Modeling of the Cenozoic subsidence of northern Tarim Basin using elastic plate numerical model: Implications for uplift of South Tian Shan

doi:10.13745/j.esf.sf.2023.9.43

Abstract

Abstract:

The Tian Shan orogenic belt experienced activation and uplift during the Cenozoic era, attributed to the remote effects of the India-Asia collision. Adjacent to the southern margin of the Tian Shan orogenic belt, the northern Tarim Basin underwent bending subsidence and accumulated extensive Cenozoic strata, providing a robust foundation for investigating the uplifting process of the southern Tian Shan Mountains. In this study, we employ finite elastic plate numerical simulation to model basement subsidence profiles across various Cenozoic periods. Our findings underscore the control of basin subsidence by sedimentary load and tectonic load, with sedimentary load exerting a significantly greater influence on basin subsidence than tectonic load from ~5.3 Ma to the present. The rate of load change in the southern Tian Shan structure exhibits gradual increase from ~66 Ma to ~26.3 Ma, followed by a rapid ascent since ~5.3 Ma. Our analysis indicates that the initial uplift phase of the Cenozoic in the southern Tian Shan was confined to the Paleogene, with its relative elevation escalating from 400 meters to 2500 meters. Although the relative elevation of the southern Tian Shan has remained stable since ~5.3 Ma, the height of tectonic load continues to rise. This phenomenon is attributed to the intensified basin subduction, which has constrained the average elevation of the orogenic belt, thereby establishing a relative equilibrium between erosion and uplift processes in the southern Tian Shan.

Key words: southern Tian Shan, northern Tarim Basin, finite elastic plate simulation, settlement process, initial uplift

CLC Number:

P542
P534.6

CHEN Changjin, CHENG Xiaogan, LIN Xiubin, LI Feng, TIAN Hefeng, QU Mengxue, SUN Siyao. Modeling of the Cenozoic subsidence of northern Tarim Basin using elastic plate numerical model: Implications for uplift of South Tian Shan[J]. Earth Science Frontiers, 2024, 31(4): 340-353.

Figures/Tables 12

Fig.1 Regional tectonic background and contour map of Cenozoic strata thickness in the northern Tarim Basin. Modified after [6]. The solid black line indicates the location of profile AA' in Fig.3.

Fig.2 Comprehensive column of Cenozoic strata in northern Tarim foreland basin. Modified after [6,14,29].

Fig.3 Seismic profile revealing stratigraphic thickness distribution and structure in the study area (Profile location: AA' profile in Fig.1)

Fig.4 Schematic diagram of the application of the two-dimensional finite elastic plate principle

Table 1 Decompaction factors for various types of sedimentary rocks. Modified after [38].

岩性	压实系数/(10⁵ cm^-1)	初始孔隙度Ø₀	沉积物颗粒密度ρ_s/(g·cm^-3)
砂岩	0.27	0.49	2.65
页岩	0.51	0.63	2.72
泥质砂岩	0.39	0.56	2.68

Fig.5 Evolution diagram of Cenozoic strata balance profile, showing the basement morphology during sedimentation periods

Fig.6 Experimental initial model design diagram

Fig.7 Screening Te based on basement morphology. (a) Determining the optimal Te value range;(b) Experimental results after encryption processing

Fig.8 Comparative analysis of the simulation results and the actual basement fitting in the northern Tarim Basin during the Cenozoic. (a), (c), (e), and (g) respectively represent comparisons between simulation results of sediment loading only on finite plates during the Paleogene-Neogene, Neogene-Miocene, Miocene, and Neogene-Quaternary, and the fitting of the basin’s basement. (b), (d), (f), and (h) respectively represent comparisons between simulation results of both sediment loading and tectonic loading on finite plates during the Paleogene-Neogene, Neogene-Miocene, Miocene, and Neogene-Quaternary, and the fitting of the basin’s basement.

Fig.9 Tectonic loading changes in the orogenic belt

Fig.10 Summary of the average height and average elevation changes of tectonic loading in the south Tian Shan orogenic belt according to the subsidence model

Fig.11 Percentage contribution of sedimentary load and tectonic load to the total subsidence of the basin during this period

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