Comprehensive identification of sediment source in the First Member of Huangliu Formation in Yinggehai Basin

The characteristics of heavy mineral assemblages from each sediment provenance of the Huangliu Formation in the Yinggehai Basin were determined in intuitive comparison method, from which the characteristics of ancient parent rockswere clarified. There are three main provenances around the research area, namely Hainan Island, northern Vietnam (Red River), and central Vietnam. Results indicate that the provenances from Vietnam are mainly composed of sedimentary rock typed iron and titanium minerals, and other sedimentary rock typed ones alike, while the Hainan provenance is mainly composed of acidic volcanic rock typed heavy mineral assemblages including zircon, tourmaline, and rutile. The spectral clustering results based on cosine distance and Pearson correlation coefficient show that zircon, tourmaline, rutile, anatase, and perovskite in the Huangliu Formation are less affected by diagenesis and thus are stable minerals . The dominant source areas were divided using complex topological networks of stable heavy minerals, seismic attributes, seismic profiles, and zircon ages. It was determined that some fan bodies in the Dongfang 13 and 1 areas of the Yinggehai Basin were controlled mostly by the northern Vietnam (Red River) provenance, while the vast majority of fans in the Dongfang 13 and 29 areas were affected jointly by the central Vietnam and northern Hainan provenances. The Ledong area was controlled by the southern Hainan source. Therefore, a comprehensive method to determine provenance was established combining heavy mineral assemblage, seismic attribute, and zircon chronology.