Three-dimensional structural models,evolution and petroleum geological significances of transtensional faults in the Ziyang area,central Sichuan Basin,SW China

With drilling and seismic data of Transtensional(strike-slip)Fault System in the Ziyang area of the central Sichuan Basin,SW China plane-section integrated structural interpretation,3-D fault framework model building,fault throw analyzing,and balanced profile restoration,it is pointed out that the transtensional fault system in the Ziyang 3-D seismic survey consists of the northeast-trending F_(I)19 and F_(I)20 fault zones dominated by extensional deformation,as well as 3 sets of northwest-trending en echelon normal faults experienced dextral shear deformation.Among them,the F_(I)19 and F_(I)20 fault zones cut through the Neoproterozoic to Lower Triassic Jialingjiang Formation,presenting a 3-D structure of an“S”-shaped ribbon.And before Permian and during the Early Triassic,the F_(I)19 and F_(I)20 fault zones underwent at least two periods of structural superimposition.Besides,the 3 sets of northwest-trending en echelon normal faults are composed of small normal faults arranged in pairs,with opposite dip directions and partially left-stepped arrangement.And before Permian,they had formed almost,restricting the eastward growth and propagation of the F_(I)19 fault zone.The F_(I)19 and F_(I)20 fault zones communicate multiple sets of source rocks and reservoirs from deep to shallow,and the timing of fault activity matches well with oil and gas generation peaks.If there were favorable Cambrian-Triassic sedimentary facies and reservoirs developing on the local anticlinal belts of both sides of the F_(I)19 and F_(I)20 fault zones,the major reservoirs in this area are expected to achieve breakthroughs in oil and gas exploration.

Characteristics of strike-slip inversion structures of the Karatau fault and their petroleum geological significances in the South Turgay Basin,Kazakhstan

The Karatau fault is one of the important strike-slip faults in central Asia,and the South Turgay Basin is located towards its northern end.Detailed seismic interpretation indicated that the strikeslip tectonism of the Karatau fault weakened gradually from west to east in the South Turgay Basin.Typical flower structures developed on the section,and strike-slip faults showed an echelon pattern on planar view.The Karatau strike-slip fault affected the South Turgay Basin in two periods：（1） The South Turgay strike-slip pull-apart rift basin formed as a result of regional extensive stress in the Early-Middle Jurassic,characterized by the juxtaposition of horsts and grabens.The formation of horsts provided favorable reservoir spaces for later hydrocarbon accumulation,and different filling stages of grabens controlled different reservoir-forming factors in grabens.（2） Two stages of tectonic inversion occurred in the Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous and played a crucial role in the final shape of the structure in the South Turgay Basin.The oil and gas migrated to form reservoirs and mainly concentrated in the horsts,graben slopes and in both sides of the strike-slip fault zone.In the case of the degree of accumulation of petroleum,the factor explaining why horsts are better than grabens is the strike-slip pull-apart of the South Turgay Basin,and the structure inversion of the South Turgay Basin explains why the west graben is better than the east one.Overall,the Karatau strike-slip fault played a very important role in the formation of the South Turgay Basin and its hydrocarbon accumulations.

A tectono-thermal perspective on the petroleum generation,accumulation and preservation in the southern Ordos Basin, North China

The southern Ordos Basin has excellent petroleum exploration prospects.However,the tectono-thermal history and the controls on petroleum generation,accumulation and preservation conditions in southern basin are unclear.In this study,we analyzed the present geothermal field,paleo-geothermal gradient,maturity of the hydrocarbon source rocks,uplift and cooling process and tectono-thermal evolution history.In the study area,for the Ordovician,Permain and the Triassic strata,the present temperature is low(3070℃)in the southeastern area but high(80140℃)in the northwestern area.The paleogeothermal gradient varied from 24℃/km to 30℃/km with a heat flow of 58—69 m W/m^(2)(i.e.,a medium-temperature basin).The paleo-temperatures are higher than the present temperatures and the maximum paleo-temperatures controlled the thermal maturity of the source rocks.The vitrinite reflectance(Ro)values of the Triassic strata are>0.7%and the thermal maturity reached the middlemature oil generation stage.The Rovalues of the Permian-Ordovician strata are>1.8%and the thermal maturity reached the over-mature gas generation stage.The southern Ordos Basin has experienced the multiple tectonic events at the Late Ordovician Caledonian(452 Ma),Late Triassic(215 Ma),Late Jurassic(165160 Ma),End-Early Cretaceous(110100 Ma)and Cenozoic(since 40 Ma).A large-scale tectonothermal event occurred at the End-Early Cretaceous(110100 Ma),which was controlled by lithospheric extension,destruction and thinning.This event led to the highest paleo-temperatures and thermal maturities and coeval with the peak period of petroleum generation and accumulation.The southern Ordos Basin has undergone rapid and large-scale uplift since the Late Cretaceous due to expansion of the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau,uplift of the Qinling orogenic belt and thrust faulting in the Liupanshan tectonic belt.The southern Ordos Basin experienced tectonic overprinting that was strong in the south and weak in the north.The strongest overprinting occurred in the southwestern part of the basin.The large-scale uplift,denudation and faulting led to oil and gas loss from reservoirs.The petroleum generation,accumulation and preservation in the southern Ordos Basin were affected by deep lithospheric structures and the tectono-thermal evolution.This work provides a novel tectono-thermal perspective on the petroleum generation,accumulation and preservation condition of the southern Ordos Basin.

Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shalehosted regions of China

China is home to shales of three facies:Marine shale,continental shale,and marine-continental transitional shale.Different types of shale gas are associated with significantly different formation conditions and major controlling factors.This study compared the geological characteristics of various shales and analyzed the influences of different parameters on the formation and accumulation of shale gas.In general,shales in China’s several regions exhibit high total organic carbon(TOC)contents,which lays a sound material basis for shale gas generation.Marine strata generally show high degrees of thermal evolution.In contrast,continental shales manifest low degrees of thermal evolution,necessitating focusing on areas with relatively high degrees of thermal evolution in the process of shale gas surveys for these shales.The shales of the Wufeng and Silurian formations constitute the most favorable shale gas reservoirs since they exhibit the highest porosity among the three types of shales.These shales are followed by those in the Niutitang and Longtan formations.In contrast,the shales of the Doushantuo,Yanchang,and Qingshankou formations manifest low porosities.Furthermore,the shales of the Wufeng and Longmaxi formations exhibit high brittle mineral contents.Despite a low siliceous mineral content,the shales of the Doushantuo Formation feature a high carbonate mineral content,which can increase the shales’brittleness to some extent.For marine-continental transitional shales,where thin interbeds of tight sandstone with unequal thicknesses are generally found,it is recommended that fracturing combined with drainage of multiple sets of lithologic strata should be employed to enhance their shale gas production.

Basic principles of the whole petroleum system

This paper expounds the basic principles and structures of the whole petroleum system to reveal the pattern of conventional oil/gas-tight oil/gas-shale oil/gas sequential accumulation and the hydrocarbon accumulation models and mechanisms of the whole petroleum system.It delineates the geological model,flow model,and production mechanism of shale and tight reservoirs,and proposes future research orientations.The main structure of the whole petroleum system includes three fluid dynamic fields,three types of oil and gas reservoirs/resources,and two types of reservoir-forming processes.Conventional oil/gas,tight oil/gas,and shale oil/gas are orderly in generation time and spatial distribution,and sequentially rational in genetic mechanism,showing the pattern of sequential accumulation.The whole petroleum system involves two categories of hydrocarbon accumulation models:hydrocarbon accumulation in the detrital basin and hydrocarbon accumulation in the carbonate basin/formation.The accumulation of unconventional oil/gas is self-containment,which is microscopically driven by the intermolecular force(van der Waals force).The unconventional oil/gas production has proved that the geological model,flow model,and production mechanism of shale and tight reservoirs represent a new and complex field that needs further study.Shale oil/gas must be the most important resource replacement for oil and gas resources of China.Future research efforts include:(1)the characteristics of the whole petroleum system in carbonate basins and the source-reservoir coupling patterns in the evolution of composite basins;(2)flow mechanisms in migration,accumulation,and production of shale oil/gas and tight oil/gas;(3)geological characteristics and enrichment of deep and ultra-deep shale oil/gas,tight oil/gas and coalbed methane;(4)resource evaluation and new generation of basin simulation technology of the whole petroleum system;(5)research on earth system-earth organic rock and fossil fuel system-whole petroleum system.

Precise Dating and Geological Significance of the Caledonian Shangyou Pluton in South Jiangxi Province

The zircon SHRIMP dating age for the Shangyou granites is 464±11 Ma. The geological feature of the pluton is consistent with the isotopic age, which shows that it is a product of Caledonian orogenesis. The Shangyou granites are regarded as peraluminous crust-derived granites to possess the typical geochemical characteristics of calc-alkaline rocks on the active continental margin with enriched Si, K, Al （A/CNK -- 1.11 on average）, HREE, Rb, U, Th and heavily depleted V, Cr, Co, Ni, as well as Ti-Y, Nb-Ta, Zr, Sr, P and Ba, to be commonly corundum normative （av C -- 1.44）. The Shangyou granites with higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios （0.707126-0.712186）, ENd（t） values （-7.29 to -10.22） and （tDM） values （1.52-1.63 Ga）, which are considered to result from partial melting of continental crust metamorphic sedimentary rocks with relatively low of crust maturation degree corresponding to the Middle Proterozoic, to have some possible contributions of mantle-derived components. The Shangyou granites are regarded as post-collision granites, which were formed in a transitional tectonic setting from compression to extension in the Middle Ordovician period after the Yangtze plate was subducted beneath the Cathaysian plate. The Ar-Ar total ages of K-feldspar and biotite are 292.1 Ma and 295.5 Ma respectively, which have recorded information of a late-stage thermal alteration event.

The Discovery of ～310 Ma Back-Arc Basin Basalt in the West Junggar,Xinjiang,NW China and its Geological Significance

Objective Mafic magmas can form in different tectonic settings with various geochemical characteristics depending on their mantle sources. Basalts generated in back-arc basins provide valuable perspectives on mantle structure and composition, on controls for melt generation, and on the sources responsible for arc magma genesis.

Research Progress in the Petroleum and Natural Gas Geological Theory of China

The Chinese landmass, as a composite region, consists of multiple small continental blocks, such as Sino-Korea, Yangtze, Tarim, etc., and orogenic belts. Because of its distinctive tectono-sedimentary evolution, China＇s oil/gas-bearing regions differ remarkably from that elsewhere in the world. For instance, in comparison to the Middle East oil/gas-bearing regions which are characterized by Mesozoic-Cenozoic marine oil/gas-bearing beds, early oil and gas discoveries in China are distributed mainly in Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental sedimentary basins. Generation of oil from terrestrial organic matter, or terrestrial oil generation, and the formation of large oil/gas fields in continental sedimentary basins were previously the major characteristics of petroleum geology of China. However, in the past 20 years, a series of major oil and gas discoveries from marine strata have been made. Marine oil/gas fields in China are mainly distributed in the Tarim, Sichuan, and Ordos basins, which are tectonically stable and covered with Mesozoic-Cenozoic deposits. In these basins, hydrocarbon-bearing strata are of old age and the oil/gas fields are commonly deeply-buried. Cumulatively, 995 oil/gas fields have been found so far, making China the fourth largest oil-producing country and the sixth largest gas-producing country in the world. In terms of petroleum and natural gas geology, theories of hydrocarbon generation from continental strata, such as terrestrial oil generation and coal-generated hydrocarbons, etc., have been established. Significant progress has been made in research on the sequence stratigraphy of continental strata, formation mechanisms of ultra-deep clastic reservoirs, and hydrocarbon accumulation in the continental subtle reservoir. Regarding research on the marine petroleum geology of China, with respect to the major characteristics, such as deeply-buried reservoirs, old strata, and multiple phases of transformation, important advances have been made, in areas such as the multiple-elements of hydrocarbon supply, formation of reservoirs jointly controlled by deposition, tectonic activities, and diagenetic fluid-rock reactions, and oil/gas reservoirs formed through superimposed multi-stage hydrocarbon accumulation. As more and more unconventional hydrocarbon resources are discovered, unconventional oil and gas reservoirs are under study by Chinese petroleum geologists, who endeavor to come up with new discoveries on their formation mechanisms.

Re-recognition of Tieshan “Syenite” and its Geological Significance in Zhenghe, Fujian Province

1 Introduction Tieshan Syenite crosses between Dongfeng and Zhangyuan’an in Zhenghe of Fujian province,occurs in the direction of 42°,Total length 8500m,width 600-800m and its Area of about 39km2.Outcrops of the mass are

Deep-water gravity flow deposits in a lacustrine rift basin and their oil and gas geological significance in eastern China

The types,evolution processes,formation mechanisms,and depositional models of deep-water gravity flow deposits in a lacustrine rift basin are studied through core observation and systematic analysis.Massive transport of slide and slump,fluid transport of debris flow and turbidity currents are driven by gravity in deep-water lacustrine environment.The transformation between debris flow and turbidity current,and the transformation of turbidity current between supercritical and subcritical conditions are the main dynamic mechanisms of gravity flow deposits in a lake basin.The erosion of supercritical turbidity current controls the formation of gravity-flow channel.Debris flow deposition gives rise to tongue shape lobe rather than channel.Deep-water gravity flow deposits are of two origins,intrabasinal and extrabasinal.Intrabasinal gravity flow deposits occur as single tongue-shape lobe or fan of stacking multiple lobes.Extrabasinal gravity-flow deposits occur as sublacustrine fan with channel or single channel sand body.However,the nearshore subaqueous fan is characterized by fan of stacking multiple tongue shape lobes without channel.The differential diagenesis caused by differentiation in the nearshore subaqueous fan facies belt results in the formation of diagenetic trap.The extrabasinal gravity flow deposits are one of the important reasons for the abundant deep-water sand bodies in a lake basin.Slide mass-transport deposits form a very important type of lithologic trap near the delta front often ignored.The fine-grained sediment caused by flow transformation is the potential"sweet spot"of shale oil and gas.

Geochemical characteristics and geological significance of the Neoproterozoic carbonates from northern Anhui Province, China

Petrographical and geochemical studies were carried out of the Neoproterozoic carbonates from northern Anhui Province, China. These carbonates can be subdivided into two types, including purified limestone (PL) and mixed limestone and siliclastic rocks (MLS). PLs are low in Si, Al, Zr and total REE but high in CaO compared with MLSs. Correlations between Zr, Fe2O3, P2O5 and total REE are also less remarkable, indicating that they were not obviously contaminated by continental materials but directly precipitated from seawater. So they can be used for the inversion of paleo-seawater REE patterns. The inversed results indicated that the REE pattern of Neoproterozoic seawater was similar to that of the modern seawater except for the lack of Ce depletion, which was probably affected by the reduced hydrothermal solution. In combination with previous studies, the geochemical trending of these carbonatic samples towards the continental arc in the La- Th-Sc and Th-Sc-Zr/10 diagrams is interpreted as the contamination of arc volcanism. The tectonic background of the southern margin of the North China Craton in the Neoproterozoic was probably related to the Grenville orogeny during the convergence of the Rodinia supercontinent, rather than an intra-plate environment.

Cassiterite U-Pb Date of the Yangbin Porphyry Tin Deposit in Zhejiang and its Geological Significance

Objective The Yangbin porphyry tin deposit in Taishun County of Zhejiang Province is one of the few porphyry-type tin deposits in South China, which is located in the middle portion of the Mesozoic volcanic active belt on the southeastern coast of China. The Yangbin granite porphyry is closely related to the tin mineralization in this region. Based on petrologic and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic

Magnetostratigraphy of a Loess-Paleosol Sequence from Higher Terrace of the Daduhe River in the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau and Its Geological Significance

The eolian deposits distributed in the river valleys in the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau （TP） are very useful in neotectonic and paleoclimatic studies. Firstly, the climate in the eastern margin of the TP is mainly controlled by the Indian summer monsoon, and detailed studies on the loess-paleosol sequences in this region can provide valuable terrestrial evidence of past changes in the Indian summer monsoon. Secondly, the river terraces in the eastern margin of the TP are considered to be a sensitive recorder of neotectonism to reflect the timing and amplitude of the TP uplift.

New Discovery of the Late Triassic Terrigenous Sediments in the Great Xing＇＇an Range Region,NE China and its Geological Significance

Objective The Great Xing＇an Range is located in the eastern section of Central Asian Orogenic Belt（CAOB）.As a superposed position of multiple tectonic domains,its structural evoIlution has always been a focused issue of geological research.

Significant progress of continental petroleum geological theory in basins of Central and Western China

China's continental oil and gas geological theory occupies an important academic position in the world's academic circle of petroleum geology. China's oil and gas resources are dominated by continental resources. Chinese geologists have successfully explored and developed complex continental oil and gas, and developed a continental oil and gas geological theory system. This paper summarizes the development history and theoretical achievements of continental oil and gas geological theory since the 1940 s and proposes that the development of this theory should be divided into three stages(i.e., proposal, formation and development). The China's continental oil and gas geological theory has formed a basically perfect theoretical system consisting of five parts, i.e., continental basin structure theory, continental basin sediments and reservoirs theory, continental oil generation theory, continental oil and gas accumulation theory, and continental sandstone oil and gas field development geology. As an advanced geological theory, it has a universal significance globally. This paper focuses on the major discoveries of oil and gas exploration and development and the production growth in the basins of the Central and Western China in the past 30 years as well as the major advances in the continental oil and gas geological theory, including the continental basin tectonics of Central and Western China under the compression background, special reservoir geology such as various types of lake basin sedimentary systems and deep conglomerate, new fields of continental hydrocarbon generation such as coal-generated hydrocarbons, continental oil and gas enrichment regularity such as foreland thrust belts and lithologic-stratigraphic reservoirs, continental unconventional oil and gas geology and continental low-permeability oil and gas development geology. These major advances have greatly developed and enriched the continental oil and gas geological theory and become an important part of it.

Petroleum geological conditions and exploration potential of Lower Paleozoic carbonate rocks in Gucheng Area, Tarim Basin, China

Lower Paleozoic carbonate rocks are an important exploration area in craton area of the Tarim Basin,with the proven oil and gas reserves of more than 2.2×10^8 t,but no large-scale discovery has been made in the Gucheng area so far.The key issues restricting exploration are that the source rock,reservoir scale and law of oil and gas enrichment are unclear.By systematically examining the petroleum geological conditions of Lower Paleozoic carbonate rocks,the following findings are reached:(1)Source rocks of slope-basin facies developed in Cambrian-Lower Ordovician in the Gucheng area.(2)The dolomitized beach in the lower part of Ordovician Yingshan Formation has large-scale reservoirs,good reservoir-cap assemblage and developed gas source faults,and is an important field for increasing reserves and production in the near future;hydrocarbon enrichment is controlled by reservoir and gas source faults,and the central dolomitized beach zone is the main exploration area.(3)The Cambrian platform margin reef beach,large in scale,good in physical properties and close to source rocks,has the possibility to form monolithic gas field;the caprock and preservation conditions are the key factors for hydrocarbon enrichment;the northern part of the phasesⅠandⅡplatform margin reefs has better sealing conditions,and is the main direction of next exploration.(4)Limestone fault solution reservoirs in the upper part of Ordovician Yingshan Formation,controlled by faults and small in scale,but good in reservoir-cap combination,worth exploring.(5)The granular limestone beach of Ordovician Yijianfang Formation is well developed and gas-bearing,but short in exposure dissolution time,and the reservoirs are strongly heterogeneous,and are a potential exploration field.

Geochronology and geochemistry of the ore-bearing intrusion in the Longgen Lead-Zinc deposit in Tibet and its geological significance

1 Introduction The Longgen Lead-Zinc deposit is located in the southern Gangdise-Nyainqentantanglha plate and belongs to the western section of the Nyainqentantanglha copper-lead-zinc-silver metallogenic belt.In this paper,

40^Ar-39^Ar Dating of the Mahuaping W-Be deposit, Northwestern Yunnnan Province, China, and its Geological Significance

Objective Located near the intersection of Yangtze craton, Tibet- Sanjiang orogen and Songpan-Ganzi orogen of Northwest Yunnan Province, the Mahuaping deposit is a unique large -scale tungsten-beryllium-fluorite ore deposit ever discovered in this area. In recent years, many studies have been carried out in Sanjiang Tethyan metallogenic belt and aforementioned adjacent regions. To date, however, little attention has been paid to this deposit, for example, the geochronology of Mahuaping W-Be deposit still remains unsolved. In this study, we have pioneered research about muscovite 40Ar-39Ar age to better understand the geochronology of the Mahuaping W-Be deposit.

Newly Discovered Fluvial-Lacustrine Sediments in the Western Yangtze Block and their Geological Significance for the Emeishan Large Igneous Province

Objective The Emeishan large igneous province （ELIP） in SW China is the only one large igneous province in China recognized by international geologists. Previous studies of ELIP over past two decades indicate that the ELIP age, duration, scale and generation mechanism are still controversial. Among those scientific topics, some scholars suggest that ELIP is an example of up-doming prior to LIP formation, which was evidenced by： （1） The thickness of the Yangxin Formation （P^v） limestone unit, which lies directly beneath ELIP, reduces from the center of erosional area to the outer edge. （2） Paleo-karst surfaces are present. （3） The clastic rocks of alluvial fan deposits, from the eroded materials in the maximum uplifted area, developed surrounding the inner zone. However, other scholars urge that those so-called ＂alluvial fan＂ deposits are ＂hydromagmatic deposits＂, erupted or emplaced at or near sea level, and conclude that there was no pre-emptive uplift in ELIP. In order to constrain the above-mentioned scientific issue, we conducted detailed field geological investigations and systematically measured geological sections to provide new evidence by using sedimentary data.

^(40)Ar-^(39)Ar dating of lamprophyre dykes in the Baimazhai nickel deposit,Yunnan Province,China,and its geological significance

The Baimazhai nickel deposit,Yunnan Province,China,is located in the southern part of the Sanjiang (Tri-river) alkali-rich intrusive rock belt (Sanjiang ARIR). In this paper was conducted 40Ar-39Ar dating of two phlogopites in lamprophyres which are,as dikes,widely distributed in the orefield,and two plateau ages were ac-quired,i.e.,32.46±0.62 Ma and 32.01±0.60 Ma,respectively (averaging 32.23±0.60 Ma). The ages are obviously younger than those of the ore-hosted complex and mineralization of the Baimazhai nickel deposit. In combination with the characteristics,it is indicated that lamprophyres in the orefield and those in the Sanjiang ARIR are similar in tectonic setting,mineral assemblage and geochemistry. It is considered that lamprophyres in the orefield are the im-portant component of the Sanjiang ARIR,and the lamprophyres and ore-hosted complex in the orefield represent the products of two times of different magmatic activity from different mantle sources. On the other hand,the age of lamprophyres in the orefield is older than that of the strike-slip shearing of the Ailaoshan-Honghe fault belt,sug-gesting that the strike-slip shearing of the Ailaoshan-Honghe fault belt is not the factor leading to magmatic activity of lamprophyres in the orefield,while it is more possible that magmatic activity of the Sanjiang ARIR promoted strike-slip shearing of the fault belt.