Hydrothermally induced diagenesis: Evidence from shallow marinedeltaic sediments, WilhelmØya, Svalbard

Sedimentary basins containing igneous intrusions within sedimentary reservoir units represent an important risk in petroleum exploration. The Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic sediments at Wilhelm?ya(Svalbard) contains reservoir heterogeneity as a result of sill emplacement and represent a unique case study to better understand the effect of magmatic intrusions on the general burial diagenesis of siliciclastic sediments. Sills develop contact metamorphic aureoles by conduction as presented in many earlier studies. However, there is significant impact of localized hydrothermal circulation systems affecting reservoir sediments at considerable distance from the sill intrusions. Dolerite sill intrusions in the studied area are of limited vertical extent(～12 m thick), but created localized hydrothermal convection cells affecting sediments at considerable distance(more than five times the thickness of the sill)from the intrusions. We present evidence that the sedimentary sequence can be divided into two units:(1) the bulk poorly lithified sediment with a maximum burial temperature much lower than 60-70 ℃,and(2) thinner intervals outside the contact zone that have experienced hydrothermal temperatures(around 140 ℃). The main diagenetic alteration associated with normal burial diagenesis is minor mechanical plastic deformation of ductile grains such as mica. Mineral grain contacts show no evidence of pressure dissolution and the vitrinite reflectance suggests a maximum temperature of ～40 ℃. Contrary to this, part of the sediment, preferentially along calcite cemented flow baffles, show evidence of hydrothermal alteration. These hydrothermally altered sediment sections are characterized by recrystallized carbonate cemented intervals. Further, the hydrothermal solutions have resulted in localized sericitization(illitization) of feldspars, albitization of both K-feldspar and plagioclase and the formation of fibrous illite nucleated on kaolinite. These observations suggest hydrothermal alteration at T> 120-140 ℃ at distances considerably further away than expected from sill heat dissipation by conduction only, which commonly affect sediments about twice the thickness of the sill intrusion. We propose that carbonate-cemented sections acted as flow baffles already during the hydrothermal fluid mobility and controlled the migration pathways of the buoyant hot fluids. Significant hydrothermally induced diagenetic alterations affecting the porosity and hence reservoir quality was not noted in the noncarbonate-cemented reservoir intervals.

Cyclicity related to solar activity in lacustrine organic-rich shales and their significance to shale-oil reservoir formation

The formation mechanism of micron-to centimeter-scale sedimentary cycles in lacustrine shales is a hot topic of research,because these small-scale sedimentary cycles significantly influence shale-oil distribution heterogeneity.High-frequency paleoenvironmental evolution is an important controlling factor for the formation of small-scale sedimentary cycles.However,the driving factors of high-frequency paleoenvironmental evolution and the formation process of sedimentary cycles under its constraint remain speculative.In this study,which focuses on lacustrine shales,we find that the alternating deposition of variable thickness of organic-rich lamina(ORL)and silty-grained felsic lamina(SSFL)form sedimentary cycles on the micron to centimeter scale in the Chang 73 sub-member of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin.Based on detailed petrographic characterization,in-situ geochemical parameter testing,and high-resolution cycle analysis,the formation process of cyclical sedimentary records and related paleoenvironmental evolution are investigated.Three solar activity cycles were identified from the shales,namely the 360–500 yr,81–110 yr,and 30–57 yr cycles(cycles I,II,and III,respectively).Highfrequency paleoenvironmental evolution caused by solar activity induced lake-level fluctuation,which further controlled silty-grained sediment deposition and organic matter preservation in deep lake areas.Cycle I controlled relatively long-term lake-level fluctuation,driving several pairs of SSFL and ORL deposition at the centimeter scale.Cycles II and III were short-term cycles and acted on the millimeter to micrometer scale,further complicating the sedimentary strata forming during the period of lake-level fall induced by cycle I.The cyclic deposition of SSFL and ORL correspond to cycle III.Lake-level fluctuation influenced by cycle II mainly caused SSFL thickness variation in each lamina couplet.During the period of lake-level rise induced by cycle I,periods of lake level rise during cycles II,and III show cyclic variation in reducibility,and are not thought to control the supply of coarse-grained sediments in to the deep lake areas.Frequent lake-level fluctuation promotes lamina couplet formation in thickly-bedded shales,which creates favorable conditions for shale-oil accumulation.Oil produced from ORL can migrate-locally into dissolved feldspar porosity in SSFL and therefore is able to accumulate in shales,which creates high potential for future oil exploration in thickly-bedded lacustrine shales.

Successive formation of secondary pores via feldspar dissolution in deeply buried feldspar-rich clastic reservoirs in typical petroliferous basins and its petroleum geological significance

Clastic rock reservoirs in petroliferous basins are generally rich in feldspars. Feldspar dissolution has developed widely in clastic reservoirs, and the resulting secondary pores are crucial in deeply buried reservoirs. Based on a study of the diagenesis of clastic reservoirs in the Bohai Bay Basin, Tarim Basin, and Pearl River Mouth Basin and physical and numerical simulation experiments of fluid-rock interactions, this paper proposed a successive formation model of secondary pores via feldspar dissolution in deeply buried clastic reservoirs, considering the global research progresses in feldspar dissolution in clastic rocks. Feldspar dissolution can occur from shallow open systems to deep-ultra deep closed systems in petroliferous basins, resulting in the successive formation of secondary pores at different diagenetic stages. The successive mechanism includes three aspects. The first aspect is the succession of corrosive fluids that dissolve minerals. Meteoric freshwater dominates at the Earth’s surface and the early diagenetic A stage. Subsequently, organic acids and COformed via kerogen maturation dominate at the early diagenetic B stage to the middle diagenetic stage. COand organic acids formed via hydrocarbon oxidation in hydrocarbon reservoirs dominate at the middle diagenetic B stage to the late diagenetic stage. The second aspect is the successive formation processes of secondary pores via feldspar dissolution. Large-scale feldspar secondary pores identified in deep reservoirs include secondary pores formed at shallow-medium depths that are subsequently preserved into deep layers, as well as secondary pores formed at deep depths. Existing secondary pores in deeply buried reservoirs are the superposition of successively feldspar dissolution caused by different acids at different stages. The third aspect is a successive change in the feldspar alteration pathways and porosity enhancement/preservation effect. Open to semi-open diagenetic systems are developed from the Earth’s surface to the early diagenetic stage, and feldspar dissolution forms enhanced secondary pores. Nearly closed to closed diagenetic systems develop in the middle to late diagenetic stages, and feldspar dissolution forms redistributional secondary pores. The associated cementation causes compression resistance of the rock, which is favorable for the preservation of secondary pores in deep layers. These new insights extend the formation window of secondary pores in petroliferous basins from the traditional acid-oil generation window to a high-temperature gas generation window after hydrocarbon charging. The proposed model explains the genesis of deep-ultra deep high-quality reservoirs with low-permeability, medium-porosity and dominating feldspar secondary pores, which is significant for hydrocarbon exploration in deep to ultra-deep layers.

Multisourced CO_(2) Injection in Fan Delta Conglomerates and Its Influence on Reservoir Quality: Evidence from Carbonate Cements of the Baikouquan Formation of Mahu Sag, Junggar Basin, Northwestern China

Sandy-conglomerate reservoir has gradually become a major target of oil and gas exploration.Complex diagenetic process and diagenetic fluid play a significant role in affecting reservoir heterogeneity.Carbonate cements form at various stages of the diagenesis process and record various geological fluid information.Recently,one-billion-ton sandy conglomerate oil field was exposed in Triassic Baikouquan Formation,Mahu sag,Junggar Basin.Therefore,an integrated study applying casting thin sections,cathodeluminescence,fluorescence,carbon and oxygen stable isotopes,electronic probe microanalysis and aqueous fluid inclusions measurements was performed in order to identify the types of carbonate mineral and its representative diagenetic environment and discuss the influences of different CO_(2) injections on reservoir quality.The main findings are as follows:The reservoir is mainly composed of 70.33%conglomerate and 16.06%coarse-grained sandstone.They are characterized by low compositional maturity and abundant lithic debris.Four types carbonate cements are identified according to the petrological and geochemical characteristics,including two types of Mn-rich calcite,ferroan calcite,siderite and dawsonite.They display an unusual broad spectrum ofδ^(13)C values(-54.99‰to+8.8‰),suggesting both organic and inorganic CO_(2) injections.The δ^(13)C values of siderite are close to 0,and its formation is related to meteoric water.Theδ^(13)C values of ferroan calcite and the occurrence of dawsonite indicate the trace of inorganic mantle-derived magmatic fluids.Theδ^(13)C values and trace elements of Mn-rich calcite record the information of hydrocarbon-bearing fluids.The fluid inclusions measurement data and reservoir properties and oil-test data show that the oil content of reservoir is not only affected by the formation time of different cements,but also by the relative content of dissolution and cementation.For these reservoirs altered by carbonate cements,it does not cause poor oil-bearing due to blockage of secondary minerals.