Stratigraphic architecture, shelf-edge delta and constraints on the development of the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene continental margin prism, the Pearl River Mouth Basin, northern South China Sea

Abstract The early-stage shelf-margin prism in the Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB), northern South China Sea, formed from the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene, comprises a set of shelf-edge delta and slope fan wedges of the Zhuhai Formation and records the development of the continental slope in response to the interaction of the sea-level change, tectonic subsidence and sediment supply. Based on integrated analysis of seismic, well logging and core data, the stratigraphic architecture, depositional systems and controlling processes are documented. The Zhuhai Formation is a composite sequence bounded by regional unconformity, and can be further divided into five sequences (CS3-1-CS3-5). The depositional genetic units (transgression, ascending normal regression and descending forced regression) are identified within sequences based on variation in shelf edge trajectories. The shelf deltaic systems are characterized by oblique-tangential reflections in seismic profiles with a thickness of 100–150 m. In contrast, the shelf-margin delta and slope clinoforms generally are 300–1200 m high and mainly display as sigmoid or sigmoid-tangential seismic reflections. The delta deposits usually consist of thick beds of delta front deposits and large-scale slump and deformed sediments, and are associated with sandy slope fan systems. Eleven delta complexes are distinguished by tracking the distribution of the deltaic clinoforms in each sequence, and these deltaic deposits tend to extend along their strike direction which may be related to the reworking of strong waves and coastal currents. Slope fan systems consist mainly of turbidite channel fills, frontal splay and debris flow deposits, and generally develop along the slope in CS3-3-CS3-5, which may be triggered by steep shelf margin slope and fault activity. The stratigraphic pattern of the shelf margin prism and depositional evolution of the deltaic systems from the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene were controlled by interaction of sea level changes, sediment supply and tectonic subsidence. The ascending trajectory from the CS3-1 (30 Ma) to the top of the CS3-5 indicates that the relative sea level continued to rise generally but the shelf margin prograded basinward rapidly due to the great amount of sediment supply and lower subsidence rate. Tectonic uplift of the source area and strengthened physical erosion during this period may be the reason for the large sediment supply.