It has been proven that thermochemical sulfate reduction(TSR) took place extensively in the Lower Triassic carbonate reservoirs in Northeast(NE) Sichuan(四川) basin.We have carried out analyses on bulk rock compositions and isotope ratios together with petrography and fluid inclusions to assess the impact of TSR on diagenetic process of Triassic dolomites.In this article,TSR-related burial diagenesis is characterized by precipitation of calcite cement with negative δ13C values and high ho-mogenization temperature.The light carbon isotopic compositions of this phase indicate that carbon incorporated in this cement was partly derived from oxidation of hydrocarbon.The high homogeniza-tion temperatures indicate that the thermochemical reduction of sulfates has been taking place in the deep part of NE Sichuan basin.Additional evidence supporting this interpretation is the high Sr values of this calcite cement.Moreover,the calcites have a δ18O of-8.51‰ to-2.79‰ PDB and are interpreted to have precipitated from high salinity fluids with δ18O of +5‰ to +13‰ SMOW.Under cathodolumi-nescence,these calcite cements appear dark brown or black,and both Mg concentrations and Mn/Sr ratios are low.It is therefore indicated that seawater was the principal agent of precipitation fluids.Fi-nally,it should be noted that although H2S and CO2 increased as TSR continued,porosity has been ul-timately destroyed by calcite cementation.
As the interval following the biggest Phanerozoic mass extinction at the end of Permian, the Early Triassic is characterized by an immature, poorly functioned ecosystem.The effects of these extreme environmental conditions can be mirrored by the changes in the δ13C record of marine carbonates.However, the details about the carbon isotopic composition and evolution of the Early Triassic seawater remain poorly understood.A dataset of new δ13C and δ18O values as well as selected major and trace element data (including concentrations of CaO, MgO, Mn, and Sr) was obtained from 113 marine carbonate samples collected in Eastern Sichuan Basin.The isotopic and elemental data are used to evaluate effects of thermochemical sulfate reduction on δ13C.The δ13C values of a few samples affected by thermochemical sulfate reduction were corrected.By combining carbonate δ13C results in our investigated sections, we constructed a composite curve of the Lower Triassic.The results reveal a δ13C anomaly of carbonate rocks throughout the Early Triassic, accompanied by some rapid jumps and falls, such as those from approximately -2‰ to the extremely high value of 8‰ within a period of about 5 Ma.The Early Triassic δ13C profile derived from Eastern Sichuan Basin shows a close correspondence with Guandao section in Guizhou Province, whereas it yields an excursion pattern differing from Chaohu section in Anhui Province of the Lower Yangtze region (with the δ13C value from the minimum around -6‰ to the maximum near 4‰).The higher δ13C values and the positive carbon isotope excursions in the Lower Triassic from Eastern Sichuan Basin were most likely a consequence of the principal environmental change that may include: (1) the barren land surface due to the absence of vegetation, (2) the loss of diverse marine invertebrate groups and marine carbonates, (3) the thriving of bacteria, algae and methanogenus in ocean ecosystems, and (4) the local effect of the repositories of isotopically light carbon occurred in the form of meth
The recent discovery of deep and ultra-deep gas reservoirs in the Permian Changxing Formation reefs, northeastern Sichuan Basin is a significant development in marine carbonate oil & gas exploration in China. Reef dolomites and their origins have been major research topics for sedimentologists and oil & gas geologists. The petrography, trace element and isotope geochemistry of the reef dolomites indicated that the dolomites are characterized by low Sr and Mn contents, relatively low Fe contents, very similar δ 13 C and δ 18 O values and very different 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios. Although the calculated results of the fluid mixing suggested that a mixture with 85%-95% meteoric water and 5%-15% seawater seemed to be the dolomitizing fluids of the reef dolomites, the low Mn contents, relatively low Fe contents, high δ 13 C values and high homogenization temperatures of the dolomites did not support that there were large proportions of meteoric water in the dolomitization process, and the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios which were close to coeval seawater also did not support the possibility of the mixture of deep-burial circulated fluids from clastic rocks. High temperature deep-burial circulated seawater with low Mn and Fe contents, high Sr content and high δ 13 C values from the dissolution of widely distributed Triassic evaporites during the burial diagenetic processes (including dehydration of water-bearing evaporites) could have been the dolomitizing fluids of the reef dolomites.
Hu ZuoweiHuang SijingLi ZhimingZhang YingyingXu ErsheQi Shichao
Most vein minerals deposited in fractures of the Jialingjiang Formation from Libixia section,Hechan area include a large amount of saddle dolomite and accompanying celestite,calcite and fluorite.This study analyzed the nature,source,evolution of the fluids by plane-light petrography,fluid-inclusion methods,cathodoluminescence images,and stable isotopic compositions.The homogenization temperatures of two-phase aqueous fluid inclusions in dolomite range between100 and 270℃.Combined with theδ^(18)O data,it is suggested that the fluid responsible for the precipitation of fracture fillings haveδ^(18)O values between 10‰and 18‰(relative to SMOW).The saddle dolomite and the accompanying minerals were the result of activity of dense brines at elevated temperatures.Moreover,analysis shows that the fluid was derived from a mixture of marine-derived brine and deeper circulating flow.This fluid was enriched in Sr during diagenesis and formed celestite in fracture and for regional mineralization.Dissolution of saddle dolomite was attributed to the cooling of Mg/Ca-decreased fluids,which may relate to a leaching of gypsum to celestite in surrounding carbonates.
