Characteristics and control factors of feldspar dissolution in gravity flow sandstone of Chang 7 Member,Triassic Yanchang Formation,Ordos Basin,NW China

To clarify the formation and distribution of feldspar dissolution pores and predict the distribution of high-quality reservoir in gravity flow sandstone of the 7^(th) member of Triassic Yanchang Formation(Chang 7 Member)in the Ordos Basin,thin sections,scanning electron microscopy,energy spectrum analysis,X-ray diffraction whole rock analysis,and dissolution experiments are employed in this study to investigate the characteristics and control factors of feldspar dissolution pores.The results show that:(1)Three types of diagenetic processes are observed in the feldspar of Chang 7 sandstone in the study area:secondary overgrowth of feldspar,replacement by clay and calcite,and dissolution of detrital feldspar.(2)The feldspar dissolution of Chang 7 tight sandstone is caused by organic acid,and is further affected by the type of feldspar,the degree of early feldspar alteration,and the buffering effect of mica debris on organic acid.(3)Feldspars have varying degrees of dissolution.Potassium feldspar is more susceptible to dissolution than plagioclase.Among potassium feldspar,orthoclase is more soluble than microcline,and unaltered feldspar is more soluble than early kaolinized or sericitized feldspar.(4)The dissolution experiment demonstrated that the presence of mica can hinder the dissolution of feldspar.Mica of the same mass has a significantly stronger capacity to consume organic acids than feldspar.(5)Dissolution pores in feldspar of Chang 7 Member are more abundant in areas with low mica content,and they improve the reservoir physical properties,while in areas with high mica content,the number of feldspar dissolution pores decreases significantly.

Genesis of Fibrous Calcite in the Chang 7 Member of the Yanchang Formation,Ordos Basin,China

To explore the genesis of the laminated calcite veins developed in the black shale of Chang 73 submember of the Ordos Basin,the petrology,microstructure and geochemistry of calcite veins are studied using thin sections,fluid inclusions,trace elements and isotopic geochemistry.The source,the time of formation,the mechanism of formation,and the dynamic background of the veins are discussed.The veins are mostly made up of calcite,mixed with lenticular or spindle-shape solid wall rock inclusions.Three structures are identified in the calcite minerals:fibrous,rhombic cleavage,and wedge-like structure.Trace elements and isotopes of carbon and oxygen confirm that the calcite veins were formed from a high density hydrothermal fluid.It is assumed that calcite veins formed prior to wall rock consolidation during the formation of the Qinling Orogenic Belt in the Middle and Late Triassic.The results show that the sedimentary sources of Chang 73 submember were influenced by hydrothermal materials besides terrigenous detritus.The fibrous calcite is different from the fibrous calcite reported in the morphology and mechanism of formation.In this way,the research complements and improves the morphology and the mechanism of formation of fibrous calcite.

The petrological characteristics and signif icance of organic-rich shale in the Chang 7 member of the Yanchang Formation,south margin of the Ordos basin,central China

The organic-rich shale of the Chang 7 member is the most important source rock in the Ordos basin.The sedimentary environment and the controlling factors of organic matter enrichment,however,are still in contention.In this investigation,the Yishicun outcrop,located on the south margin of the Ordos basin,has been considered for the study.X-ray diffraction,polarizing microscopy,field emission scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence(CL)were used to investigate the petrological features of the organic-rich shale.The content of volcanic ash and the diameter of pyrite framboid pseudocrystals were measured to illustrate the relationship between oxygen level,ash content and the enrichment of organic matter.It has been found that the diameter of pyrite framboid pseudocrystals has a strong correlation with the total organic carbon,demonstrating that the redox status degree of the water column has a positive impact on the enrichment of organic matter.Additionally,with an increase in the ash content,the content of organic matter increased at first and then decreased,and reached a maximum when the ash content was about 6%,illustrating that the ash input has a double effect on the enrichment of organic matter.

Oderly accumulation theory of shale system petroleum resource and its prospecting significance-A case study of Chang 7 Member of Yanchang Formation in Ordos Basin

1 Introduction Shale formations bear abundant mineral resource and*unconventional petroleum resource,and the unconventional petroleum resource that contain in the shale formation should be integrated and researched.

Discovery and identification of clay-sized tuffaceous rocks in Chang 7 Member of Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in Ordos Basin,China

This study for the first time demonstrates that some of the so-called clay-sized mudstones observed by the naked eye,such as clay-sized black mudstones and clay-sized oil shales,which are rich in black organic matter(including oil and asphaltene),in the Chang 73 Submember of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin of China are actually clay-sized tuffaceous rocks(including tuff,sedimentary tuff and tuffaceous sedimentary rock)with high hydrocarbon generation capacities.Thus,these rocks can be defined as clay-sized tuffaceous source rocks.Identification of this lithology has important theoretical and practical significance for the exploration and development of shale oil in the Chang 7 Member.Through the macroscopic observation of drill cores and outcrop profiles,microscopic observation of electron probe thin sections and whole-rock inorganic geochemical analysis(including major,trace and rare earth elements),this work demonstrates that the organic matter-rich clay-sized tuffaceous rocks,especially clay-sized tuffs,have the following characteristics.First,the clay-sized tuffaceous rocks with little black organic matter are mainly greyish white,yellowish brown and purplish grey,and mixed colors occur in areas with strong bentonite lithification.Second,the clay-sized tuffaceous rocks have experienced strong devitrification and recrystallization,forming abundant flaky aluminosilicate minerals with directional arrangement.In thin sections under a polarizing microscope,the interference colors generally show regular alternation between the lowest interference color of first-order yellow and the highest interference color of second-order blue-green.Third,the rock samples plot in the igneous rock field in the TiO2-SiO2 cross-plot and exhibit similar trace element and rare earth element patterns on spider diagrams,indicating that the samples are derived from the same source.The results prove that clay-sized tuffaceous rocks may be widespread in the Chang 73 Submember of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin,China.

Geological characteristics and exploration of shale oil in Chang 7 Member of Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, NW China

A set of shale-dominated source rocks series were deposited during the heyday of lake basin development in the Member 7 of Triassic Yanchang Formation,Ordos Basin,and the thickness is about 110 m.Aimed at whether this layer can form large-scale oil enrichment of industrial value,comprehensive geological research and exploration practice have been carried out for years and obtained the following important geologic findings.Firstly,widely distributed black shale and dark mudstone with an average organic matter abundance of 13.81%and 3.74%,respectively,lay solid material foundation for the formation of shale oil.Secondly,sandy rocks sandwiched in thick organic-rich shale formations constitute an oil-rich"sweet spot",the average thickness of thin sandstone is 3.5 m.Thirdly,fine-grained sandstone and siltstone reservoirs have mainly small pores of 2–8μm and throats of 20–150 nm in radius,but with a large number of micro-pores and nano-throats,through fracturing,the reservoirs can provide good conductivity for the fluid in it.Fourthly,continued high-intensity hydrocarbon generation led to a pressure difference between the source rock and thin-layer reservoir of up to 8–16 MPa during geological history,driven by the high pressure,the oil charged into the reservoirs in large area,with oil saturation reaching more than 70%.Under the guidance of the above theory,in 2019,the Qingcheng Oilfield with geologic oil reserves of billion ton order was proved in the classⅠmulti-stage superimposed sandstone shale reservoir of Chang 7 Member by the Changqing Oilfield Branch through implementation of overall exploration and horizontal well volume fracturing.Two risk exploration horizontal wells were deployed for the classⅡthick layer mud shale interbedded with thin layers of silt-and fine-sandstones reservoir in the Chang 73 submember,and they were tested high yield oil flows of more than 100 tons per day,marking major breakthroughs in petroleum exploration in classⅠshale reservoirs.The new discoveries have expanded the domain of unconventional petroleum exploration.

Black shale formation enviro nment and its control on shale oil enrichment in Triassic Chang 7 Member,Ordos Basin,NW China

Based on geochemical analysis results of core samples from the Triassic Chang 7 Member of Well Feng 75 drilled in the northwest margin of Ordos Basin,combined with geological characteristics of this region,the formation environment of the black shale and its control on shale oil enrichment are comprehensively studied.From the Chang 73 to Chang 71 Sub-members,the black shale have organic carbon contents decreasing from 5.70%to 3.55%,hydrogen indexes decreasing from 345 mg/g to 269 mg/g,while the oxygen indexes increasing gradually from 6 mg/g to 29 mg/g,indicating that the sedimentary environment during the depositional period of Chang 72 and Chang 73 Sub-members was anoxic.Biomarkers in the black shale change regu-larly,and have an obvious“inflection point”at the depth of 2753–2777 m in the Chang 73 Sub-member,indicating that the input of terrigenous organic matter increased.However,there is a negative drift about 2%of organic carbon isotopic composition near the“inflection point”,which is in conflict with the results of biomarker compounds.This is because the extreme thermal and anoxic events caused by continental volcanic activity in the ancient Qinling region caused negative drift of carbon isotopic composition of the black shale in the Ordos Basin.The volcanic activity caused rise of temperature,polluted air,extreme weathers,more floods and thus more input of terrigenous organic matter,and gave rise to extremely anoxic environment con-ducive to the preservation of organic matter.Terrigenous organic matter is more conducive to the formation of light oil than aquatic organic matter,so these sections in Yanchang Formation are major“sweet spots”for shale oil enrichment.

Organic matter pores in the chang 7 lacustrine shales from the Ordos Basin and its effect on reflectance measurement

To quantify the pore characteristics of various macerals in Chang 7 lacustrine shales,macerals were effectively identified according to their optical and morphological characteristics,and the nanoscale pore structure of macerals was observed by scanning electron microscope.Meanwhile,the reflectances of different positions in the same pieces of vitrinite or solid bitumen with heterogeneous pores development were measured.The results showed that the average contents of sapropelinite,liptinite,vitrinite,inertinite and solid bitumen are 42.7%,8.7%,13.6%,13.8% and 21.2%,respectively,which suggests that the source of the organic matter of the Chang 7 shales is a mixed source input.The organic pores of Chang 7 shales are enriched,and the pore shapes are mostly round or elliptical.The pore size of organic pores has a wide distribution,mainly concentrate in the range of 100-400 nm,and the average plane porosity of organic pores is 10.13%.The size order of the organic pores in various macerals is:solid bitumen<bituminite<alginite<vitrinite<fusinite<liptinite.The abundance order of organic matter pores of each maceral is as follows:alginite>fusinite>bituminite>solid bitumen>vitrinite>liptinite.OM pores are mainly contributed by bituminite,solid bitumen and fusinite.The plane porosity of bituminite increases with maturity.In the process of thermal evolution,the plane porosity of fusinite is distributed in the two ranges of 20%-28% and 1%-7%.The former is mainly the primary pores of the fusinite itself,and the latter is the secondary pores formed in the thermal evolution.As for the organic pores of other macerals,no obvious thermal evolution law was found.Meanwhile,the surface imperfections of vitrinite or solid bitumen is enhanced by the enrichment of organic pores(an increase in pore size or pore number),which may result in the underestimation of their reflectances.

Microfacies and diagenetic alteration in a semi-deep to deep lacustrine shale: The Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin, China

The mineralogical development and diagenetic sequence of lacustrine shales in the Chang 7 Member of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin are detailed studied.A model of their depositional system and a diagenetic diagram are proposed in this study.Through detailed petrographic,mineralogical,and elemental analyses,four distinct shale types are identified:argillaceous shale,siliceous shale,calcareous shale,and carbonate,clay,and silt-bearing shale.The main diagenetic process in argillaceous shale is the transformation of illite to smectite,negatively impacting shale porosity.Siliceous shale undergoes carbonate cementation and quartz dissolution,contributing to increased porosity,particularly in mesopores.Calcareous shale experiences diagenesis characterised by carbonate formation and dissolution,with a prevalence of siderite.In carbonate,clay,and silt-bearing shale,the dissolution of K-feldspar contributes to illitization of kaolinite.Argillaceous shale,characterised by more clay minerals and lower mesopore volume,is identified as a potential hydrocarbon seal.Siliceous shale,with the highest pore volume and abundant inter-mineral pores,emerges as a promising shale oil reservoir.These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of shale properties,aiding in the prediction of shale oil exploration potential in the studied area.

Volcanically Driven Terrestrial Environmental Perturbations during the Carnian Pluvial Episode in the Eastern Tethys

The Carnian Pluvial Episode(CPE)fingerprints global environmental perturbations and biological extinction on land and oceans and is potentially linked to the Wrangellia Large Igneous Province(LIP).However,the correlation between terrestrial environmental changes and Wrangellia volcanism in the Ordos Basin during the CPE remains poorly understood.Records of negative carbon isotopic excursions(NCIEs),mercury(Hg),Hg/TOC,and Hg enrichment factor(HgEF)from oil shales in a large-scale terrestrial Ordos Basin in the Eastern Tethys were correlated with marine and other terrestrial successions.The three significant NCIEs in the study section were consistently correlated with those in the CPE successions of Europe,the UK,and South and North China.The U-Pb geochronology indicates a Ladinian-Carnian age for the Chang 7 Member.A comprehensive overview of the geochronology,NCIE correlation,and previous bio-and chronostratigraphic frameworks shows that the Ladinian-Carnian boundary is located in the lower part of Chang 7 in the Yishicun section.HgEF may be a more reliable proxy for tracing volcanic eruptions than the Hg/TOC ratio because the accumulation rates of TOC content largely vary in terrestrial and marine successions.The records of Hg,Hg/TOC,HgEF,and NCIEs in the Ordos Basin aligned with Carnian successions worldwide and were marked by similar anomalies,indicating a global response to the Wrangellia LIP during the CPE.Anoxia,a warm-humid climate,enhancement of detrital input,and NCIEs are synchronous with the CPE interval in the Ordos Basin,which suggests that the CPE combined with the regional Qinling Orogeny should dominate the enhanced rate of terrigenous input and paleoenvironmental evolution in the Ordos Basin.

Two stages of subsidence and its formation mechanisms in Mid-Late Triassic Ordos Basin,NW China

Based on a large number of newly added deep well data in recent years,the subsidence of the Ordos Basin in the Mid-Late Triassic is systematically studied,and it is proposed that the Ordos Basin experienced two important subsidence events during this depositional period.Through contrastive analysis of the two stages of tectonic subsidence,including stratigraphic characteristics,lithology combination,location of catchment area and sedimentary evolution,it is proposed that both of them are responses to the Indosinian Qinling tectonic activity on the edge of the craton basin.The early subsidence occurred in the Chang 10 Member was featured by high amplitude,large debris supply and fast deposition rate,with coarse debris filling and rapid subsidence accompanied by rapid accumulation,resulting in strata thickness increasing from northeast to southwest in wedge-shape.The subsidence center was located in Huanxian–Zhenyuan–Qingyang–Zhengning areas of southwestern basin with the strata thickness of 800–1300 m.The subsidence center deviating from the depocenter developed multiple catchment areas,until then,unified lake basin has not been formed yet.Under the combined action of subsidence and Carnian heavy rainfall event during the deposition period of Chang 7 Member,a large deep-water depression was formed with slow deposition rate,and the subsidence center coincided with the depocenter basically in the Mahuangshan–Huachi–Huangling areas.The deep-water sediments were 120–320 m thick in the subsidence center,characterized by fine grain.There are differences in the mechanism between the two stages of subsidence.The early one was the response to the northward subduction of the MianLüe Ocean and intense depression under compression in Qinling during Mid-Triassic.The later subsidence is controlled by the weak extensional tectonic environment of the post-collision stage during Late Triassic.

High-precision Dating and Geological Significance of Chang 7 Tuff Zircon of the Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin in Central China

The Ordos Basin, as the second largest petroliferous basin of China, contains abundant oil and gas resources, oil shale, and sandstone-type uranium mineral resources. Chang 7 shale is not only the major source rock of the Mesozoic petroliferous system of the Basin, but is also crucial in determining the space-time distribution relationship of the shale section for the effective exploration and development of the Basin's oil and gas resources. To obtain a highly precise age of the shale development section, we collected tuff samples from the top and bottom profile of the Chang 7 Member, Yishi Village, Yaoqu Town, Tongchuan District, on the southern margin of the Ordos Basin and performed high-precision chemical abrasion(CA)–isotope dilution(ID)–thermal ionization mass spectrometry(TIMS) zircon U-Pb dating on the basis of extensive laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(LA-ICP-MS) zircon U-Pb dating data. Our results show the precise ages of the top and bottom zircon in the Chang 7 shale to be 241.06±0.12 Ma and 241.558±0.093 Ma, respectively. We first obtained Chang 7 age data with Grade 0.1-Ma precision and then determined the age of the shale development in the Chang 7 Member to be the early-Middle Triassic Ladinian. This result is supported by paleontological evidence. The deposition duration of the Chang 7 shale is 0.5 Ma with an average deposition rate of the shale section being 5.3 cm/ka. Our research results provide time scale and basic data for further investigation of the basin–mountain coupling relation of the shale section, the sedimentary environment and volcanic ash and organic-matter-rich shale development relation, and the organism break-out and organic-matter enrichment mechanism.

Analysis of tight oil accumulation conditions and prediction of sweet spots in Ordos Basin: A case study

Tight sandstone reservoirs are widely developed in the Mesozoic Yanchang Formation of the Ordos Basin,China.There is a lack of understanding on the sedimentary setting,source-reservoir relationship and oil accumulation conditions in this area.In this study,through the comprehensive analysis of the distri-bution of tight oil,we evaluated the properties and petrological features of reservoir,geochemical characteristics of source rocks,the source-reservoir relationship,as well as the trapping,preservation and accumulation conditions of tight oil in the Chang 7 Member,and predicted the sweet spots of tight oil in the study area.The results show that the Chang 7 Member is a typical low-porosity and ultra-low permeability reservoir with great tightness,small pore throat and high capillary pressure,and must have been of near-source accumulation.The source rocks are mainly developed in the Chang 7_(3) submember,and the reservoirs mainly occur in the Chang 7_(1) and Chang 7_(2) submembers,forming a combination mode of“lower source rock and upper reservoir”.Sandbodies with good connectivity and fractures being well developed in local areas are the main hydrocarbon transport systems.The abnormal high pressure caused by hydrocarbon generation and pressurization is the main driving force of tight oil accumulation.The mode of hydrocarbon transportation is dominated by the vertical or lateral migration from under-lying source rocks or adjacent source rocks to reservoirs within a short distance.Following the integrated evaluation of lithology,physical properties and oil saturation of reservoirs and geochemical character-istics of source rocks,we grouped the sweet spots of Chang 7 Member into three types:Type I,Type II and Type III.Among others,the Type I sweet spots are the best in terms of porosity,permeability and source rock thickness and hydrocarbon enrichment which should be the focus of oilfield development.This study lays an important foundation for the economic and efficient development of tight oil in the Chang 7 Member of Heshui area,and has important implications on tight sandstone reservoirs in other regions of Ordos Basin in China.

A case study on how astronomical cycles affect the organic carbon accumulation

The paleoclimate change impacts the sedimentary environment and process,which in turn control the accumulation of organic carbon.Numerous studies have shown that the paleoclimate is controlled by astronomical cycles.Hence,understanding how these cycles impact the accumulation of organic carbon is a critical question that requires in-depth discussion.Previous studies have shown that Milankovitch cycle can be revealed from the sediments of the 7^(th)Oil Member(Chang 7 Member for short)of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the southern Ordos Basin,suggesting that the deposition was controlled by astronomically-forced climate changes.Building on previous research,this study collected natural gamma(GR)data of Chang 7 Member from the N36 Well to further analyze astronomical cycles,combined with X-ray fluorescence(XRF)analysis and total organic carbon(TOC)tests,to reconstruct the paleoenvironment and analyze the organic matter enrichment characteristics.The results of this contribution show that,paleoclimate,paleo-redox conditions,paleo-water level,paleo-productivity and sediment accumulation rate(SAR)collectively controlled the enrichment of organic matter.Notably,this study identified the presence of eccentricity,obliquity,precession,and the 1.2 Myr long obliquity cycle in the Chang 7 Member.These cycles controlled the paleoenvironmental changes at different timescales and influenced the enrichment of organic matter,which has implications for subsequent energy exploration.

Reservoir formation conditions and key technologies for exploration and development in Qingcheng large oilfield

The Qingcheng oilfield,the largest shale oil field in China,was discovered in 2019 in source rock of Chang 7 Member of Mesozoic Yanchang Formation,Changqing Oilfield in Ordos Basin,with newly increased proven geological reserves of 358 million tons,predicted geological reserves of 693 million tons,and a total of 1.051 billion tons of shale oil resources.This achieves a historic breakthrough in exploration of shale oil in Chang 7 Member.In recent years,focusing on key issues,such as whether there develop sweet spots in source rock,whether commercial oil production capacity can be formed,and whether scale-effective development can be achieved,studies about geological conditions for shale oil accumulation have been continuously carried out,key supporting technologies have been developed,and a series of theoretical innovations and technological breakthroughs have been achieved in oil exploration in source rocks.The results indicate that shale oil accumulation in Chang 7 Member is controlled by following factors.Firstly,lacustrine black shale,dark mudstone and other high-quality source rocks lay a material foundation for shale oil formation.Secondly,sandy deposits intercalated within black shale and dark mudstones are exploration sweet spots,and sandbody combination types are controlled by morphology of bottom of the lacustrine basin.Thirdly,reservoir properties are good due to development of micro-nano pore throats.Finally,reservoirs with high oil saturation and high gas-oil ratio are formed due to high-intensity oil charging in source rock.Effective matching of multiple factors is a key for shale oil accumulation in Chang 7 Member in Ordos Basin.Through innovation of key supporting technologies,exploration and development technologies for shale oil are developed,and substantial breakthrough on exploration and development of shale oil is realized.The first application of logging-seismic combination technology in loess plateau improves significantly quality of 3D seismic data,which effectively guides prediction of sandy sweet spots.Three-quality well logging technology is used for further evaluation of geological and engineering sweet spots of shale oil.With volumetric fracturing technology based on precise segmentation of long horizontal wells,initial daily oil production of individual well is increased from previously 10 tons to more than 18 tons.The exploration breakthrough in source rocks in Chang 7 Member in Qingcheng oilfield provides an important resource base for the second accelerated development of Changqing Oilfield.It is predicated that oil production from shale in Chang 7 Member in Qingcheng oilfield will reach three million tons in 2022 and five million tons in 2025.