The Qaidam Basin is a Mesozoic–Cenozoic compresso-shearing basin in western China. This basin has been subsiding since the Indosinian orogeny, and the subsidence is a strongly inherited feature in its Quaternary development. Five third-order sequences (SQ1, SQ2, SQ3, SQ4 and SQ5) were recognised using drilling/logging, coring and seismic data analysis. Each sequence was further divided into transgressive systems tract and regressive systems tract based on the maximum flooding surface. A sequence stratigraphic framework was established that revealed the distribution of sedimentary systems. Seven depositional systems, namely, alluvial fan, fan delta, braided-delta, shore lacustrine, shallow lacustrine, semi-deep lacustrine and incised valley depositional system, were identified from 105 well logs and 2 D seismic lines covering 1600 km. The sedimentary system distribution was identified as follows: (1) large-scale alluvial deposit located on the southern slope and adjacent to Kunlun Mountain and Yaber tectonic zone located northeast of the study area; (2) braided-delta deposits southeast of the Sanhu area; (3) widely developed fan-delta sediments on the base of Qigequan Formation in the Yaber tectonic zone; (4) well-deposited shoal lacustrine facies along the depositional strike in the regressive systems tract; (5) widely distributed shallow lacustrine facies; and (6) incised valley with large lateral extension and incision depth as an entity at the front of the Golmud Basin in the Sanhu area. Two different depositional models, namely, east and west models, were built by conducting an integrated analysis of sequence stratigraphy and sedimentary process. In the Sanhu area, the main controlling factors of the sequence architecture and depositional systems associations of the Qigequan Formation are tectonic subsidence and climate change with sediment supply and lake-level fluctuation secondary factors. This case study provides an example of the analyses of sequence stratigraphy and depositional systems in a salinised plateau basin. The approach combines seismic and sedimentary facies analysis to investigate Quaternary deposition and stratigraphy. The low-amplitude tectonic belt on the northern slope and the lithological traps on the southern slope are predicted to be favourable for the lithological gas reservoirs.

Extensional strike-slip basins have unique structural features that influence both sub-sags and traps. Despite previous investigations into the extension-strike-slip fault system, there remains a gap in the comprehensive analysis of its influence on sub-sag formation and trap development. The Huanghekoudong and Miaoxi’nan sub-sags within the Bohai Bay Basin, intersected by the Tan-Lu Fault Zone, offer exemplary cases for examining the interplay between strike-slip and extensional tectonic regimes. The neotectonic strike-slip movements along the Tan-Lu Fault Zone have given rise to various extensional strike-slip overlap zones in these sub-sags, rendering these locales ideal for investigating the dynamics of strike-slip and extensional tectonic processes. Employing three-dimensional seismic data, well logs, and a newly constructed sequence stratigraphic framework, our research delineates the geometric and kinematic phenomena characteristic of the extensional strike-slip fault system, including the dynamics of extensional fault deformation and interaction through time. By scrutinizing the fault system’s vital role in shaping sub-sag evolution and trap genesis, we present a comprehensive model that significantly contributes to our understanding of structural trapping dynamics. This model not only fine-tunes existing trapping models but also offers invaluable insights for future exploration strategies within the Bohai Bay Basin and other similar extensional strike-slip basins worldwide. Our findings highlight the novel and significant implications of the extensional strike-slip fault system in controlling sub-sag and trap features, thus bridging a notable gap in existing geotechnical knowledge.

The Mao-1 Member of the Middle Permian Maokou Formation in the Yongchuan area contains distinctive eyelid–eyeball limestones developed in an outer-ramp to intraplatform-basin transitional setting. The two components alternate as mud-rich laminae and carbonate-rich nodules or layers. Eyelid limestone contains 10–45% micritic carbonate mud and a mean total-grain content of 69.11%, whereas eyeball limestone contains <10% carbonate mud and 30.89% total grains. In the exploratory geochemical subset (five samples per facies), eyelid limestone has higher mean V, Mn, Fe, and Ba contents, but only Ba differs significantly between facies (Welch p = 0.036; exact Mann–Whitney p = 0.032). Bulk-rock rare-earth-element data are PAAS-normalized and used descriptively because concentrations are low and neither weak-acid leaching nor detrital correction was performed. The observations support a preferred interpretation involving primary depositional differentiation followed by localized early diagenesis, differential compaction, and pressure solution. Relative sea-level change may have modulated the alternation, but the available data do not resolve a unique cyclic driver. Core-scale pore data demonstrate facies-dependent heterogeneity rather than field-scale deliverability.