Soft-sediment Deformation Structures and Sand Body Architecture in the Chang 6 Oil Member of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, Southwestern Ordos Basin, China

Abstract

Soft-sediment deformation (SSD) structures of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation are laterally widespread in the Ordos Basin. In the Huachi-Qingyang (H-Q) area of the Ordos Basin, the Chang6 oil member of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation is among the most significant Mesozoic oil-bearing strata. It is characterized by the development of reservoir sand bodies. During the depositional evolution of the Chang6 oil member, SSD structures induced by paleo-seismic events developed in the H-Q area in the middle of the basin. The SSD structures developed in the sand bodies of the Chang6 oil member are mainly ball-and-pillow structures, fold structures, sand dikes, irregular convolute stratifications and synsedimentary faults. The architecture of the sand bodies resulted from paleo-seismic events and gravity slumping and mainly include two types of structures: 1) SSD structures driven by paleo-seismic events with normal sedimentation (delta front sand body) (SN-SSD) and 2) SSD structures driven by paleo-seismic events with turbidites (formed by delta-front slumping and re-distribution due to seismic action) (ST-SSD). As a consequence, genetic models of the sand bodies formed by different sedimentation processes are established.

Keywords

• soft-sediment deformation structure
• sand body architecture
• chang6 oil member
• yanchang formation
• ordos basin