title: Control of fault plane geometry on the formation of a normal fault-related anticline: an experimental approach.
abstract: In one of the largest oil-gas fields in Daqing, China, the anticlines are important structures that hold natural gas. The origin of the symmetric anticlines, which have bends on both the limbs, remains under debate. This is especially true in the case of the anticline in Xujiaweizi (XJWZ), which has recently been the focus of gas exploration. A compressive force introduced by a ramp/flat fault was suggested as its origin of formation; however, this is inconsistent with the reconstruction of the regional stress fields, which show an extensive environment. An alternative explanation suggests a normal fault-related fold under extensive stress. However, this mechanism has difficulty explaining the very localized, rather than wide-spread, development of the anticline along the proposed controlling normal fault. The well-developed bends on both limbs of the anticline are also very different from the typical roll-over anticline. Here, we conduct an experimental study showing that the very localized development of the bent-on-both-limbs anticline is controlled by the geometry of the underlying fault-plane. A ramp/flat fault plane can introduce an anticline with bends on both limbs, while a smooth fault plane will develop a roll-over anticline with a bend on only one limb.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 Dongsanlu, Chengdu, 610059, China.|Key Laboratory of Tectonic Controls on Mineralization and Hydrocarbon Accumulation, Ministry of Land and Resources, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 Dongsanlu, Chengdu, 610059, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 Dongsanlu, Chengdu, 610059, China.|Key Laboratory of Tectonic Controls on Mineralization and Hydrocarbon Accumulation, Ministry of Land and Resources, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 Dongsanlu, Chengdu, 610059, China.
authors.forename: Zhongquan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Geosciences, King's Colleges, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, Aberdeen, UK. ylpf9@mst.edu.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Exploration and Development Research Institute of Daqing Oilfield Company Ltd., Daqing, 163712, China.
authors.forename: Junliang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 Dongsanlu, Chengdu, 610059, China.|Key Laboratory of Tectonic Controls on Mineralization and Hydrocarbon Accumulation, Ministry of Land and Resources, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 Dongsanlu, Chengdu, 610059, China.
authors.forename: Hongkui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 Dongsanlu, Chengdu, 610059, China.|Key Laboratory of Tectonic Controls on Mineralization and Hydrocarbon Accumulation, Ministry of Land and Resources, Chengdu University of Technology, 1 Dongsanlu, Chengdu, 610059, China.
authors.forename: Shuangshuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wan