Origin of the Neogene shallow gas accumulations in the Jiyang Superdepression, Bohai Bay Basin

Natural gas resources occur extensively along the east coast of China, with a number of large and medium-sized gas fields being discovered in recent years. Gas reservoirs include Neogene, Paleogene and the underlying Mesozoic and Paleozoic basement. Of the total proven natural gas reserves in the Jiyang Superdepression, Bohai Bay Basin, almost 89.7% is present in the shallow Neogene gas pools, in traps formed on top of the paleotopographic highs and along the margin of the secondary depressions. These gases are closely associated with heavy oils, occurring as gas caps or associated gases within the heavy oil pools, or in separate gas pools above, or updip from, the heavy oil pools. The gases contain over 95% methane and small quantities of alkanes, nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The stable carbon isotopes of methane in these gases are up to 10‰ more positive than those of the thermogenic gases in the deep Paleogene reservoirs, with propane more enriched in ¹³C than butane. This study demonstrated that the majority of the petroleum source rocks in the Jiyang Superdepression tend to be oil-prone, and are currently within or shallower than the conventional oil window (0.45–1.0% Ro). The chemical and carbon isotopic compositions of the gases, together with the moderate to severe biodegradation of the associated heavy oils in the shallow Neogene strata, clearly suggest that the formation of the shallow natural gases in the Jiyang Superdepression result from the anaerobic degradation of accumulated oils in reservoir.