Features of paleogene episodic rifting in Huizhou fault depression in the Pearl River Mouth basin

The recognition of episodic nature of rifting is considered as a major progress in research of rifted basins in recent years. Based on the analysis of the regional angular unconformities,stratigraphic overlap,absence of many formations and the cyclicity of third-order sequences,it is believed that the Huizhou fault depression in the Pearl River Mouth basin experienced typical episodic rifting in Paleogene and a unique phenomenon that the tectonic framework kept unchanged in two episodes of rifting was occurred. The features and dynamic implications of the Paleogene episodic rifting are also discussed. The following understandings are obtained:a. Huizhou fault depression is a typical episodic rift in Paleogene; b. episodic rifting without change of tectonic framework may reflect the episodic nature of plate and deep dynamics; c. rifted basin-related lithospheric isostatic adjustment is predicted to be heterogeneous episodic stretching.