Shale Gas Formation and Occurrence in China: An Overview of the Current Status and Future Potential

Shale gas is one of the most promising unconventional resources both in China and abroad. It is known as a form of self-contained source-reservoir system with large and continuous dimensions. Through years of considerable exploration efforts, China has identified three large shale gas fields in the Fuling, Changning and Weiyuan areas of the Sichuan Basin, and has announced more than 540 billion m~3 of proven shale gas reserves in marine shale systems. The geological theories for shale gas development have progressed rapidly in China as well. For example, the new depositional patterns have been introduced for deciphering the paleogeography and sedimentary systems of the Wufeng shale and Longmaxi shale in the Sichuan Basin. The shale gas storage mechanism has been widely accepted as differing from conventional natural gas in that it is adsorbed on organic matter or a mineral surface or occurs as free gas trapped in pores and fractures of the shale. Significant advances in the techniques of microstructural characterization have provided new insights on how gas molecules are stored in micro- and nano-scale porous shales. Furthermore, newly-developed concepts and practices in the petroleum industry, such as hydraulic fracturing, microseismic monitoring and multiwell horizontal drilling, have made the production of this unevenly distributed but promising unconventional natural gas a reality. China has 10–36 trillion m~3 of promising shale gas among the world's whole predicted technically recoverable reserves of 206.6 trillion m~3. China is on the way to achieving its goal of an annual yield of 30–50 billion m~3 by launching more trials within shale gas projects.     

Characteristics and Origin of Tight Oil Accumulations in the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation of the Ordos Basin, North-Central China

The Upper Triassic oil accumulations in the Ordos Basin is the most successful tight oil play in China,with average porosity values of less than 10% and permeability values below 1.0 mD.This study investigated the geological characteristics and origin of the tight oil accumulations in the Chang 6 member of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Shanbei area based on over 50,000 petrological,source-rock analysis,well logging and production data.The tight oil accumulation of the Chang 6 member is distributed continuously in the basin slope and the centre of the basin.The oilwater relationships are complex.Laumontite dissolution pores are the most important storage spaces,constituting 30%-60% of total porosity and showing a strong positive relationship with oil production.The pore-throat diameter is less than 1 μm,and the calculated critical height of the oil column is much larger than the tight sand thickness,suggesting that the buoyancy was probably of limited importance for oil migration.The pressure difference between the source rocks and sandstone reservoirs is inferred to have provided driving force for hydrocarbon migration.Two factors of source-reservoir configuration and laumontite dissolution contributed to the formation of the Chang 6 tight oil accumulations.Intense hydrocarbon generation and continuous sand bodies close to the hydrocarbon kitchen are the foundation for the large-scale oil distribution.Dissolution of feldspar-laumontite during the process of organic matter evolution generated abundant secondary pores and improved the reservoir quality.     

受控定向钻进技术在福建马坑矿区的应用

重点介绍了福建马坑矿区ZK8321分支孔受控定向钻进技术。施工中运用了国内先进的螺杆钻造斜技术及光纤陀螺测量定向技术,避开上部复杂孔段（松散破碎层、溶洞地层、采空区等）及对勘探工作的影响,达到了施工目的;总结了施工技术难点与措施,分析了施工技术效果,积累了宝贵的施工经验。     

海洋二号微波散射计极地海冰识别算法研究

An Antarctic sea ice identification algorithm on the HY-2A scatterometer(HSCAT) employs backscattering coefficient(σ0) and active polarization ratio(APR) for a preliminary sea ice identification.Then standard deviation(STD) filtering and space filtering are carried out.Finally,it is used to identify sea ice.A process uses a σ0,STD threshold and an APR as sea ice indicators.The sea ice identification results are verified using the sea ice distribution data of the ASMR2 released by the National Snow and Ice Data Center as a reference.The results show very good consistence of sea ice development trends,seasonal changes,area distribution,and sea ice edge distribution of the sea ice identification results obtained by this algorithm relative to the ASMR2 sea ice results.The accuracy of a sea ice coverage is 90.8% versus the ASMR2 sea ice results.This indicates that this algorithm is reliable.     

POM模式在日本南部黑潮路径变异研究中的应用

日本南部黑潮路径变异对北太平洋地区的气候和环境具有显著的影响,对黑潮路径变异的研究具有重要的意义。本文利用POM(Princeton Ocean Model)数值模式模拟了日本南部黑潮的路径变异情况,分析了黑潮大弯曲路径形成的可能机制。研究结果表明,当黑潮处于非大弯曲路径时,相对位势涡度的平均值呈现递减趋势,说明日本南部低位势涡度水在不断积累,这样会使得四国再循环流的强度增强,迫使黑潮保持平直路径,同时,近岸黑潮垂直流速剪切增大,斜压不稳定性的作用也逐渐增大;当黑潮从非大弯曲路径向大弯曲路径过渡时,再循环流强度的减弱会导致黑潮的流速剪切减小。根据海表高度异常场以及海洋上层流场信息发现,近岸黑潮附近的气旋涡会随着再循环流区域反气旋涡的东侧向南运动,最终导致黑潮大弯曲的发生。分析涡流的能量,结果显示,黑潮大弯曲路径的形成与斜压不稳定性密切相关。     

Dual Control of Depositional Facies on Uranium Mineralization in Coal‐bearing Series: Examples from the Tuanyushan Area of the Northern Qaidam Basin,NW China

The uranium deposits in the Tuanyushan area of northern Qaidam Basin commonly occur in coal-bearing series. To decipher the U-enrichment mechanism and controlling factors in this area, a database of 72 drill cores, including 56 well-logs and 3 sampling wells, was examined for sedimentology and geochemistry in relation to uranium concentrations. The results show that coal-bearing series can influence uranium mineralization from two aspects, i.e., spatial distribution and dynamic control. Five types of uranium-bearing rocks are recognized, mainly occurring in the braided river and braided delta sedimentary facies, among which sandstones near the coals are the most important. The lithological associations of sandstone-type uranium deposits can be classified into three subtypes, termed as U-coal type, coal-U-coal type, and coal-U type, respectively. The coal and fine siliciclastic rocks in the coalbearing series confined the U-rich fluid flow and uranium accumulation in the sandstone near them. Thus, the coal-bearing series can provide good accommodations for uranium mineralization. Coals and organic matters in the coal-bearing series may have served as reducing agents and absorbing barriers. Methane is deemed to be the main acidolysis hydrocarbon in the U-bearing beds, which shows a positive correlation with U-content in the sandstones in the coal-bearing series. Additionally, the δ13 C in the carbonate cements of the U-bearing sandstones indicates that the organic matters, associated with the coal around the sandstones, were involved in the carbonation, one important component of alteration in the Tuanyushan area. Recognition of the dual control of coal-bearing series on the uranium mineralization is significant for the development of coal circular economy, environmental protection during coal utilization and the security of national rare metal resources.     

西藏冈底斯带昂仁县差绒—丁欧复式花岗岩的成因：锆石U-Pb年代学及地球化学制约

西藏冈底斯带昂仁县措迈乡差绒—丁欧复式花岗岩岩石类型为石英闪长岩、黑云二长花岗岩和二长花岗岩,各侵入体之间为突变接触关系,闪长岩U- Pb同位素年龄为155.4±2.7Ma;黑云二长花岗岩U- Pb同位素年龄为152.0±13Ma、153.96±0.92Ma,时代均为晚侏罗世。岩石地球化学显示三者均为高钾钙碱性系列岩石,石英闪长岩为弱铝质―准铝质;黑云二长花岗岩和二长花岗岩则为准铝质—过铝质。黑云二长花岗岩和二长花岗岩相比石英闪长岩表现为富硅、富碱、贫Ca、Ti、Mg,轻稀土元素更富集,轻稀土分馏程度更高,分异更加明显的特点,微量元素二长花岗岩Ba、Sr、P、Ti亏损最为明显,黑云二长花岗岩的Rb、Th、K富集最为明显,石英闪长岩相比黑云二长花岗岩和二长花岗岩的Rb/Sr（0.18~0.46）、Rb/Ba值（0.13~0.26）最低,指示其分异演化程度较低。差绒—丁欧花岗岩应是同时代不同期次侵入的复式岩体,早期为I型的石英闪长岩和黑云二长花岗岩,晚期为S型二长花岗岩,该复式岩体并非产出于单一的俯冲环境,二长花岗岩可能为弧陆碰撞时的产物。