Recent morphology and sedimentary processes along the western slope of Great Bahama Bank (Bahamas)

Carbonate slopes and associated resedimented deposits have recently gained renewed interest because they represent volumetrically significant parts of carbonate platforms. Carbonate slopes are highly variable compositionally, architecturally and spatially due to a spectrum of sediment sources, resedimentation processes and controlling factors. Here, new high resolution acoustic data (including EM 302 multi‐beam echo‐sounder and very high resolution seismic) and piston cores document highly diverse and complex morphological features along the north‐western slope of Great Bahama Bank. The recent morphology of the slope is the result of the interplay between depositional and erosive processes that vary through time and along strike. The different sedimentary processes are recorded as a Pleistocene lowstand surface, characterized by many erosional features and a Holocene sedimentary wedge along the upper to middle slope that partially covers the underlying Pleistocene surface. Sedimentary processes during the Holocene are dominated by density cascading flows, which export muddy aragonitic sediment from the platform top towards the slope. Sedimentation rates, however, vary along strike due to platform top morphology combined with the variable strength of the basinal current. Reefs and islands in the Bimini area block off‐bank sediment export, and shoals and tidal deltas from Cat Cay to the south reduce the density cascading processes. Numerous small and large slope failure scars show the instability of the steep slopes of Great Bahama Bank. Bottom currents dominate the lower slope and the basin. Striations and moats are the morphological expressions of current directions, while areas of non‐deposition document strong current and concomitant removal of off‐bank transported sediment along parts of the slope, while the Santaren Drift and the drift on the north‐western edge of Great Bahama Bank act as the depositional locus for the fine‐grained sediments transported in the current.     

Holocene millennial to centennial carbonate cyclicity recorded in slope sediments of the Great Bahama Bank and its climatic implications

A 38 m long sediment core (MD992201) retrieved from a water depth of 290 m from the leeward margin of the Great Bahama Bank (GBB; 25°53·49′N, 79°16·34′W) has been investigated for changes in aragonite content. The core covers the Mid to Late Holocene (the past 7230 yr). Sediment lightness (L*-values) was used as a proxy for aragonite content, based on a high linear correlation (R = 0·93) between the X-ray diffraction derived aragonite content and L*-values. The resulting time resolution of the L*-values derived aragonite content ranges from 1 yr at the base of the core to 4 yr at the top. Detailed time series analysis using Monte Carlo Singular Spectrum Analysis and spectral analysis (Lomb–Scargle Fourier transform) identifies the presence of seven signals with varying amplitudes and wavelengths that could be traced throughout the past 5500 yr. During the first ∼1600 yr of sedimentation the aragonite record is dominated by the initial flooding of the flat-topped GBB. Superimposed on a multimillennial signal, related to Holocene sea-level changes, a millennial-scale fluctuation and five quasi-periodic oscillations were detected (∼1·3–2 kyr, ∼500–600 yr, ∼380 yr, ∼260 yr, ∼200 yr and ∼100 yr period). Comparisons with other proxies (e.g. tree ring-Δ¹⁴C, ¹⁰Be and δ¹⁸O in ice cores) provides information on the origin and dynamics of the individual signals. The analysis shows that the ∼200 yr and ∼100 yr signals can be attributed to solar forcing. The ∼260 yr, ∼380 yr and the ∼500–600 yr quasi-periodic signals are found to be of climatic origin, whereas the millennial scale fluctuations remain enigmatic, although solar forcing mechanisms seem likely. The data show that variability of solar output as well as past oceanographic and atmospheric changes have modulated the Mid to Late Holocene climate, which in turn controlled sediment input variations found in the Holocene wedge leeward of the GBB. Although these periplatform sediments have a rather uniform appearance, they still contain a large variety of subtle sedimentary variations.     

基于BP神经网络的测井相分析及沉积相识别

测井相分析是研究地层沉积相的一种手段。利用基于BP神经网络的测井相分析进行沉积相识别研究,首先将已知地区地层剖面划分为有限的测井相,通过对岩心及其对应的沉积相进行研究,用数学方法及知识推理确定各个测井相到沉积相的映射转换关系,并利用这种关系,建立沉积相库。在此基础上,运用MATLAB中的工具箱建立BP神经网络模型,把已知沉积相的测井曲线特征作为样本进行训练学习,并将提取的测井曲线特征进行分类识别,从而确定地层的沉积相。应用表明,BP神经网络能够快速完成沉积相识别,可靠性较高,可以用于测井相分析及沉积相研究。     

Numerical classification by association analysis of multivariate mineralogic, petrographic, presence-absence data from some Sub-Himalayan carbonates; Northwest India

Fourteen mineralogical and petrographic variables for 82 samples of Sirban Limestone of Riasi, Jammu, and Kashmir State, and 18 mineralogical and petrographic variables for 36 samples of Bilaspur Limestone, Himachal Pradesh, India, were numerically classified based on presence-absence data using association analysis. The samples were collected along vertical profiles. The variables for the Sirban Limestone of Riasi were classified into three groups: (a) dolomite (b) micrites, and (c) terrigenous material represented by clay minerals. These three groups correspond to (a) near-shore sabkha dolomites, (b) deep water micrites, and (c) terrigenous contribution of clay minerals (except corrensite) to the carbonate depositional basin. Bilaspur Limestone samples were classified also into the same three groups. The results of the present study corroborate the earlier conclusions of the writer that the Sub-Himalayan carbonates of Northwest India generally represent rocks of shallow carbonate depositional basins, showing transition from near shore sabkha dolomites to basinal limestones and shales.     

地震相分析技术在滨里海盆地AS油田沉积相分析中的应用

针对滨里海AS地区的勘探开发目标层系,运用人工神经网络和主组分分析等技术和方法,对研究区的地震反射波形变化特征及其反映的地质特征进行识别和分类,得到地震相图,应用主要地震相单元中单井相分析成果建立地震相与沉积相的对应关系,将地震相转化为沉积相.该方法弥补了单纯用钻井资料进行沉积相划分的缺陷,提高了沉积相划分精度.     

Prediction of hydrocarbons in sedimentary basins

To estimate the undiscovered hydrocarbon potential of sedimentary basins, quantitative play assessments specific for each location in a region may be obtained using geostatistical methods combined with the theory of classification of geological objects, a methodology referred to as regionalization. The technique relies on process modeling and measured borehole data as well as probabilistic methods to exploit the relationship between geology (the predictor) and known hydrocarbon productivity (the target) to define prospective stratigraphic intervals within a basin. It is demonstrated in case studies from the oil-producing region of the western Kansas Pennsylvanian Shelf and the gas-bearing Rotliegend sediments of the Northeast German Basin.     

微生物碳酸盐岩分类、沉积环境与沉积模式

针对现有微生物碳酸盐岩分类不够系统、岩石类型及组合的环境意义不明确、岩相古地理重建缺乏微生物碳酸盐岩沉积模式指导等科学问题,通过塔里木盆地、四川盆地和鄂尔多斯盆地2个元古宇剖面和3个显生宇剖面详细的岩类学和岩石组合序列研究,取得3项成果与认识:①建立了构造尺度和形态特征相结合的系统的微生物碳酸盐岩分类方案.②明确了微生...     

The utility of cluster analysis in determining sedimentary facies

Data on 12 variables in 98 thin sections from 150 carbonate core samples of the Mauddud Formation (early Middle Cretaceous) in 13 well locations distributed throughout the Greater Burgan Oil Field, Kuwait, are re-examined using two correlation coefficients, distance similarity and product-moment, for data comparison and the weighted-pair group clustering technique with simple arithmatic averages for clustering of coefficients. The analysis shows results compatible with those obtained with subjective appraisal of the same data. The method can be utilized for sedimentary microfacies recognition and can be profitably applied in frontier areas where data are limited.     

Variability of cold‐water coral mounds in a high sediment input and tidal current regime,Straits of Florida

Cold‐water coral mound morphology and development are thought to be controlled primarily by current regime. This study, however, reveals a general lack of correlation between prevailing bottom current direction and mound morphology (i.e. footprint shape and orientation), as well as current strength and mound size (i.e. footprint area and height). These findings are based on quantitative analyses of a high‐resolution geophysical dataset collected with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle from three cold‐water coral mound sites at the toe of slope of Great Bahama Bank. The three sites (80 km² total) have an average of 14 mounds km^?2, indicating that the Great Bahama Bank slope is a major coral mound region. At all three sites living coral colonies are observed on the surface of the mounds, documenting active mound growth. Morphometric analysis shows that mounds at these sites vary significantly in height (1 to 83 m), area (81 to 6 00 000 m²), shape (mound aspect ratio 0·1 to 1) and orientation (mound longest axis 0 to 180°). The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle measured bottom current data depict a north–south flowing current that reverses approximately every six hours. The tidal nature of this current and its intermittent deviations during reversals are interpreted to contribute to the observed mound complexity. An additional factor contributing to the variability in mound morphometrics is the sediment deposition rate that varies among and within sites. At most locations sedimentation rate lags slightly behind mound growth rate, causing mounds to develop into large structures. Where sedimentation rates are higher than mound growth rates, sediment partially or completely buries mounds. The spatial distribution and alignment of mounds can also be related to gravity mass deposits, as indicated by geomorphological features (for example, slope failure and linear topographic highs) in the three‐dimensional bathymetry. In summary, variability in sedimentation rates, current regime and underlying topography produce extraordinarily high variability in the distribution, development and morphology of coral mounds on the Great Bahama Bank slope.     

Use of discriminant analysis for classification of strata in sedimentary successions

The technique of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) has been used to analyze chip samples of geological material for 12 elements. Discriminant analysis has been used to classify the unknown chip samples to the correct stratum in a sedimentary succession.     

地震沉积学在川东北YB地区沉积相分析中的应用

将地震沉积学理论应用于川东北YB地区陆相须家河组二段沉积相分析。以低频层序界面为约束条件,采用三维地震相位展开技术建立高频层序地层格架;利用三维Wheeler变换技术自动拉平高分辨层序地层格架的地震同相轴,建立等时年代地层格架,将地震数据体转换为年代地层数据体;在此基础上,提取具有等时意义的年代地层切片进行沉积相分析。结果表明:该方法能直观地反映沉积体的几何形态、展布规律、纵向演化和平面变迁等特征,对后续的勘探开发具有指导意义。     

A multivariate sedimentary environmental analysis of Great South Bay and South Oyster Bay, New York

A multivariate statistical strategy for classifying paleoenvironments is effective for studying modern sedimentary processes in western Great South Bay and South Oyster Bay, New York. The 13 whole phi weight percent variables were tested for redundancy with R-mode cluster analysis. The samples were partitioned statistically into five environmentally significant facies using Q-mode cluster analysis: (A)sandy gravel, (B)sandy silt, (C)silty sand, (D)slightly gravelly sand, and (E)fine sand. An ordination depicted gradational relationships among the samples and the facies. It was used to evaluate the environmental and textural parameter gradients within the sample space. Interpretations obtained in this manner and by examination of the grain-size curves suggest that these sediments were deposited by waves and currents on beaches and in wave zones (facies C and E),shoal areas (facies B),and tidal channels (facies A and D).Tidal currents, wave action, and eelgrass control the distribution of sediments within the two bays.     

吐鲁番-哈密盆地胜北(SB)地区中上侏罗统地震相与沉积相分析

选用频率、振幅、连续性及内部反射结构 4个地震参数 ,对吐鲁番—哈密盆地SB(胜北 )地区中上侏罗统主要层系进行了地震相分析 ,作出了地震相平面分布图。经过综合解释 ,把地震相转换成了沉积相。该区中晚侏罗世主要发育冲积扇、泛滥平原、扇三角洲、辫状河三角洲及湖泊沉积。     

琼东南盆地陵水组层序地层与沉积相分析

利用高分辫率层序地层学方法,结合岩心?测井和地震资料,识别琼东南盆地陵水组各级层序界面,建立地层层序格架,探讨地层格架下沉积相类型?演化规律以及平面展布,并就有利沉积相带分布进行了讨论?结果表明:从测井资料看出,层序界面识别标志主要为岩性和颜色发生突变;将琼东南盆地陵水组划分为3 个三级层序(Els1?Els2和Els3);结合测井响应特征,对地震剖面进行精细刻画,在3 套三级层序中识别出辫状河三角洲?扇三角洲?滨海?陆棚?碳酸盐台地等5种沉积相?     

地震相干分析技术在埕岛油田断裂解释和砂体预测中的应用

三维地震相干数据分析技术是近年发展起来的一项新技术,在解释断层和识别沉积相（砂体预测）等地质特征研究方面有独特效果.为了解决埕岛油田埕北302潜山复杂断层解释和埕北凹陷沉积相分析两项问题,采用了相干分析技术对三维地震资料进行了处理,解释出了埕北302潜山区块众多次级断层和裂缝,识别出了埕北凹陷馆陶组上段沉积相、沉积亚相并预测了有利砂体,得到了满意的研究结果.本文在简要介绍三维地震相干数据体分析技术原理基础上,重点分析了该技术在埕岛油田断裂系统解释和沉积相（砂体）预测中的具体应用并展示了成果,证实了地震相干分析的技术优势以及在油田应用的广泛前景.     

基于灰色关联分析法的页岩气资源丰度敏感性研究

页岩气成藏是多种因素共同作用的结果。要探明页岩气资源丰度,就要分清各种影响因素之间的关系及其重要性。研究影响页岩气资源丰度的各种因素,从众多影响因素中分析各种因素的敏感度具有重要意义。本文介绍了页岩气成藏条件,研究了影响页岩气资源丰度的主要因素。以北美典型的页岩盆地地层与中国四川盆地下古生界页岩地层相关数据为基础,利用灰色关联分析对页岩气资源丰度各种影响因素的重要程度进行研究。该方法的思路为:首先在大量离乱、随机的统计数据中建立参考数据和比较数据;其次,由于数据的单位不同,对原始数据进行无量纲化处理,使数据具有可比性;最后,运用灰色关联分析法处理数据,从整体观念出发进行综合评价,确定其对目标要素的贡献程度。本研究得到的资源丰度敏感程度自大到小依次为页岩深度、厚度、演化度(Ro)、有机质(TOC)和孔隙度,这为以后页岩资源丰度的研究提供了理论借鉴。     

Multivariate analysis of biogenic constituents in recent sediments off Ras Burka, Gulf of Elat, Red Sea

The shallow shelf area to a water depth of 40 m off Ras Burka, Gulf of Elat, comprises several depositional zones. In order of increasing water depth these include: sand dune (on shore); swash; dead reef platform; sand channel; live coral reef; Cymodoceaslope; reef knolls; and Halophilalawn. The abundance of 64 biogenic constituents, comprising 48 genera of Foraminifera and a variety of other taxa, was recorded in 16 samples representing the sediments presently forming in the various environments. Nodal ordination and association analysis were applied to classify the samples and to examine whether the present day zonation of sedimentary environments can be objectively recognized on the basis of the assemblages of biogenic constituents. The analyses classified the samples consistently into three classes, identified as the shallow near-shore, the upper slope, and the lower slope zones. Association analysis, utilizing only discrete binary presence or absence scores, yielded better results than nodal ordination analysis utilizing continuous metric modal data. In the study area, biogenic grains other than Foraminifera do not contribute to the environmental discrimination. The results suggest that crude presence scores, as contrasted with refined metric data, are informative enough for differentiating sedimentary environments.     

地震相分析技术在煤田地震勘探中的应用

地震相分析技术日渐成为煤田岩性地震勘探的一门新技术。阐述了基于波形分类的地震相分析方法,通过人工神经网络地震相检测技术对不同的波形进行分类,达到区分不同目标体的目的。以圈定火成岩发育范围、预测煤层冲刷变薄带和识别断层、陷落柱等地质异常体为例,讨论了地震相分析技术在煤田岩性地震勘探方面的效果。     

Construction of a fluvial facies knowledge graph and its application in sedimentary facies identification

Lithofacies paleogeography is a data-intensive discipline that involves the interpretation and compilation of sedimentary facies. Traditional sedimentary facies analysis is a labor-intensive task with the added complexity of using unstructured knowledge and unstandardized terminology. Therefore, it is very difficult for beginners or non-geology scholars who lack a systematic knowledge and experience in sedimentary facies analysis. These hurdles could be partly alleviated by having a standardized, structured, and systematic knowledge base coupled with an efficient automatic machine-assisted sedimentary facies identification system. To this end, this study constructed a knowledge system for fluvial facies and carried out knowledge representation. Components include a domain knowledge graph for types of fluvial facies (meandering, braided and other fluvial depositional environments) and their characteristic features (bedforms, grain size distribution, etc.) with visualization, a method for query and retrieval on a graph database platform, a hierarchical knowledge tree-structure, a data-mining clustering algorithm for machine-analysis of publication texts, and an algorithm model for this area of sedimentary facies reasoning. The underlying sedimentary facies identification and knowledge reasoning system is based on expert experience and synthesis of publications. For testing, 17 sets literature publications data that included details of sedimentary facies data (bedforms, grain sizes, etc.) were submitted to the artificial intelligence model, then compared and validated. This testing set of automated reasoning results yielded an interpretation accuracy of about 90% relative to the published interpretations in those papers. Therefore, the model and algorithm provide an efficient and automated reasoning technology, which provides a new approach and route for the rapid and intelligent identification of other types of sedimentary facies from literature data or direct use in the field.     

煤层含气量评价中灰色关联分析与相关分析法对比

煤层含气量及其影响因素是煤层气勘探开发中首先要研究的问题。通过对煤层含气量影响因素评价中灰色关联分析法与相关分析法的论述,并在分析各自优缺点的同时,对比讨论了两种方法在沁水盆地晋城矿区的应用情况。结果表明,在对各因素的评价结果和区分效果上,相关分析法优于灰色关联分析法。