Mesozoic and Cenozoic structural deformation in the NW Tarim Basin, China: a case study of the Piqiang-Selibuya Fault

The Piqiang-Selibuya Fault is the most significant fault in the NW Tarim Basin, China. It has attracted increasing attention because of the discovery of a series of oil (gas) fields in and around the fault zone. The structural characteristics and evolution of the Piqiang-Selibuya Fault remain controversial. Field geological surveys and seismic data interpretation reveal that the fault has experienced three stages of activity. The thicknesses of the Permian and Miocene strata on opposing sides of the fault are clearly different, and these reveal that the fault has experienced two stages of significant thrusting. The first stage took place at the end of the Triassic and was associated with the Qiangtang Block amalgamated to the south margin of Eurasia. The second stage occurred at the end of the Miocene and might have been caused by the northwards overthrusting of the Pamir. These two stages of thrusting led to the lower-middle Cambrian detachment layer in the eastern part of the Keping thrust belt being 2km shallower than in the western part. Since the Pliocene, the southern Tien Shan orogenic belt has been reactivated and thrust towards the interior of the Tarim Basin, and a series of ENE-WSW-trending thrust sheets have formed in the Keping thrust belt. Because of the different depth of the detachment layer on the opposing sides of the Piqiang-Selibuya Fault, the number and spacing of thrust sheets formed to the east of the fault differ from those to the west. This dissimilar deformation led to the strike-slip displacement on the Piqiang-Selibuya Fault. The three stages of fault activity record three important tectonic events in the NW Tarim Basin. Qualitative analysis of this activity helps us better understand the influence of the far-field effect of the collisions that occurred on the southern margin of the Eurasia plate on the structural deformation of the NW Tarim Basin.