Outcrops investigation in the Upper Shihezi Formation in the Liujiang Village, Liujiang Basin, Hebei

With the emphasis on three cross sections I, Ⅱ and Ⅲ, a detailed investigation has been made for the Upper Shihezi Formation outcrops in the Liujiang Village, Liujiang Basin, Hebei, aiming at the better understanding of sedimentary characteristics of the Upper Shihezi Formation. The typical lateral accretionary bodies and an oxbow lake are recognized in the investigated outcrops, suggesting the development of the meandering stream system in the outcrops area. Moreover, the sinuosity indexes of more than 1.7 based on the fluvial empirical formulas also show that the outcrops area herein may be inferred to be the channels of the high-sinuosity meandering stream system. The steadily variations in size and flow direction may reflect that the high-sinuosity meandering stream has gone through the complicated evolution of the frequent channel diversion and migration during the long geological history. The findings in this investigation may provide helpful reference to the study of meandering stream architectures and mapping of the sedimentary facies and palaeogeographic maps of North China.