Sequence Stratigraphy of Deep-water Fan System of Pearl River, South China Sea

The Baiyun Sag located in the deep-water continental slope region and on the down dip side of the paleo-Pearl River and of the large sand-rich Pearl River delta in shallow continental shelf is a favorable area for developing large-scale deep-water fan system. The study of sequence stratigraphy of the deep-water slope area was guided by regional geological research, which led to the discovery of the deep-water fan system of Pearl River with multi-sequence overlapped. This discovery makes the Baiyun Sag a new prospective area for petroleum exploration. Besides admitting the resolution of different data, multiplicity of solutions and limitation in the interpretation of sequence stratigraphy, the study also emphasized the following aspects: the comprehensive application and mutual authentication of data from different disciplines; the control of periodic sea-level change on deposition; the validity of the identification of the isochronic horizon of seismic reflection phases; the interactive identification of sequence boundary; the response of the sequence boundary to biostratigraphy, relative sea-level change and global eustacy; the response correlation between different sedimentary bodies in a sequence framework. The establishment of the sequence-stratigraphic framework leads to the discovery of the deep-water fan system of Pearl River. It reveals the coupling relationship among the Pearl River drainage area, the large-scale Pearl River delta on shelf and the Pearl River deep-water fan system on slope; the response relationship between the deep-water fan system of Pearl River and the sea-level change; the correlation between deep-water fans and paleogeography. The discovery of the deep-water fan system of Pearl River greatly promotes petroleum exploration in the deep-water slope area of the South China Sea.