出前三角洲、三角洲前缘和三角洲平原3个亚相及10个微相。前三角洲亚相以滨外泥页岩为主,并发育低密度浊积岩,主要见于龙马溪组底部和下部;三角洲前缘亚相包括席状砂、分流间湾、河口砂坝和远砂坝等;三角洲平原亚相包括分流河道、分流间湾、天然堤和决口扇等,主要见于龙马溪组中部、上部。通过分析剖面垂向序列及其指示的沉积环境变化,提出本区龙马溪组三角洲相碎屑岩是构造挤压背景下“雪峰隆起”开始形成的重要沉积响应。该三角洲沉积的发现,对于理解扬子东南缘早志留世构造-古地理转型的时限与过程具有特殊意义。     

扇三角洲沉积体系及其与油气聚集关系

扇三角洲沉积体系是断陷盆地中极为发育的一种沉积体系,主要由扇三角洲平原组合、扇三角洲前缘组合和前三角洲沉积构成,可识别出9种成因相。受沉积物供给速率、可容空间增长速率及盆缘断裂产状等因素控制可划分出退积型、加积型、前积型、陡坡型和缓坡型5种扇三角洲类型。位于扇三角洲平原的辫状分流河道砂体及其位于扇三角洲前缘的与之有成因联系的水下分流河口坝、洪水型重力流砂体等物性好,可以构成优质储层。含油性勘探成果亦证实各主力油层段平面上主要分布于扇三角洲前缘及分流间湾区,小部分位于扇三角洲平原区。受埋藏深度和成岩场的影响,不同地区、不同层位主力油层段的物性与岩性相关性各异。因此,应用沉积体系分布与油气聚集规律挖掘剩余油层及进行远景区预测是有效的与可行的。     

Wave-influenced deltas: geomorphological implications for facies reconstruction

ABSTRACT A process‐based facies model for asymmetric wave‐influenced deltas predicts significant river‐borne muds with potentially lower quality reservoir facies in prodelta and downdrift areas, and better quality sand in updrift areas. Many ancient barrier‐lagoon systems and ‘offshore bars’ may be better reinterpreted as components of large‐scale asymmetric wave‐influenced deltaic systems. The proposed model is based on a re‐evaluation of several modern examples. An asymmetry index A is defined as the ratio between the net longshore transport rate at the mouth (in m³ year^?1) and river discharge (in 10⁶ m³ month^?1). Symmetry is favoured in deltas with an index below ≈ 200 (e.g. Tiber, lobes of the Godavari delta, Rosetta lobe of the Nile, Ebro), whereas deltas with a higher index are asymmetric (e.g. Danube – Sf. Gheorghe lobe, Brazos, Damietta lobe of the Nile). Periodic deflection of the river mouth for significant distances in the downdrift direction occurs in extreme cases of littoral drift dominance (e.g. Mahanadi), resulting in a series of randomly distributed, quasi‐parallel series of sand spits and channel fills. Asymmetric deltas show variable proportions of river‐, wave‐ and tide‐dominated facies both among and within their lobes. Bayhead deltas, lagoons and barrier islands form naturally in prograding asymmetric deltas and are not necessarily associated with transgressive systems. This complexity underlines the necessity of interpreting ancient depositional systems in a larger palaeogeographic context.