New understandings on gas accumulation and major exploration breakthroughs in subsalt Ma 4 Member of Ordovician Majiagou Formation,Ordos Basin,NW China

Geological conditions and main controlling factors of gas accumulation in subsalt Ma 4 Member of Ordovician Majiagou Formation are examined based on large amounts of drilling,logging and seismic data.The new understandings on the control of paleo-uplift over facies,reservoirs and accumulations are reached:(1)During the sedimentary period of Majiagou Formation,the central paleo-uplift divided the North China Sea in central-eastern of the basin from the Qinqi Sea at southwest margin of the basin,and controlled the deposition of the thick hummocky grain beach facies dolomite on platform margin of Ma 4 Member.Under the influence of the evolution of the central paleo-uplift,the frame of two uplifts alternate with two sags was formed in the central-eastern part of the basin,dolomite of inner-platform beach facies developed in the underwater low-uplift zones,and marl developed in the low-lying areas between uplifts.(2)From the central paleo-uplift to the east margin of the basin,the dolomite in the Ma 4 Member gradually becomes thinner and turns into limestone.The lateral sealing of the limestone sedimentary facies transition zone gives rise to a large dolomite lithological trap.(3)During the late Caledonian,the basin was uplifted as a whole,and the central paleo-uplift was exposed and denuded to various degrees;high-quality Upper Paleozoic Carboniferous-Permian coal measures source rocks deposited on the paleo-uplift in an area of 60000 km^(2),providing large-scale hydrocarbon for the dolomite lithological traps in the underlying Ma 4 Member.(4)During the Indosinian-Yanshanian stage,the basin tilted westwards,and central paleo-uplift depressed into an efficient hydrocarbon supply window.The gas from the Upper Paleozoic source rock migrated through the high porosity and permeability dolomite in the central paleo-uplift to and accumulated in the updip high part;meanwhile,the subsalt marine source rock supplied gas through the Caledonian faults and micro-fractures as a significant supplementary.Under the guidance of the above new understandings,two favorable exploration areas in the Ma 4 Member in the central-eastern basin were sorted out.Two risk exploration wells were deployed,both revealed thick gas-bearing layer in Ma 4 Member,and one of them tapped high production gas flow.The study has brought a historic breakthrough in the gas exploration of subsalt Ma 4 Member of Ordovician,and opened up a new frontier of gas exploration in the Ordos Basin.

Control of paleogeographic pattern on sedimentary differentiation of evaporite-carbonate symbiotic system:A case study of the sixth sub-member of Ordovician Majiagou Formation M5 Member in central-eastern Ordos Basin,NW China

The relationship between paleogeographic pattern and sedimentary differentiation of evaporite-carbonate symbiotic system is examined based on logging,core and thin section data,by taking the sixth sub-member of fifth member of Ordovician Majiagou Formation(M56)in the central-eastern Ordos Basin as an example.(1)Seven sub-geomorphic units(Taolimiao west low,Taolimiao underwater high,Taolimiao east low,Hengshan high,East salt low,North slope and Southwest slope)developed in the study area.(2)The“three lows”from west to east developed dolomitic restricted lagoon,evaporite evaporative lagoon and salt evaporative lagoon sedimentary facies respectively,the"two highs"developed high-energy grain beach and microbial mound,and the north and south slopes developed dolomitic flats around land.(3)The paleogeographic pattern caused natural differentiation of replenishment seawater from the northwest Qilian sea,leading to the eccentric sedimentary differentiation of dolomite,evaporite and salt rock symbiotic system from west to east,which is different from the classic“bull's eye”and“tear drop”distribution patterns.(4)As the Middle Qilian block subducted and collided into the North China Plate,the far-end compression stress transferred,giving rise to the alternate highland and lowland in near north to south direction during the sedimentary period of M56 sub-member.(5)Taolimiao underwater high and Hengshan high developed favorable zones of microbial mounds and grain shoals in south to north strike in M56 sub-member,making them favorable exploration areas with great exploration potential in the future.

Eogenetic karst and its control on reservoirs in the Ordovician Majiagou Formation, eastern Sulige gas field, Ordos Basin, NW China

To further ascertain the origin of the Ordovician Majiagou Formation reservoirs in the Ordos Basin,the M54-M51 sub-members of the Ordovician Majiagou Formation in the eastern Sulige gasfield of Ordos Basin were taken as examples to analyze the vertical development characteristics of eogenetic karst and to discover the dissolution mechanism and its control on reservoirs through observation of a large number of cores and thin sections.According to detailed analysis of petrologic characteristics,the reservoir rock types include micritic dolomite,grain dolomite and microbialite which have mainly moldic pore,intergranular(dissolved)pore,and(dissolved)residual framework pore as main reservoir space respectively.The study area developed upward-shallowing sequences,with an exposure surface at the top of a single upward-shallowing sequence.The karst systems under the exposure surface had typical exposure characteristics of early dissolution and filling,indicating these reservoirs were related to the facies-controlled eogenetic karstification.With the increase of karstification intensity,the reservoirs became worse in physical properties.

Isotopic Geochemistry of Evaporite-Carbonate Sediments in Majiagou Formation Euxinic Systems with Implications for Evaluating Ordovician Northern Shaanxi Epicontinental Sea, Ordos Basin

Objective The Ordovician Shaanxi salt basin is located in the junction of the North China Sea and the Qilian Sea.ln this basin the Majiagou Formation accumulated more than 1000m thick evaporite-carbonate sediments, and this basin is divided into east and west saltern sags （ESS, WSS） according to the characteristics of geochemical analysis （Zhang Yongsheng et al., 2014）. Isotope stratigraphy of evaporite sediments represents a fundamental tool in palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimate reconstruction. This work first illustrates the stable isotope geochemistry of the Shaanxi evaporites, which represents the most significant example of detailed facies stratigraphy for the Majiagou Formation evaporite-carbonate （M5） in Ordos epicontinental sea （Liu Jingdong et al.,

Geochemical,mineralogical,and petrological analyses for the interpretation of the sedimentary environment of the Middle-Late Ordovician Majiagou Formation(northern China)as a tool for more effective gas exploration

Core samples from the deeply buried Ordovician Majiagou Formation below the Huainan Coalfield(E China) have been investigated for their carbonate types,major and trace elements(including rare earth elements) and C and O isotopes,The objective was to get a better insight into the possible occurrences of gas(and possibly oil) derived from Carboniferous coals.It was found that the carbonates are dolomites with strongly varying amounts of CaO and MgO.The low concentrations of SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),and Fe_(2)O_(3)indicate deposition in a normal marine environment with little terrigenous input,The Na_(2)O/K_(2)O,Fe/Mn and Sr/Ba ratios,as well as the Ga values indicate mainly a marine salinity and a hot and humid climate.The slight depletion of Ce and Eu,the depletion of heavy rare earth elements(HREE) and the enrichment of light rare earth elements(LREE) indicate deposition in a reducing environment.It thus appears that the Majiagou Formation below the Huainan Coalfield closely resembles that in the eastern part of the Ordos Basin,where several gas reservoirs are present,so that the Majiagou Formation under the Huainan Coalfield represents a promising target for hydrocarbon exploration.

Restoration of formation processes of dolomite reservoirs based on laser U-Pb dating: A case study of Ordovician Majiagou Formation, Ordos Basin, NW China

To address the issue of non-unique interpretation of dolomite reservoir diagenetic and porosity evolution in the previous qualitative or semi-quantitative studies, we investigate two dolomite reservoir types, i.e. weathering-crust karstic reservoirs and mound-beach reservoirs, in the Ordovician Majiagou Formation, Ordos Basin by using in-situ laser ablation U-Pb dating as well as carbon and oxygen isotopic composition analysis. The results show that:(1) According to the dating of 8 reservoir samples, the Majiagou Formation experienced 5 diagenetic stages(Stage 1: deposition of matrix dolomite or penecontemporaneous dolomitization, in 444.0–494.0 Ma;Stage 2: dogtooth-or blade-shaped dolomite cementation, in 440.0–467.0 Ma;Stage 3: dolomitic silt filling, in 316.5–381.0 Ma;Stage 4: crystalline dolomite filling, in 354.0 Ma;Stage 5: crystalline calcite filling, in 292.7–319.0 Ma).(2) Supra-salt weathering-crust karstic dolomite reservoirs went through several diagenetic processes including penecontemporaneous dolomitization, compaction, weathering-crust karstification, packing, and rupturing in succession. Gypsum mold pores formed in the phase of hypergenic karstification and were filled with such minerals as dolomitic silts and calcites, and thus the porosity decreased from 10%–40% to 3%–8%.(3) Sub-salt mound-beach dolomite reservoirs went through the diagenetic processes including penecontemporaneous dolomitization, compaction, subsea cementation, penecontemporaneous corrosion, infiltration backflow dolomitization, packing, and rupturing. The porosity of reservoirs was originally 10%–30%, decreased to 0–6% due to seawater cementation, rose back to 5%–15% owing to penecontemporaneous corrosion, and finally declined to 2%–6% as a result of crystalline dolomites and calcites packing. The above methodology for the restoration of dolomitization and porosity evolution may be helpful for the restoration of porosity evolution in other basins or series of strata.

Biological sources, paleoenvironment, and organic matter enrichment in source rocks of the Ordovician Majiagou Formation, Ordos Basin, China:Evidence from biomarkers,microfossils, and inorganic geochemical analyses

Carbonate deposits in the Ordovivian Majiagou Formation are significant source rocks for natural gas generation in the Ordos Basin, northwestern China. Previous studies mainly focused on the organic matter enrichment mechanism of shales rather than carbonate rocks. The biological sources and paleoenvironment of carbonate source rocks, and the main controlling factors of organic matter enrichment in the carbonate source rocks were studied in this paper in combination with evidence from biomarkers, microfossils and inorganic geochemistry analysis. The results show that four types of microfacies were identified in the Majiagou Formation, respectively as: mud flat microfacies, mud-dolomite flat microfacies, dolomite flat microfacies, and open marine microfacies. The biological sources of organic matter are chiefly planktonic algae, followed by bacteria. The mud flat and mud-dolomite flat contain a high abundance of terrigenous detrital inputs, as indicated by the high content of Al_(2)O_(3), TiO_(2), Th, and Zr. The low Sr/Cu and high Rb/Sr values reveal warm and humid paleoclimate conditions in the mud flat and mud-dolomite flat, whereas the dolomite flat and open marine were likely formed in hot and arid paleoclimate conditions. The mud flat and mud-dolomite flat deposits were characterized by high paleoproductivity of the Majiagou Formation. Low Sr/Ba values were found in the mud flat samples, indicating fresh to brackish water condition, whereas samples of other facies have a relatively high degree of salinity. Based on U_(auth), Mo_(auth), Cr_(auth), Co_(auth), δCe, and δEu values, the mud flat microfacies was formed in a suboxic and anoxic environment, whereas the mud-dolomite flat, dolomite flat and open marine microfacies were within dysoxic to oxic conditions. A model of organic matter enrichment in the Majiagou Formation is thus established. The level of terrigenous detrital inputs is the principal factor of organic matter enrichment in the Majiagou Formation, secondly are redox condition and then paleoproductivity. The mud flat and mud-dolomite flat microfacies show abundant terrestrial detrital inputs and nutrient elements, indicative of warm and humid climate that facilitated biotic productivity, including an abundance of planktonic algae(microfossils). The suboxic and anoxic environments promoted the preservation of organic matter, as evidenced by the relatively high TOC content. The mud flat as well as the mud-dolomite flat of the Majiagou Formation is prospecting for forming source rocks.

Tightness and sweet spot formation in moldic-pore-type dolomite reservoirs: The middle Ordovician Majiagou Formation in the eastern Ordos Basin, central China

The diagenetic evolution of the moldic-pore-containing gypsum dolomites of the Middle Ordovician Majiagou Formation in the eastern Ordos Basin,central China,was studied by means of petrological,mineralogical,and geochemical analyses,to improve our understanding of heterogeneity in high-quality reservoirs.The aim of the study was to elucidate the processes that resulted in reservoir tightness and the formation of sweet spots,to guide future exploration.Results show that the moldic-pore-containing gypsum dolomites are the most favorable reservoir in the study area,with a mean porosity of 4.96%and a mean permeability of 0.748 mD.The development and preservation of gypsum moldic pores were the main factors causing reservoir heterogeneity.Specifically,moldic pore development was controlled by the sedimentary microfacies,whereas pore preservation was related to dissolution and filling during telogenetic diagenesis.There were three main dissolution-filling stages that took place in three settings:penecontemporaneous,epigenetic,and burial.These processes controlled the formation of reservoir sweet spots.Early-consolidated dolomite deposits were frequently exposed to the atmosphere in the penecontemporaneous environment under the influence of high-frequency sedimentary cycles,which led to the dissolution of evaporite minerals and consequent formation of gypsum moldic pores,accompanied by infilling by freshwater calcite.During epigenesis,the porosity initially increased due to karstification,then significantly decreased because of calcite infilling resulting from long subaerial exposure(120 Myr),which contributed to reservoir heterogeneity.Finally,during burial the high-temperature and high-pressure conditions led to chemical compaction and continuous tightening of the reservoir,although some burial dissolution also took place.In conclusion,the variable paleo-topography resulted in differences in the intensity of pore filling among the blocks in the study area,resulting in reservoir heterogeneity.

Distribution, evolution and structural properties of Wushenqi paleo-uplift in Ordos Basin, NW China

This paper depicts the distribution of the Wushenqi paleo-uplift in the Ordos Basin by using the latest drilling and seismic data, and analyzes the tectonic evolution of the paleo-uplift with the support of Bischke curve and balanced section. The compressional Wushenqi paleo-uplift which developed in the Early Caledonian orogeny(Huaiyuan orogeny) is approximately a ellipse extending in S-N direction. Its long axis is about 194 km and short axis is about 55-94 km in nearly W-E direction. The denudation thickness and area of the Cambrian in the core are 170-196 m and 11 298 km^(2), respectively. It was mainly formed during the Huaiyuan orogeny according to the chronostratigraphic framework. It was in the embryonic stage in the Middle-Late Cambrian, denuded after developed obviously at the end of Late Cambrian. The paleo-uplift of the 3rd member of the Ordovician Majiagou Formation was reactivated and reduced in area. In the sedimentary period of the Ma 4 Member-pre-Carboniferous, the paleo-uplift experienced non-uniform uplift and denudation. It entered the stable period of burial and preservation in the Carboniferous and later period. The Wushenqi paleo-uplift was formed on the weak area of the basement and tectonic belts, into an compressional structure with irregular morphology, under the control of the non-coaxial compression in the south and north and the stress transmitted by the uplift in the basin. The Wushenqi paleo-uplift has a controlling effect on the sedimentary reservoirs and hydrocarbon accumulation.

Fluid Property Discrimination in Dolostone Reservoirs Using Well Logs

The Ordovician Majiagou Formation is one of the main gas-producing strata in the Ordos Basin,China.The identification of hydrocarbon-bearing intervals via conventional well logs is a challenging task.This study describes the litholog of Ma 5(Member 5 of Majiagou Formation)dolostones,and then analyzes the responses of various conventional well logs to the presences of natural gas.The lithology of the gas bearing layers is dominantly of the dolomicrite to fine to medium crystalline dolomite.Natural gas can be produced from the low resistivity layers,and the dry layers are characterized by high resistivities.Neutron-density crossovers are not sensitive to the presences of natural gas.In addition,there are no significant increases in sonic transit times in natural gas bearing layers.NMR(nuclear magnetic resonance)logs,DSI(Dipole Sonic Imager)logs and borehole image logs(XRMI)are introduced to discriminate the fluid property in Majiagou dolostone reservoirs.The gas bearing intervals have broad NMR T2(transverse relaxation time)spectrum with tail distributions as well as large T2gm(T2 logarithmic mean values)values,and the T2 spectrum commonly display polymodal behaviors.In contrast,the dry layers and water layers have low T2gm values and very narrow T2 spectrum without tails.The gas bearing layers are characterized by low Vp/Vs ratios,low Poisson’s ratios and low P-wave impedances,therefore the fluid property can be discriminated using DSI logs,and the interpretation results show good matches with the gas test data.The apparent formation water resistivity(AFWR)spectrum can be derived from XRMI image logs by using the Archie’s formula in the flushed zone.The gas bearing layers have broad apparent formation water resistivity spectrum and tail distributions compared with the dry and water layers,and also the interpretation results from the image logs exhibit good agreement with the gas test data.The fluid property in Majiagou dolostone reservoirs can be discriminated through NMR logs,DSI logs and borehole image logs.This study helps establish a predictable model for fluid property in dolostones,and have implications in dolostone reservoirs with similar geological backgrounds worldwide.

Study of the gas sources of the Ordovician gas reservoir in the Central-Eastern Ordos Basin

The source of the natural gas in the Lower Paleozoic Ordovician strata in the Ordos Basin,China is a controversial issue.In the present study,the genesis and distribution characteristics of the Ordovician natural gas were qualitatively investigated based on the composition of the natural gas and the hydrocarbon isotopic composition.Then,the kinetics of the carbon isotope were analyzed to determine the proportions of the gas in the Ordovician gas reservoir contributed from the Carboniferous-Permian and Ordovician strata.The results show the following.Compared to the Upper Paleozoic natural gas,the Ordovician natural gas has a large dryness coefficient.In core areas where gypsum-salt rocks are developed,the gypsum-salt rocks completely isolate the gas sources.The weathering crust of the reservoir in the fifth member of the Majiagou Formation(Ma_(5)^(1+2))originates primarily from the Upper Paleozoic coal-measure source rocks,while the Ma_(5)^(5)and the pre-salt natural gas are mainly derived from the Ordovician source rocks.In the areas where the gypsum-salt rocks are relatively well-developed,the gypsum-salt rocks isolate the gas source to some extent,the pre-salt gas reservoir is mainly derived from the Lower Paleozoic source rocks,and this contribution gradually increases with increasing depth.In the areas where the gypsum-salt rocks are not developed,the proportion of the contribution of the Upper and Lower Paleozoic source rocks to the gas source of the Ordovician gas reservoir is mainly controlled by the volume of gas generated and the other accumulation conditions,and it does not reflect the isolation effect of the gypsum-salt rocks on the gas source.The Ordovician natural gas accumulation models in the central-eastern Ordos Basin can be divided into four types according to the differences in the gas sources.

Distribution and depositional model of microbial carbonates in the Ordovician middle assemblage,Ordos Basin,NW China

Based on outcrop profiles,drilling cores,cast thin sections etc.,the types,microfacies combinations and distribution pattern of microbial carbonates in the Ordovician middle assemblage of the mid-eastern Ordos Basin have been systematically analyzed.The middle assemblage of Ordovician in the mid-eastern Ordos Basin has microbial carbonates formed by the calci-fication of cyanobacteria,including microbial biostromes and microbial mounds made of stromatolites,thrombolites,and on-colites.The distribution of the carbonates shows obvious“stratum-control”and“regional”characteristics.The microbial bio-stromes 2–3 m thick each are controlled by sequence cycles and sedimentary facies changes,and were mainly formed in the tidal flat environment during the depositional stages of the Ma56 and Ma55 sub-members.The microbial biostrome in the Ma55 sub-member occurring near the carbonate-evaporite transition interface in the early stage of the transgression is distributed mainly in the Mizhi subsag in the eastern part of the basin;the microbial biostrome in the Ma56 sub-member turns up near the carbonate-evoporite transition zone in ring shape in the east of the central uplift.The ancient landform had noticeable control on the distribution of microbial mounds.The microbial mounds or mound-shoal complexes developing mainly during the de-positional stages of Ma57_Ma510 sub-members are about 15–25 m thick in single layer and distributed largely in the Wushenqi-Jingbian paleouplift.The development model of the microbial carbonate rocks shows that the carbonate-evaporite lithologic transition zone and the Wushenqi-Jingbian paleouplift are favorable exploration zones of microbial carbonates in the Ordovician middle assemblages.

Paleogeomorphy evolution of the Ordovician weathering crust and its implication for reservoir development,eastern Ordos Basin

Gas reservoir development of the Ordovician weathering crust in the Ordos Basin is closely controlled by the pre-Carboniferous paleogeomorphy.Previous studies show that the paleogeomorphy is high in the west and low in the east,and the karst highland,karst slope and karst basin are developed from west to east.With further exploration in recent years,many karst breccia that represent strong karstification,are found in the east area which previously is considered to be the Ordovician karst basin.Thus,it is necessary to revaluate controlling factors of karst paleogeomorphy development from a viewpoint of the dynamic paleogeomorphy evolution,to investigate the paleogeomorphy evolution of the Ordovician weathering crust in geological history and guide further research and prediction of development law of reservoir spaces.In order to reconstruct the paleogeomorphy of the weathering crust in the top of Ordovician in the east Ordos Basin,paleogeography,thickness of residual strata and paleokarst characteristics are well studied.The result shows that a wide range of paleokarst highland occurred in the central to east part of Ordos Basin in the early period,and the karst reservoir spaces were formed;but in the late period,the east part of the basin gradually evolved into the paleokarst basin,the current pre-Carboniferous paleogeomorphy was thus formed,and the dissolution reservoir spaces formed in the early period were mostly filled,accordingly the reservoirs were tight.However fracture networks formed by cave collapse connect intercrystalline pores of dolomite,therefore,the reservoirs can still be well preserved locally and are worthy targets for hydrocarbon exploration.