MESOZOIC COAL-BEARING FORMATIONS AND STRUCTURES OF TARIM BASIN

Tarim basin formed by compression and twisting, with a series of nearly EW-trending folds and faults developed within the basin and at fronatal margins of the mountain ranges on both sides of the basin. Another two sets of NE-NEE and NW-NWW trending faults control the structural framework of Tarim basin. The EW-trending uplifts and depressions which formed during the Paleozoic affect directly the development of various Mesozoic structural basins. According to the characteristics of overall structures of the basin, four structural domains are classified, i.e., northern Tarim depression zone, central Tarim uplift zone, southwestern Tarim uplift-depression interval zone and southeastern Tarim fault bench zone. There are three sets of coal-bearing formations in the Tarim area, i.e., Talijik Fm. (T3-T1)t including part of the transitional beds of Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic, belonging to coal seams of set A; Yangxia Fm. (J1y) and Kezilur Fm. (J2k), respectively containing coal seams of set B and set C. According to paleo-structural and paleogeographical conditions, four coal-bearing regions are subdivided within Tarim basin, i.e., northern Tarim depression, central Tarim depression, southwestern Tarim depression and southeastern Tarim depression.