Research Advances and Prospects on Fundamental Geological Issues of the East China Sea Petroliferous Basin

Zhu Weilin; Zhang Yingzhao; Jiang Yiming; Li Ning; Zhao Shijie; Tang Xianjun; He Xinjian; Fu Xiaowei

doi:10.3799/dqkx.2025.185

Abstract：As a critical region for the tectonic evolution of the East Asian continental margin,the East China Sea basin has long been debated regarding its basement attributes,subduction processes,and multi-phase tectonic-sedimentary coupling mechanisms.Based on a comprehensive analysis of existing geological and geophysical data,combined with previous evidence and insights,in this paper it systematically summarizes and evaluates key fundamental geological issues of the East China Sea basin,proposing future research directions.The basement controversy centers on two hypotheses:the extension of the South China continental crust versus the accretion of exotic terranes.Abrupt crustal thickness variations and zircon isotopic data provide new evidence for the latter,but the spatiotemporal constraints on crustal evolution and collisional orogenic belts remain unresolved.The Mesozoic subduction process exhibits staged evolution,including low-angle subduction,slab detachment,and magmatic arc migration.The discovery of Early Jurassic island arc magmatic rocks revises the traditional flat-slab subduction model,yet direct evidence for Cretaceous and Cenozoic magmatic arc positions in offshore areas is still lacking,significantly hindering the understanding of Mesozoic basin nature and evolution.The Cenozoic basin architecture in the north is controlled by slab rollback,while the southern region may correlate closely with the South China Sea spreading,though critical evidence linking subduction and South China Sea extension processes is still needed.The Mesozoic paleogeographic framework remains ambiguous,while abrupt Cenozoic provenance shifts and differential tectonic-sedimentary responses are prominent.Current research lacks systematic comparisons of geological evidence among the South China continent,the East China Sea Basin,and the Ryukyu Islands.Future studies should integrate deep geophysical exploration,high-precision geochronology,and numerical modeling to establish a"subduction-magmatism-sedimentation"co-evolution model,providing theoretical support for hydrocarbon exploration and continental margin dynamics research.