Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Formation process and internal architecture of wave dominated beach-bar along the lake shore: insights from a flume experiment

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Arabian Journal of Geosciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Beach-bar is a common kind of lacustrine sedimentation distributed in the shallow water area. To date, a large amount of oil and gas resource was explored within beach-bar reservoir. However, the depositional mechanism and internal architecture of the beach-bar system are still to be discovered. In this paper, to reveal the formation of a beach-bar system, an experimental beach-bar system was produced through a flume experiment controlled by a simulation plan with three stages. To reproduce a beach-bar system along the lake shore, a bedform with a pre-existing delta was utilized. Based on the morphology data set scanned during the experiment, the sedimentary process and internal architecture of the experimental beach-bar system was discovered. According to the experiment, artificial wave is the key driver force to reform the pre-existing sediments along the lakeshore. A higher water level associated with stronger wave strength, which produced the main deposit, can accelerate the formation process of beach-bar system and create larger scale beach-bars. In contrast, the lower water level and weaker wave can only slightly modify the initial bedform. In the first stage of the experiment, the pre-existing delta was gradually abandoned; sediment of the pre-existing delta was eroded and transported to sides of the pre-existing delta. In the second stage, the pre-existing delta was totally abandoned. The water level and wave intensity kept the same as the first stage; the limited wave intensity slightly reformed the bedform and failed to produce beach-bar system. In the third stage, higher water level and associated stronger wave intensity produced an ideal experimental beach-bar system. In the experiment, the sediment was overall transported to the lake shore. The experimental beach-bar system can be divided into three parts which have different sedimentary characteristics. The largest scale bar with aggraded thick accretions deposited in the proximal part of the beach-bar system. In the middle part of the system, thin and widely distributed beach deposited. The distal part of the system was characterized by arc-shaped and parallelly arranged ridge-like bars.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Basilici G (1997) Sedimentary facies in an extensional and deep-lacustrine depositional system: the Pliocene Tiberino Basin, Central Italy. Sediment Geol 109:73–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey RW, Howard JD (1988) Beaches and beach-related facies, Holocene barrier islands of Georgia. Geol Mag 125:621–640

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houser C, Greenwood B (2005) Profile response of a lacustrine multiple barred nearshore to a sequence of storm events. Geomorphology 69:118–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang JM, Wang XZ, Li JS, Wang GM (2007) Microfacies classification of shoal-bar sand lateral prediction of sandbodies of the fourth member of Shahejie formation in Dongying depression. Petrol Geol Eng 21(4):12–15 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Z, Liu H, Zhang S, Su X, Jiang Z (2011) Sedimentary characteristics of large-scale lacustrine beach-bars and their formation in the Eocene Boxing Sag of Bohai Bay Basin, East China. Sedimentology 58(5):1087–1112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Z, Wang J, Zhang Y, Zhang J, Song M, Wang Y, Jiang H (2020) Ternary “Windfield-Source-Basin” system for the prediction of hydrocarbon reservoirs: interpretation and prediction of hydrocarbon reservoirs deviated from the main provenance areas. Acta Pet Sin 41(12):1465–1476 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Lü MS, Xue LQ, Wan LK, Mao FJ, Liu JG, Liu B, Wang YH (2015) Main controlling factors of Paleogene hydrocarbon accumulation of Termit Basin, West African rift system. Earth Science Frontiers 22(6):207–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Mao NB, Fan ZQ, Li YH, Dai TG (2004) A study of beach and bar sands subtle reservoirs in western slope of Qi’nan sag. Oil Gas Geol 25(4):455–461 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Miall, A. D. (2010). The geology of stratigraphic sequences. Springer Science & Business Media.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Monroe S (1981) Late Oligocene-early Miocene facies and lacustrine sedimentation, upper Ruby River basin, Southwestern Montana. J Sediment Petrol 51(3):0939–0951

    Google Scholar 

  • Otvos EG (2000) Beach ridges definitions and significance. Geomorphology 32:83–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan, X.X. (2007) Exploration methods of beach-bar sand reservoirs in rift basin. Nat. Gas. Ind., 27(Suppl. A), 278–281 (in Chinese with English abstract).

  • Peng B, Han J, Xie X, Wang L (2020) Sedimentary succession and recognition marks of lacustrine gravel beach-bars, a case study from the Qinghai Lake, China. Open Geosciences 12(1):59–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reid I, Frostick LE (1985) Beach orientation, bar morphology and the concentration of metalliferous placer deposits: a case study, Lake Turkana, N Kenya. J Geol Soc 142:837–848

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Cao Y, Liu K, Liu J, Kashif M (2017) Identification of sedimentary-diagenetic facies and reservoir porosity and permeability prediction: an example from the Eocene beach-bar sandstone in the Dongying Depression, China. Mar Pet Geol 82:69–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Lu Y (2021) Diagenetic facies prediction using a LDA-assisted SSOM method for the Eocene beach-bar sandstones of Dongying Depression, East China. J Pet Sci Eng 196:108040

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan HJ (2007) Prediction of beach bar sand reservoirs of shore-shallow lake facies in Boxing subsag of Dongying sag. Oil Gas Geol 28(4):497–503 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou L (2008) Reservoir distribution and main factors influencing hydrocarbon accumulation of beach-bar sandstone in the Sha4 of Shahejie formation, gentle slope belt, Dongying depression. Petrol Geol Recov Effic 15(2):34–36 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu XM, Xin QL, Zhang JR (1994) Sedimentary characteristics and models of the beach-bar reservoirs in faulted down lacustrine basins. Acta Sedimentol. Sinica 12(2):20–27 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This study was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41802123). We dedicate this work to them for their financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing, China

    Cheng Lei, Xinmin Song, Xinjun Gao, Ruifeng Wang & Qingyan Xu

  2. CNPC Niger Petroleum S.A., Niamey, Niger

    Guanghua Zhai

  3. School of Geosciences, Yangtze University, Wuhan, Hubei, China

    Wenjie Feng & Yanshu Yin

Authors
  1. Cheng Lei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xinmin Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xinjun Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ruifeng Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Guanghua Zhai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Qingyan Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Wenjie Feng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Yanshu Yin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenjie Feng.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Attila Ciner

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lei, C., Song, X., Gao, X. et al. Formation process and internal architecture of wave dominated beach-bar along the lake shore: insights from a flume experiment. Arab J Geosci 14, 2043 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08389-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-08389-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation