Seismic characteristics and mechanism of fluid flow structures in the central depression of Qiongdongnan basin, northern margin of South China Sea

Understanding fluid flow structures in a rifted basin may enhance our knowledge of their origination and evolution. Through geochemical analysis and seismic interpretation, different fluid flow features are identified in the central depression of Qiongdongnan basin, northern South China Sea. These structures include mud diapir, gas chimney, hydrothermal pipes, faults, blowout pipes, and associated extrusions. Mud diapirs are primarily located on the slope belts, whereas gas chimneys are on the basement highs in the southwest of the study area. Their distribution appears closely controlled by tectonic stress field and overpressure, the later is caused by hydrocarbon generation and compaction disequilibrium. High sediment overloading, weak post-rift tectonic activity, and high average geothermal gradient may contribute to the compaction disequilibrium. The occurrence of gas chimneys on the basement high suggests that lateral transportation and relief of overpressure is a significant factor. Distribution of broad hydrothermal pipes is related with the thinning continental crust and pre-existing boundary faults in the central depression. They are probably attributed to intruded sills dissolution and were caused by hydrothermal fluids vertically. Geochemical data from gas reservoirs analysis indicates that mud diapirs and gas chimneys are critical pathways for thermogenic gases, whereas hydrothermal pipes and part of the faults may act as pathways of both thermogenic and inorganic gases. The blowout pipes mainly occur in the northwestern central depression near the continental slope, where fluid flows ascend gradually from a series of Pliocene-current prograding wedge-formed units with a hydraulic fracture in shallow. Hundreds of seafloor pockmarks and mounds associated with blowout pipes located above the NE-SW elongated Pliocene-Quaternary slope-break belts. These extrusive structures indicate that fluids ascend through blowout pipes and were expelled at the present seabed. Our results indicate that fluid flow structures are probably responsible for fluid activities and must be taken into account when assessing the hydrocarbon potential, geologic hazard, and benthic ecosystem.