Structural characteristics of central depression belt in deep-water area of the Qiongdongnan Basin and the hydrocarbon discovery of Songnan low bulge

The Qiongdongnan Basin has the first proprietary high-yield gas field in deep-water areas of China and makes the significant breakthroughs in oil and gas exploration. The central depression belt of deep-water area in the Qiongdongnan Basin is constituted by five sags, i.e. Ledong Sag, Lingshui Sag, Songnan Sag, Baodao Sag and Changchang Sag. It is a Cenozoic extensional basin with the basement of pre-Paleogene as a whole. The structural research in central depression belt of deep-water area in the Qiongdongnan Basin has the important meaning in solving the basic geological problems, and improving the exploration of oil and gas of this basin. The seismic interpretation and structural analysis in this article was operated with the 3D seismic of about 1.5×104 km2 and the 2D seismic of about 1×104 km. Eighteen sampling points were selected to calculate the fault activity rates of the No.2 Fault. The deposition rate was calculated by the ratio of residual formation thickness to deposition time scale. The paleo-geomorphic restoration was obtained by residual thickness method and impression method. The faults in the central depression belt of deep-water area of this basin were mainly developed during Paleogene, and chiefly trend in NE–SW, E–W and NW–SE directions. The architectures of these sags change regularly from east to west: the asymmetric grabens are developed in the Ledong Sag, western Lingshui Sag, eastern Baodao Sag, and western Changchang Sag; half-grabens are developed in the Songnan Sag, eastern Lingshui Sag, and eastern Changchang Sag. The tectonic evolution history in deep-water area of this basin can be divided into three stages, i.e. faulted-depression stage, thermal subsidence stage, and neotectonic stage. The Ledong-Lingshui sags, near the Red River Fault, developed large-scale sedimentary and subsidence by the uplift of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during neotectonic stage. The Baodao-Changchang sags, near the northwest oceanic sub-basin, developed the large-scale magmatic activities and the transition of stress direction by the expansion of the South China Sea. The east sag belt and west sag belt of the deep-water area in the Qiongdongnan Basin, separated by the ancient Songnan bulge, present prominent differences in deposition filling, diaper genesis, and sag connectivity. The west sag belt has the advantages in high maturity, well-developed fluid diapirs and channel sand bodies, thus it has superior conditions for oil and gas migration and accumulation. The east sag belt is qualified by the abundant resources of oil and gas. The Paleogene of Songnan low bulge, located between the west sag belt and the east sag belt, is the exploration potential. The YL 8 area, located in the southwestern high part of the Songnan low bulge, is a favorable target for the future gas exploration. The Well 8-1-1 was drilled in August 2018 and obtained potential business discovery, and the Well YL8-3-1 was drilled in July 2019 and obtained the business discovery.