Mesozoic-Cenozoic Tectonics of the Yellow Sea and Oil-Gas Exploration

The purpose of the present study was to study the tectonics of the Yellow Sea. Although oilgas exploration has been undertaken for more than 30 years in the southern Yellow Sea, the exploration progress has achieved little. There are three tectonic periods with near N-S trending shortening and compression （260-200 Ma, 135-52 Ma and 23-0.78 Ma） and three tectonic periods with near E-W trending shortening and compression （200-135 Ma, 52--23 Ma and 0.78 Ma） at the Yellow Sea and adjacent areas during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The lndosinian tectonic period is the collision period between the Sino-Korean and Yangtze Plates, which formed the basic tectonic framework for the Yellow Sea area. There were strong intraplate deformations during the Yanshanian （200-135 Ma） and Sichuanian （135-52 Ma） periods with different tectonic models, which are also the main formation periods for endogenic metallic mineral deposits around the Yellow Sea. The three tectonic periods during the Cenozoic affect important influences for forming oil-gas reservoirs. The Eocene-Oligocene （52-23 Ma） is the main forming period for oil-gas sources. The Miocene-Early Pleistocene （23-0.78 Ma） was a period of favorable passage for oil-gas migration along NNE trending faults. Since the Middle Pleistocene （0.78 Ma） the NNE trending faults are closed and make good conditions for the reservation of oil-gas. The authors suggest that we pay more attention to the oil-gas exploration at the intersections between the NNE trending existing faults and Paleogene- Neogene systems in the southern Yellow Sea area.

Exploration Potential of Atectonic Oil-gas Pools in the Northern Shelf Basin of the South China Sea

Large-scale oil exploration has been done and large quantities of oil-gas fields have been found in the northern shelf basin of the South China Sea for more than 20 years. The tectonic oil-gas pools are the main type. With the exploration to be deepened, looking for atectonic oil-gas pools is listed in China's exploration strategy. There are advantages for the forming of atectonic oil-gas pools in the northern shelf basin of the South China Sea. Because the level of water has been frequently changing within all historical periods, lithozones are changed alternately in both vertical and lateral directions and formed lithologic deposition especially at low water level stages, such as the low-lying fans of basin-floor fans and slope fans. Due to frequent tectonic movement within all historical periods, many structural surfaces and structural unconformities were formed. At the same time, they also formed many kinds of structural unconformity oil-gas pools. According to our exploration and research, the promising areas of atectonic reservoirs within marine basins include: (1) the basin-floor fan of the deep water district, such as the central depression of the Southeast Qiong basin and Baiyun sag in the Zhujiangkou basin; (2) the frontal area of the large ancient delta, such as the Lingao structural belt in the Yingge Sea basin and Huizhou sag in the Zhujiangkou basin; (3) the unconformity pinchout belt or denudation belt in the slope area and the uplift area, for instance, the Yingdong slope belt in the Yingge Sea basin and Yacheng 13-1 structural belt in the southeast Qiong basin. All this proves that the prospects for atectonic oil-gas pools in the northern shelf basin of the South China Sea are very broad.

New prospecting progress using information and big data of coal and oil exploration holes on sandstone-type uranium deposit in North China

1.Objective A series of Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental sedimentary basins exist in North China,coexisting with coal,oil/gas,and salt resources.Many previous drilling projects have been conducted within these basins to explore coal,petroleum,and mineral resources,however,these data have not been integrated due to different industries owners.In order to efficiently explore the large-sized,easily extracted,and environmentally friendly,sandstone-type uranium deposits,previous coal and oil exploration drilling-hole data are systematically collected, processed,and analyzed to improve the sandstone-type uranium prospecting exploitation.At the same time,we also discussed the uranium source,ore-forming process and model for the sandstone-type uranium deposits.

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.

Prospective prediction and exploration situation of marine Mesozoic-Paleozoic oil and gas in the South Yellow Sea

The South Yellow Sea Basin is a large sedimentary basin superimposed by the Mesozoic-Paleozoic marine sedimentary basin and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic terrestrial sedimentary basin, where no oil and gas fields have been discovered after exploration for 58 years. After the failure of oil and gas exploration in terrestrial basins, the exploration target of the South Yellow Sea Basin turned to the marine Mesozoic- Paleozoic strata. After more than ten years' investigation and research, a lot of achievements have been obtained. The latest exploration obtained effective seismic reflection data of deep marine facies by the application of seismic exploration technology characterized by high coverage, abundant low-frequency components and strong energy source for the deep South Yellow Sea Basin. In addition, some wells drilled the Middle-Upper Paleozoic strata, with obvious oil and gas shows discovered in some horizons. The recent petroleum geological research on the South Yellow Sea Basin shows that the structure zoning of the marine residual basin has been redetermined, the basin structure has been defined, and 3 seismic reflection marker layers are traceable and correlatable in the residual thick Middle-Paleozoic strata below the continental Meso-Cenozoic strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin. Based on these, the seismic sequence of the marine sedimentary strata was established. According to the avaliable oil and gas exploration and research, the marine Mesozoic-Paleozoic oil and gas prospects of the South Yellow Sea were predicted as follows.(1) The South Yellow Sea Basin has the same sedimentary formation and evolution history during the sedimentary period of the Middle-Paleozoic marine basin with the Sichuan Basin.(2) There are 3 regional high-quality source rocks.(3) The carbonate and clastic reservoirs are developed in the Mesozoic- Paleozoic strata.(4) The three source-reservoir-cap assemblages are relatively intact.(5) The Laoshan Uplift is a prospect area for the Lower Paleozoic oil and gas, and the Wunansha Uplift is one for the marine Upper Paleozoic oil and gas.(6) The Gaoshi stable zone in the Laoshan Uplift is a favorable zone.(7) The marine Mesozoic-Paleozoic strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin has the geological conditions required to form large oil and gas fields, with remarkable oil and gas resources prospect. An urgent problem to be addressed now within the South Yellow Sea Basin is to drill parametric wells for the Lower Paleozoic strata as the target, to establish the complete stratigraphic sequence since the Paleozoic period, to obtain resource evaluation parameters, and to realize the strategic discovery and achieve breakthrough in oil and gas exploration understanding.

Hydrocarbon accumulation and exploration prospect of mound-shoal complexes on the platform margin of the fourth member of Sinian Dengying Formation in the east of Mianzhu-Changning intracratonic rift, Sichuan Basin, SW China

Drilling,seismic and logging data were used to evaluate the hydrocarbon accumulation conditions of the mound-shoal complexes in the platform margin of the fourth member of Sinian Dengying Formation in the east side of the Mianzhu-Changning intracratonic rift in the Sichuan Basin.The four understandings are:(1)The platform margin belt of the Deng 4 Member can be divided into three sections,northern,middle and southern;the middle section is at the core of the Gaoshiti-Moxi paleouplift and the structural high now,while the southern and northern sections are at the slope of the paleouplift and the structural lows now;the three sections have similar development characteristics and reservoir features of platform margin mound-shoal complex.(2)In the margin of the east side of the rift,there are several faults nearly perpendicular to the platform margin belt,the faults divide the platform margin belt into rugged paleo-landform,and the high part developed platform margin mound-shoal complexes and the reservoirs are good in physical properties,while the low part developed inter-beach depression and no mound-shoal complexes,where the reservoirs are poor in physical properties.(3)The six groups of faults nearly perpendicular to the platform margin belt divide the platform margin belt into seven large mound-shoal complexes which have similar hydrocarbon accumulation conditions and accumulation evolution process and are rich in petroleum.(4)The inter shoal depressions between the mound-shoal complexes are characterized by tighter lithology,which can block the updip direction of the mounds and shoals at the lower part of the slope of the paleouplift and are favorable for the later preservation of mound-shoal gas reservoirs.This has been proved by Well Jiaotan 1 and Heshen 2 drilled successfully.The mound-shoal complexes on the platform margin of the structural slope area have a good exploration prospect.

Situation and Prospectfor Petroleum Exploration of the Central Gasfield in Shaan－Gan－Ning Basin

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Situation and Development Prospect of Uranium Resources Exploration in China

History of uranium exploration and the general situation of identified uranium resources in China are introduced briefly in the paper,and the feature of uranium resources is summarized as "a large number of deposits,good ore processing properties and centralized occurrence" which should be considered as the advantages.In accordance with the fact that the exploration level of uranium resources is quite low in China,it is pointed out that exploration investment must be intensified from now on to identify more uranium concentrated bases which occurring of middle to large size uranium deposit in order to meet the demand of natural uranium from nuclear power sector.Besides,major scientific and technological achievements on uranium exploration during the past fifty years are elaborated in the paper.According to the exploration ability and uranium resources potential in China,it is believed that uranium exploration can realize the goal of "getting break through both at home and abroad" and meet the requirement of nuclear industry to uranium resources in China by carrying out the uranium resources exploration strategy of "rooted in domestic and opening up abroad".

Progress and Prospects of Oil and Gas Exploration and Development in the World

2017 has seen the recovery in the global oil and gas market.Both Brent and WTI were priced at over USD 50 per barrel.Oil companies have basically adapted to the relatively low oil price environment through a series of cost-cutting and efficiency measures,and the number of projects making final investment decisions (FID) has increased for the second consecutive year.Global annual new conventional oil and gas reserves hit new lows in 2016 and 2017.However,gratifying progress has been made in the area of unconventional oil and gas.Shale oil and gas in the US has become the biggest bright spot in the oil and gas industry in the past two years.There have also been new developments in the extraction of natural gas hydrates,which may lead to a greater role for natural gas in energy consumption.Recovery will be the main tone of the oil and gas market in 2018.

Initial Exploration of the Prospects for China's Tourist Market in 1998

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Distribution characteristics, exploration and development, geological theories research progress and exploration directions of shale gas in China

The shale gas resources in China have great potential and the geological resources of shale gas is over 100×10^(12)m^(3),which includes about 20×10^(12)m^(3) of recoverable resources.Organic-rich shales can be divided into three types according to their sedimentary environments,namely marine,marine-continental transitional,and continental shales,which are distributed in 13 stratigraphic systems from the Mesoproterozoic to the Cenozoic.The Sichuan Basin and its surrounding areas have the highest geological resources of shale gas,and the commercial development of shale gas has been achieved in the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation-Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in these areas,with a shale gas production of up to 20×10^(9)m^(3) in 2020.China has seen rapid shale gas exploration and development over the last five years,successively achieving breakthroughs and important findings in many areas and strata.The details are as follows.(1)Large-scale development of middle-shallow shale gas(burial depth:less than 3500 m)has been realized,with the productivity having rapidly increased;(2)breakthroughs have been constantly made in the development of deep shale gas(burial depth:3500-4500 m),and the ultradeep shale gas(burial depth:greater than 4500 m)is under testing;(3)breakthroughs have been made in the development of normal-pressure shale gas,and the assessment of the shale gas in complex tectonic areas is being accelerated;(4)shale gas has been frequently discovered in new areas and new strata,exhibiting a great prospect.Based on the exploration and development practice,three aspects of consensus have been gradually reached on the research progress in the geological theories of shale gas achieved in China.(1)in terms of deep-water fine-grained sediments,organic-rich shales are the base for the formation of shale gas;(2)in terms of high-quality reservoirs,the development of micro-nano organic matter-hosted pores serves as the core of shale gas accumulation;(3)in terms of preservation conditions,weak structural transformation,a moderate degree of thermal evolution,and a high pressure coefficient are the key to shale gas enrichment.As a type of important low-carbon fossil energy,shale gas will play an increasingly important role in achieving the strategic goals of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality.Based on the in-depth study of shale gas geological conditions and current exploration progress,three important directions for shale gas exploration in China in the next five years are put forward.

Petroleum Exploration of Craton Basins in China

Craton basins are a significant petroliferous provenance. Having undergone multiple open- dose tectonic cycles and strong reworking of the late Cenozoic tectonic movement, the craton basins in China are highly broken. This has resulted in multi-source and multiphase hydrocarbon generation and later hydrocarbon accumulation so that a complicated spatial assemblage of primary, paraprimary and secondary oil-gas pools has been formed. The primary factors controlling hydrocarbon accumulation include hydrocarbon-generating depressions, paleouplifts, paleoslopes, unconformity surfaces, paleo-karst, faults and fissure systems as well as the later conservation conditions. In consequence, the strategy of exploration for China＇s craton basins is to identify the effective source rocks, pay attention to the different effects of paleohighs and late reworking, enhance studies of the secondary storage space, attach importance to the exploration of lithologic oil-gas reservoirs and natural gas pools, and approach consciously from the secondary oil pools to the targets near the source rocks. At the same time, a complete system of technologies and techniques must be built up.

Ore-forming and Exploration Models of the Baguamiao Gold Deposit,Shaanxi Province

The Baguamiao superlarge gold deposit in Shaanxi Province is one of the typical cases in China that are hosted by sedimentary rocks. Explorers and researchers have discussed the gold mineralization enrichment conditions by studying sulphur, oxygen, carbon, silicon stable isotopes and mineralizing fluid features of the Baguamiao gold deposit and proposed a hydrothermal sedimentation-magmatic reconstructing gold mineralization model featuring multi-sources of ore-forming materials and multistage mineralizations. In addition, prospecting for “Baguamiao-type” gold deposits was started in the Fengtai Basin and a great number of important prospecting targets such as Tonglinggou, Simaoling, Guoansi and Dachaigou were discovered.

Natural Gas Exploration and Development in China

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Classification,metallogenesis and exploration of silver deposits in Daxing’anling of Inner Mongolia and its adjacent areas

By the end of 2020,83 silver deposits(or ore occurrences),including four super-large-scale deposits,nine large-scale deposits,33 medium-scale deposits and 37 small-scale deposits or ore occurrences,have been proved.The amount of silver metal exceeds 86000 t with average grade of 100 g/t,which makes Daxing’anling region one of the the most important silver ore belt in China.However,the metallogenic characteristics and metallogenesis need to be clarified.The silver deposits in the study area are classified into three main types,which are magmatic hydrothermal vein type,continental volcano-subvolcanic type and skarn type,respectively.The supergiant deposits include the Shuangjianzishan deposit(silver metal amount of 15214 t with average grade of 138 g/t),the Baiyinchagandongshan deposit(silver metal amount of 9446 t with average grade of 187 g/t),the Huaobaote deposit(silver metal amount of 6852 t with average grade of 170 g/t),and the Fuxingtun deposit(silver metal amount of 5240 t with average grade of 196 g/t).The silver deposits are mainly distributed in the central and south of the Daxing’anling area,and mainly formed in the Yanshanian period.The silver polymetallic deposits in the Daxinganling area are significantly controlled by regional faults and the junction zone of volcanic rock basins and their margins.The north-east trending deep faults are the most important ore-controlling structures in this area.The distribution of silver polymetallic deposits along the main faults is obvious,and the intersection area of multiple groups of faults often form important mine catchments.The Permian is the most important ore-bearing formation in this area,but some important silver polymetallic deposits occur in Mesozoic volcanic basins or pre-Mesozoic strata.The magmatic rocks related to mineralization are mainly intermediate acidic or acidic intrusions,intermediate acidic lavas,pyroclastic rocks,and small intrusions of ultra-shallow or shallow facies of the Yanshanian Period.The mineralization element combination is mainly determined by the elemental geochemical background of surrounding rocks or source layers.In addition,the type of deposit,the distance from the mineralization center,and the degree of differentiation of ore-forming rock mass are also important influence factors.The article analyzes the prospecting prospects of each silver deposit type in the study area,discusses the relationship between mineralization center and deep prospecting,and proposes that porphyry silver deposits should be paid attention to.In the prospecting and exploration of silver deposits,comprehensive evaluation and multi-target prospecting need to be strengthened because silver can coexist or be associated with a variety of metals.

Late Paleozoic reefs and their significance for tectonics and oil-gas exploration in the Hinggan-Inner Mongolia area

Many reefs of the Late Paleozoic have been discovered recently in the Hinggan-lnner Mongolia area. These reefs clearly are geographically extensive, and possess distinctive features and well-developed reef-facies. They have been found to contain five reef-building communities and were constructed in four periods. Colonial coral-algal reefs at Aohan and Chifeng represent a warm shallow-sea in the Carboniferous. Different reefs in the Xiwu Banner were formed in three periods： early Late Carboniferous, late Late Carboniferous and Early Permian. These reefs were built in warm sea conditions. Their buildup types include colonial coral frameworks, algae-buildings and lime-mud mounds. Bryozoan reefs in the Zhalaite and Dongwu banners were built in the late Middle Permian and thrived in a cold shallow-sea. All reefs grew independently on two kinds of sedimentary platforms, carbonate and carbonate-clastic mixed platforms. Four reef-forming periods occurred later from south to north, along a collisional course between the North China Plate and the Siberian Plate. These reefs can be arranged into three ＇reef-links＇ or reef zones that extend along plate margins. Among these, the Aohan-Chifeng reef-link indicates a northern margin of the North China Plate, the Zhalaite-Dongwu reef-link marks a southern margin of the Siberian Plate, and the Xiwu-Beishan reef-link reflects the former existence of some inter-plates. The strata of each reef-facies are thick and contain rich asphalt deposits. Overlapping and heteropic layers are very thick and contain dark oil/gas-rich horizons; TOC analyses verify that most of these are good hydrocarbon source rocks. This study shows that the study area is an excellent candidate for oil-gas exploration.

Incorporating conceptual and interpretation uncertainty to mineral prospectivity modelling

Prospectivity analyses are used to reduce the exploration search space for locating areas prospective for mineral deposits.The scale of a study and the type of mineral system associated with the deposit control the evidence layers used as proxies that represent critical ore genesis processes.In particular,knowledge-driven approaches(fuzzy logic)use a conceptual mineral systems model from which data proxies represent the critical components.These typically vary based on the scale of study and the type of mineral system being predicted.Prospectivity analyses utilising interpreted data to represent proxies for a mineral system model inherit the subjectivity of the interpretations and the uncertainties of the evidence layers used in the model.In the case study presented,the prospectivity for remobilised nickel sulphide(NiS)in the west Kimberley,Western Australia,is assessed with two novel techniques that objectively grade interpretations and accommodate alternative mineralisation scenarios.Exploration targets are then identified and supplied with a robustness assessment that reflects the variability of prospectivity value for each location when all models are considered.The first technique grades the strength of structural interpretations on an individual line-segment basis.Gradings are obtained from an objective measure of feature evidence,which is the quantification of specific patterns in geophysical data that are considered to reveal underlying structure.Individual structures are weighted in the prospectivity model with grading values correlated to their feature evidence.This technique allows interpreted features to contribute prospectivity proportional to their strength in feature evidence and indicates the level of associated stochastic uncertainty.The second technique aims to embrace the systemic uncertainty of modelling complex mineral systems.In this approach,multiple prospectivity maps are each generated with different combinations of confidence values applied to evidence layers to represent the diversity of processes potentially leading to ore deposition.With a suite of prospectivity maps,the most robust exploration targets are the locations with the highest prospectivity values showing the smallest range amongst the model suite.This new technique offers an approach that reveals to the modeller a range of alternative mineralisation scenarios while employing a sensible mineral systems model,robust modelling of prospectivity and significantly reducing the exploration search space for Ni.

Types of uranium deposits in central Zhuguang Mountains in Hunan Province,South China and their metallogenic regularity and prospecting directions

The central Zhuguang Mountains in Hunan Province is located at the junction of the three provinces,namely Hunan,Jiangxi,and Guangdong,where the famous Lujing uranium ore field lies.The uranium deposits occurring in this area are all granite-related and they can be divided into three types,namely endogranitic ones,perigranitic ones,and contact zone types.The endogranitic uranium deposits are mainly controlled by the structural alteration zones developing within granites,with fragmentation,hematitization,and alkali metasomatism as their main mineralization characteristics.The perigranitic uranium deposits are mainly produced in the carbonaceous,siliceous,and argillaceous composite layers of epimetamorphic rocks and are controlled by fractured zones formed due to interlayer compression.The contact zone type uranium deposits mainly occur in the contact parts between the granites and favorable horizons.They have developed in favorable sections where multiple sets of structures are combined and intersected.The main metallogenic regularities of uranium in the central Zhuguang Mountains are as follows.The basic conditions for the uranium mineralization in this area include the framework consisting of regional deep large faults and their associated multi-set multi-direction favorable metallogenic structures,multi-cycle and multi-stage uranium-rich rock masses,and uranium-rich folded basement.Meanwhile,the uranium deposits in this area are closely related to granites in terms of genesis and space and they are formed in different structural parts subject to the same metallization.Furthermore,based on the summary of the characteristics and regularities of uranium mineralization in this area,the controlling factors of different types of uranium deposits in the area were explored and six metallogenic target areas were predicted.All these will provide references for the exploration of uranium deposits in this area.