Tectonic Evolution and Geological Characteristics of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in Marine Mesozoic–Paleozoic Strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin

The South Yellow Sea Basin is the main body of the lower Yangtze area in which marine Mesozoic–Paleozoic strata are widely distributed.The latest geophysical data were used to overcome the limitation of previous poor-quality deep data.Meanwhile,the geological characteristics of hydrocarbon reservoirs in the marine Mesozoic–Paleozoic strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin were analyzed by comparing the source rocks and the reservoir and utilizing drilling and outcrop data.It is believed that the South Yellow Sea Basin roughly underwent six evolutionary stages:plate spreading,plate convergence,stable platform development,foreland basin development,faulted basin development,and depression basin development.The South Yellow Sea Basin has characteristics of a composite platform-fault depression geological structure,with a half-graben geological structure and with a ‘sandwich structure' in the vertical direction.Four sets of hydrocarbon source rocks developed – the upper Permian Longtan–Dalong formation,the lower Permian Qixia formation,the lower Silurian Gaojiabian formation,and the lower Cambrian Hetang formation/Mufushan formation,giving the South Yellow Sea Basin relatively good hydrocarbon potential.The carbonate is the main reservoir rock type in the South Yellow Sea area,and there are four carbonate reservoir types:porous dolomitic,reef-bank,weathered crust,and fractured.There are reservoir-forming horizons similar to the typical hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Yangtze land area developed in the South Yellow Sea,and there are three sets of complete source-reservoir-cap rock assemblages developed in the marine strata,with very good hydrocarbon potential.     

Petroleum geological framework and hydrocarbon potential in the Yellow Sea

Sedimentary basins in the Yellow Sea can be grouped tectonically into the North Yellow Sea Basin (NYSB), the northern basin of the South Yellow Sea (SYSNB) and the southern basin of the South Yellow Sea (SYSSB). The NYSB is connected to Anju Basin to the east. The SYSSB extends to Subei Basin to the west. The acoustic basement of basins in the North Yellow Sea and South Yellow Sea is disparate, having different stratigraphic evolution and oil accumulation features, even though they have been under the same stress regime since the Late Triassic. The acoustic basement of the NYSB features China-Korea Platform crystalline rocks, whereas those in the SYSNB and SYSSB are of the Paleozoic Yangtze Platform sedimentary layers or metamorphic rocks. Since the Late Mesozoic terrestrial strata in the eastern of the NYSB (West Korea Bay Basin) were discovered having industrial hydrocarbon accumulation, the oil potential in the Mesozoic strata in the west depression of the basin could be promising, although the petroleum exploration in the South Yellow Sea has made no break-through yet. New deep reflection data and several drilling wells have indicated the source rock of the Mesozoic in the basins of South Yellow Sea, and the Paleozoic platform marine facies in the SYSSB and Central Rise could be the other hosts of oil or natural gas. The Mesozoic hydrocarbon could be found in the Mesozoic of the foredeep basin in the SYSNB that bears potential hydrocarbon in thick Cretaceous strata, and so does the SYSSB where the same petroleum system exists to that of oil-bearing Subei Basin.     

A study on accumulation and distribution of gas in southern Songliao Basin

A number of isolated fault sags in Late Jurassic--Early Cretaceous were developed in the early stage of southern Songliao Basin,and unified to a depression basin in the late stage.Therefore,multiple isolated lower petroliferous systems were formed with fault sags as source rocks.The source rocks of fault sags in Late Jurassic--Early Cretaceous were mainly described with gas generation as favorable source rocks,leading to the southern Songliao Basin rich in natural gas resources combined with organic gas resources in Nenjiang Formation.A number of tectonic movements in southern Songliao Basin led to the formation of abundant structural traps and complex fault systems,and controlled the distribution strata and positions of sources rocks in Late Jurassic--Early Cretaceous fault sags.The oil-gas reservoirs can be divided into two types,i.e.,primary and secondary ones.The primary oil-gas reservoirs were distributed in the fault sag strata and the bottom of overlying depression strata(lower Quan-1 Member).The oil-gas reservoir accumulation depended on the trap development situation and the distance from source rocks.The preservation conditions of oil-gas reservoirs depended on the degree of reconstruction in the late tectonism.The secondary oil-gas reservoirs were distribution in the Quantou Formation of depression strata,where oil and gas reservoir accumulation depended on three conditions,i.e.,trap development situation,deep gas sources and the fault to connect the shallow traps and deep gas sources.The southern Songliao Basin is rich in lower coal type gas,upper oil-gas and biogas resources,which are important resources in the future.     

Provenance and Tectonic Implications of Paleozoic Strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin,China–Revealed from the Borehole CSDP-2

Well CSDP-2 is a fully coring deep drilling hole, penetrating the thick Paleozoic marine strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin(SYSB) in the lower Yangtze Block(LYB). Based on the petrological and geochemical analysis of 40 sandstone samples from the core CSDP-2, the provenance and tectonic features of Paleozoic detrital rocks from SYSB are analyzed and systematically delineated in this article. The results show that the Silurian – Carboniferous sandstones are mature sublitharenite, while the Permian sandstones are unstable feldspathic litharenite. The average CIA(chemical index of alteration) is 74.61, which reflects these sediments were derived from source rocks with moderate chemical weathering. The REE(rare earth element) patterns are characterized by LREE enrichment, flat HREE and obviously negative Eu anomaly, which are similar to that of the upper continental crust. Dickinson QFL discrimination results indicate the recycled orogeny provenance. Various diagrams for the discrimination of sedimentary provenance based on major and trace element data show all the sediments were derived predominantly from quartz sedimentary rocks, of which the Permian strata contain more felsic sedimentary rocks. Geochemical data for these detrital rocks suggest they occur at the passive continental margin and island arc settings, and the Permian sandstone presents active continental margin setting.     

Geochemical characteristics of Early Cretaceous source rocks in Boli Basin

The Early Cretaceous deposits are composed of important source rocks in Boli Basin. The types of the source rocks include black mudstones and coal （with carbonaceous mudstone）. By the organic geochemical analysis methods, the authors discussed the organic petrological characters, abundance of organic matter, degree of maturity and the type of source rocks. The main micro-component of black mudstone is exinite or vitrinite, and the content of vitrinite is high in coal. The weathering of the outcrop is very serious. The abundance of organic matter in source rock reaches the poor to better rank. The major kerogens in mudstone are type- Ⅲ, type- Ⅱ 2 and some type- Ⅱ 1 ; the organic type of coal is type-Ⅲ. The thermal evolution of the source rocks in every structural unit is very different, from low-maturity to over-maturity. The depositional environment is reductive, which is good for the preservation of organic matter. The organic matter in source rocks is mainly from aquatic organisms and terrigenous input.     

Comparison of Kuqa foreland basin with Persian Gulf Basin in salt tectonics

Compared Kuqa foreland basin with Persian Gulf Basin in development of salt layers, salt tectonics, and the relation between salt tectonics and hydrocarbon, it is concluded that the salt diapirs are relative to hydrocarbon. Searching salt diapirs and related traps in Kuqa foreland basin is important. The forming mechanism of salt tectonic in Kuqa foreland basin is different from that of Hormuz Series, but similar to that of Lower Fars Series/Gachsaran Formation. Inspired by the role of salt tectonics of Lower Fars Series/Gachsaran Formation in hydrocarbon accumulation, the authors considered that the exploration below salt layer should be enforced, and the traps below salt layer in the southern part of the Kuqa foreland basin would be found where salt layer is thicker. On the contrary, the traps should be found both above and below the salt layer in front of the northern mountain where salt layer is thin. The Triassic and Jurassic source rocks are rich in this area with great exploration prospective.     

Sedimentary Characteristics of the Second Marine Layer During the Late Marine Isotope Stage 3 in Southern Yellow Sea and Their Response to the East Asian Monsoon

We use the particle size of sediments in core YS01 A to study the sedimentary environment of the mud deposit in the central South Yellow Sea of China during late Marine Isotope Stages 3(MIS3;40.5 kyr–31.3 kyr).In addition,the East Asian Monsoon and its relationship with the North Atlantic Ocean climate change are discussed based on the sensitive grain-size calculation and the spectrum analysis.The results show that during late MIS3,the muddy area in the central South Yellow Sea experienced the evolution of coastal facies,shallow marine facies,coastal facies,and continental facies,with weak hydrodynamic conditions.Compared with other climate indicators,we found that there were many century to millennium-scale climate signals documented in the muddy area sediments in the central South Yellow Sea.According to our particle size results,three strong winter monsoon events occurred at 37.6 kyr,35.6 kyr and 32.2 kyr.The East Asian Winter Monsoon records in core YS01 A are consistent with the Greenland ice core and the Hulu cave stalagmite δ~(18)O.The millennial and centennial scale cycles,which are 55 yr,72 yr,115 yr,262 yr respectively,correspond to solar activity cycles,while the 1049 yr and 2941 yr cycles correspond to the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles.These cycles indicate that the paleoclimate evolution of the area was controlled by the solar activities,with the high-latitude driving thermohaline circulation as the main energy conveyor belt,followed by the sea-air-land amplification of the winter monsoon variation in the central Yellow Sea in the late MIS3.     

MOLAR RATIOS OF C, N, P OF PARTICULATE MATTER AND THEIR VERTICAL FLUXES IN THE YELLOW SEA

The vertical fluxes and molar ratios of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of suspended particulate matter in the Yellow Sea were studied based on the analysis of suspended particulate matter,sediments and sinking particles obtained by use of moored sediment traps. The POC ： PON ratios indicate that most of the particulate organic matter in the Yellow Sea water column comes from marine life rather than the continent. The vertical fluxes of SPM, POC, PON and POP in the Yellow Sea are much higher than those in other seas over the world, and present a typical pattern in shallow epicontinental seas. The estimated residence time of the bioactive elements showed that the speed of the biogeochemical process of materials in the Yellow Sea is much shorter than that in the open ocean as there was high primary productivity in this region.     

Geochemistry of solvable organic matter from source rocks in Shangkuli Formation of Labudalin Basin

A suit of lacustrine source rocks are developed in volcanic deposits in the Shangkuli Formation of the Cretaceous. However, it is poor to understand the characteristics of source rocks due to the low degree of exploration, thus the exploration is severely constrained in this area. Based on the geochemical analysis, the analytic technique of GC and GC-MS, combined with the characteristics of solvable organic matter and biomarkers of the source rocks, the authors discussed the depositional environment, the derivation of the matrix and the maturity characteristics of the organic material of the Shangkuli Formation in Cretaceous. The results show that the organic matter mainly belongs to type Ⅱ1 kerogen, whose abundance is relatively high; it was formed in reductive surrounding where was deep-lake; the hydrocarbon is characterized by mixed-source of organic matter. The thermal evolution of source rocks had reached maturation stage.     

Accumulation model and prediction of Miocene heavy oil distribution in Gulf of Suez Basin,Egypt

The Gulf of Suez Basin is a very mature and extremely prospective petroleum province.Many heavy oil fields have been found in the Basin, and such reserves are abundant.Characteristics and models of heavy oil are analyzed in this study based on tectonic, basin evolution, stratigraphic distribution and geochemical data. The best reservoirs of heavy oil are Miocene sandstone and limestone formations.Source rocks of hydrocarbon include deep limestone and shale of the Brown Limestone, the Thebes Formation and the Rudeis Formation. Thick evaporite rocks with rock salts and anhydrites deposited broadly throughout the basin are the most impor-tant regional seals, whereas Miocene shales are intraformational and regional seals that cover small areas.Heavy oil could be directly generated or densified during vertical migration along faults and reservoir accumulation. The heavy oil accumulation model is a mixed model that includes three mechanisms:fault dispersal, sulfocom-pound reactions and hydrocarbons generated from immature source rock.After analyzing the model and the dis-tribution of source rocks, reservoirs, heavy oil fields and structures, it is concluded that the potential heavy oil area is at the center of the basin.     

Characteristics of organic geochemistry of sediments in the northern part of the South Huanghai Sea

It is known that the organic matter in the upper layer of sediments gets lost fast, but not in the South Huanghai Sea (Yellow sea). Some of the major characteristics of organic geochemistry of sediments in the South Huanghai Sea can be summarized as follows:1. The contents of organic carbon and bitumen increase with the decrease in grain size.2.Loss of organic matter is closely related to grain size but less so in clay sediments.3.The contents of bitumen and hydrocarbon are low, about n ×102 ppm for bitumen and n ×10 ppm for hydrocarbon.A scattered show of organic matter does not necessarily indicate the presence of petroleum in recent marine sediments.In research into the genesis of petroleum, people pay more attention to the study of the organic geochemistry of recent marine sediments. How much organic materials was lost during the deposition up to the diagenesis ? The problem is as important as the study on the transformation of organic matter. This study on the organic geochemistry of the sediment     

Facies-controlled volcanic reservoirs of northern Songliao Basin, NE China

Volcanic rocks of the late Mesozoic are very important reservoirs for the commercial natural gases including hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide and rare gases in the northern Songliao Basin. The reservoir volcanic rocks include rhyolite, andesite, Wachyte, basalt and tuff. Facies of the volcanic rocks can be classified into 5 categories and 15 special types. Porosity and permeability of the volcanic reservoirs arc facies-controlled, Commercial reservoirs were commonly found among the following volcanic subfacics： volcanic neck （Ⅰ1）, underground-explosive breccia （Ⅰ3）, pyroclastic-bcaring lava flow （Ⅱ3）, upper effusivc （Ⅲ3） and inner extrusive ones （ Ⅳ1）. The best volcanic reservoirs arc generally evolved in the interbedded explosive and effusivc volcanics. Rhyolites show in general better reservoir features than other types of rocks do.     

Facies-controlled volcanic reservoirs of northern Songliao Basin, NE China

Volcanic rocks of the late Mesozoic are very important reservoirs for the commercial natural gases including hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide and rare gases in the northern Songliao Basin. The reservoir volcanic rocks include rhyolite, andesite, trachyte, basalt and tuff. Facies of the volcanic rocks can be classified into 5 categories and 15 special types. Porosity and permeability of the volcanic reservoirs are facies-controlled. Commercial reservoirs were commonly found among the following volcanic subfacies: volcanic neck (I1) , underground-explosive breccia (I3), pyroclastic-bearing lava flow (II3), upper effusive (III3) and inner extrusive ones (IV1). The best volcanic reservoirs are generally evolved in the interbedded explosive and effusive volcanics. Rhyolites show in general better reservoir features than other types of rocks do.     

Origin and geochemistry of surface sediments in the mud deposit area offshore the Shandong Peninsula,China

The waters offshore the Shandong Peninsula separate the North Yellow Sea from the South Yellow Sea,and receive a large amount of terrestrial material from Chinese and Korean rivers,making it an ideal area for studying land-sea interactions.However,little attention has been given to measuring sediment transportation in most previous studies.Based on an analysis in composition of major and trace elements and particle size characteristics from 62 surface sediment samples from the northeastern region off Shandong Peninsula,the type,element composition,and controlling factors of the surface sediments were inve stigated.In addition,the transportation of sediments from source to sink was described from measured thermohaline data.The results show two types of surface sediments:sandy silt and silt.The sediments were mainly terrestrial;and marine carbonate had little effect on sediment composition.Shown on a binary diagram of Rb/Sc to Co/Sc,the Huanghe(Yellow) and Changjiang(Yangtze) rivers are the main sources of surface sediments in the study area.The component mixing model showed that the relative contribution of sediment from the Huanghe River was up to 92%,followed by the Changjiang River(8%).The Yellow Sea Warm Current and the North Shandong Peninsula Coastal Current met at ～3 7.7°N in the study area,and were the main forces carrying sediment from the two main river sources.However,there was a deficit of transported material into the study area in summer.The secondary distribution of sediment from the two river sources was controlled by tidal currents and waves.     

Upper Paleozoic Marine Shale Characteristics and Exploration Prospects in the Northwestern Guizhong Depression,South China

Multiple sets of organic-rich shales developed in the Upper Paleozoic of the northwestern Guizhong Depression in South China. However, the exploration of these shales is presently at a relatively immature stage. The Upper Paleozoic shales in the northwestern Guizhong Depression, including the Middle Devonian Luofu shale, the Nabiao shale, and the Lower Carboniferous Yanguan shale, were investigated in this study. Mineral composition analysis, organic matter analysis(including total organic carbon(TOC) content, maceral of kerogen and the vitrinite reflection(Ro)), pore characteristic analysis(including porosity and permeability, pore type identification by SEM, and pore size distribution by nitrogen sorption), methane isothermal sorption test were conducted, and the distribution and thickness of the shales were determined, Then the characteristics of the two target shales were illustrated and compared. The results show that the Upper Paleozoic shales have favorable organic matter conditions(mainly moderate to high TOC content, type Ⅰ and Ⅱ_1 kerogen and high to over maturity), good fracability potential(brittleness index(BI) 40%), multiple pore types, stable distribution and effective thickness, and good methane sorption capacity. Therefore, the Upper Paleozoic shales in the northern Guizhong Depression have good shale gas potential and exploration prospects. Moreover, the average TOC content, average BI, thickness of the organic-rich shale(TOC 2.0 wt%) and the shale gas resources of the Middle Devonian shales are better than those of the Lower Carboniferous shale. The Middle Devonian shales have better shale gas potential and exploration prospects than the Lower Carboniferous shales.     

Mesozoic Deformation and Its Geological Significance in the Southern Margin of the South China Sea

The pre-Eocene history of the region around the present South China Sea is not well known. New multi-channel seismic profiles provide valuable insights into the probable Mesozoic history of this region. Detailed structural and stratigraphic interpretations of the multi-channel seismic profiles, calibrated with relevant drilling and dredging data, show major Mesozoic structural features. A structural restoration was done to remove the Cenozoic tectonic influence and calculate the Mesozoic tectonic compression ratios. The results indicate that two groups of compressive stress with diametrically opposite orientations, S(S)E– N(N)W and N(N)W–S(S)E, were active during the Mesozoic. The compression ratio values gradually decrease from north to south and from west to east in each stress orientation. The phenomena may be related to the opening of the proto-South China Sea(then located in south of the Nansha block) and the rate at which the Nansha block drifted northward in the late Jurassic to late Cretaceous. The Nansha block drifted northward until it collided and sutured with the southern China margin. The opening of the present South China Sea may be related to this suture zone, which was a tectonic zone of weakness.     

Heterogenous zircons from Mesozoic igneous rocks in the North China Craton and their tectonic implications

Based on a synthesis of zircon inheritance from Mesozoic igneous rocks in the eastern portion of the North China Craton （NCC） , it is proposed that inherited zircons with Neoproterozoie ages identified from these rocks are of a heterogenous derivation from the Yangtze/South China block, rather than from the NCC itself. The mechanism that introduces these zircons incorporated into the NCC is likely by tectonic underplating during the Triassic continental subduction of the Yangtze block beneath the NCC. Tectonic addition of abundant crustal materials represented by the heterogenous zircons into the NCC, probably along Moho or weak interfaces within the NCC＇s crust, led to the crustal thickening in the NCC. These heterogenous materials, either as （partial） source rocks or as contaminants of the magmas generated during an extension environment following the crustal thickening, were reworked and therefore have significant contribution to petrogenesis of the Mesozoic igneous rocks. The crustal thickening resulted from the tectonic underplating, as indicated by the distribution extent of the heterogenous zircons, is spatially similar to that of the lithospheric thinning, with both mainly occurring in the eastern segment of the NCC. This is probably suggestive of an intrinsic relation between the thickening and thinning events during the Mesozoic evolution of the NCC.     

Characteristics of geological structures in Shiling and Zhuanshanhu areas of Yehe Uplift,NE China

The basin marginal fault system is the key to understand the formation and evolution of Songliao Basin. In order to investigate the influence of marginal fault system on the structural evolution of Songliao Basin, a comprehensive study was conducted on Shiling Town and Zhuanshanhu area of Yehe Town in Siping City of Jilin Province, where is the southeastern margin of the Songliao Basin and there are a series of well-exposed fault, fold and intrusive bodies belonging to the main marginal fault sy...     

THE EVOLUTION OF STENOLS AND STANOLS IN MARINE SEDIMENT CORE FROM BEIBU BAY, THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Ten stenols and stanols were identified by TLC , GC and GC-MS-DS in a marine sediment core from Beibu Bay , the South China Sea .C27, C28 and C29 A5 stenols and 5a- stanols mainly come from zoopiankton, algae and phytoplankton in marine environment. C29 24-ethylcholest- 5 - en- 3B- ol is thought to indicate input of terrigenous organic matter . The increase of C27 . C28 and C29 5a-stanol /5 stenol ratios with sediment depth shows the evolution of stenols and stanols in the marine sediment core .     

Relationship Between Paleogene Reservoir Densification and Hydrocarbon Accumulation in the Xihu Depression

Fluid inclusion analysis and testing were conducted to clarify the relationship between reservoir densification and hydrocarbon accumulation in the Paleogene Pinghu and Huagang formations in the Xihu Depression.The hydrocarbon accumulation stages of the reservoirs were studied in combination with the reconstruction results of burial and thermal evolution histories.Furthermore,the relationship between reservoir densification and accumulation charging was clarified in combination with the pore evolutionary history.In accordance with the time relation between reservoir densification and hydrocarbon charging,the reservoirs were classified into three types:pre-charging,syn-charging,and after-charging densification.Results indicated that large-scale hydrocarbon charging occurred in 11–0 Myr.Reservoir densification was mainly caused by strong mechanical compaction and pore filling by well-developed siliceous and carbonate cements.Entering the middle diagenetic stage A_1,the reservoir was under an acidic-diagenetic environment,resulting in the development of secondary dissolution pores.If large-scale hydrocarbon charging occurred during this period,then an after-charging densification reservoir,which is the most suitable type for hydrocarbon accumulation,might have developed.Entering the middle diagenetic stage A_2,the reservoir was under an acidic-alkaline transitional diagenetic environment.During this stage,dissolution became weak,and compaction and cementation were enhanced,resulting in the continuous loss of pore space and reservoir densification.Entering the middle diagenetic period B,the reservoir was under an alkaline-diagenetic environment,and the reservoir had been largely densified.If large-scale hydrocarbon charging occurred during this period,a pre-charging densified reservoir,which is the worst reservoir type for hydrocarbon accumulation,might have developed.