The coupling control of biological precursors and environmental factors onβ-carotane enrichment in alkaline lacustrine source rocks:A case study from the Fengcheng formation in the western Junggar Basin,NW China

The organic-rich mudstones and dolostones of the Permian Fengcheng Formation(Fm.)are typically alkaline lacustrine source rocks,which are typified by impressively abundantβ-carotane.Abundant β-carotane has been well acknowledged as an effective indicator of biological sources or depositional environments.However,the specific biological sources of β-carotane and the coupling control of biological sources and environmental factors on the enrichment of β-carotane in the Fengcheng Fm.remains obscure.Based on a comprehensive investigation of the bulk,molecular geochemistry,and organic petrology of sedimentary rocks and the biochemistry of phytoplankton in modern alkaline lakes,we proposed a new understanding of the biological precursors of β-carotane and elucidated the enrichment mechanism of β-carotane in the Fengcheng Fm.The results show that the biological precursors crucially control the enrichment of β-carotane in the Fengcheng Fm.The haloalkaliphilic cyanobacteria are the primary biological sources of β-carotane,which is suggested by a good positive correlation between the 2-methylhopane index,7-+8-methyl heptadecanes/C_(max),C_(29%),and β-carotane/C_(max)in sedimentary rocks and the predominance of cyanobacteria with abundantβ-carotene in modern alkaline lakes.The enrichment of β-carotane requires the reducing condition,and the paleoredox state that affects the enrichment of β-carotane appears to have a threshold.The paleoclimate conditions do not considerably impact the enrichment of β-carotane,but they have some influence on the water's paleosalinity by affecting evaporation and precipitation.While it does not directly affect the enrichment of β-carotane in the Fengcheng Fm.,paleosalinity does have an impact on the cyanobacterial precursor supply and the preservation conditions.

Quantitative effect of kerogen type on the hydrocarbon generation potential of Paleogene lacustrine source rocks,Liaohe Western Depression,China

Kerogen types exert a decisive effect on the onset and capacity of hydrocarbon generation of source rocks.Lacustrine source rocks in the Liaohe Western Depression are characterized by thick deposition,high total organic carbon(TOC)content,various kerogen types,and a wide range of thermal maturity.Consequently,their hydrocarbon generation potential and resource estimation can be misinterpreted.In this study,geochemical tests,numerical analysis,hydrocarbon generation kinetics,and basin modeling were integrated to investigate the differential effects of kerogen types on the hydrocarbon generation potential of lacustrine source rocks.Optimized hydrocarbon generation and expulsion(HGE)models of different kerogen types were established quantitatively upon abundant Rock-Eval/TOC/vitrinite reflectance(R_(o))datasets.Three sets of good-excellent source rocks deposited in the fourth(Es4),third(Es3),and first(Es1)members of Paleogene Shahejie Formation,are predominantly types I-II_(1),II_(1)-II_(2),and II-III,respectively.The activation energy of types I-II_(2)kerogen is concentrated(180-230 kcal/mol),whereas that of type III kerogen is widely distributed(150-280 kcal/mol).The original hydrocarbon generation potentials of types I,II_(1),II_(2),and III kerogens are 790,510,270,and 85 mg/g TOC,respectively.The Ro values of the hydrocarbon generation threshold for type I-III source rocks gradually increase from 0.42%to 0.74%,and Ro values of the hydrocarbon expulsion threshold increase from 0.49%to 0.87%.Types I and II_(1)source rocks are characterized by earlier hydrocarbon generation,more rapid hydrocarbon expulsion,and narrower hydrocarbon generation windows than types II_(2)and III source rocks.The kerogen types also affect the HGE history and resource potential.Three types(conventional,tight,and shale oil/gas)and three levels(realistic,expected,and prospective)of hydrocarbon resources of different members in the Liaohe Western Depression are evaluated.Findings suggest that the Es3 member has considerable conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources.This study can quantitatively characterize the hydrocarbon generation potential of source rocks with different kerogen types,and facilitate a quick and accurate assessment of hydrocarbon resources,providing strategies for future oil and gas exploration.

Influence on lacustrine source rock by hydrothermal fluid： a case study of the Chang 7 oil shale, southern Ordos Basin

Hydrothermal fluid activity during sedimenta- tion of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin and the impact of said activity on formation and preservation conditions of source rocks have received little attention. Oil yield, major element, trace element, rare earth element, and total sulfur （TS） data from the oil shale within the Yanchang are here presented and discussed in the context of hydrothermal influence. Oil shale samples returned relatively high total organic carbon （TOC）, in the range of 4.69%-25.48%. A high correlation between TS and TOC suggests TS in the oil shale is dominated by organic sulfur and affected by organic matter. The low Al/ Si ratio of oil shale samples implies quartz is a major mineralogical component. Si/（Si ＋ Al ＋ Fe） values suggest close proximity of the oil shale to a terrigenous source. δEu; Fe versus Mn versus （Cu ＋ Co ＋ Ni）× 10; and SiO2/（K2O ＋ Na2O） versus MnO/TiO2, Fe/Ti, and （Fe ＋ Mn）/Ti are evidence of hydrothermal fluid activity during oil shale sedimentation, and δU and U/Th of the oil shale indicate reducing conditions. The Sr/Ba of oil shale samples suggests fresh-water deposition. The high correlations of Fe/Ti and （Fe ＋ Mn）/Ti with δU, U/Th, and TS demonstrate that hydrothermal fluid activity promotes reducing conditions. Sr/Ba ratios had low correlation with Fe/Ti and （Fe ＋ Mn）/Ti, implying that hydrothermal fluid activity had little impact （Fe ＋ Mn）/Ti, δU, U/Th, and on paleosalinity. Fe/Ti, Cu ＋ Pb ＋ Zn all exhibited high positive correlation coefficients with TOC in oil shale samples, suggesting that more intense hydrothermal fluid activity improves conditions in favor of formation and preservation of organic matter.

Application of C_(30)tetracyclic polyprenoids as effective biomarker in oil-to source rock correlation in the ZhuⅢdepression,Zhujiangkou Basin,northern South China

The northern South China Sea,including the Zhujiangkou Basin and the Beibuwan Basin,developed high-quality lacustrine source rocks during the Eocene rifting period.These source rocks are vital for hydrocarbon generation in the northern South China Sea.The ZhuⅠdepression in the Zhujiangkou Basin and the Beibuwan Basin typically exhibit high abundance of C_(30)4-methyl steranes.However,shales in the Eocene Wenchang Formation in the ZhuⅢdepression of the Zhujiangkou Basin contains lower quantities of high-quality lacustrine source rocks with 4-methyl steranes,which often co-elute with some pentacyclic triterpanes in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS).Therefore,the single 4-methylsterane parameter based on GC-MS cannot accurately distinguish organic source in the deep to semi-deep water lacustrine source rocks of the Wenchang Formation from other source rocks,thus impeding the recognition of their contributions to petroleum reservoirs.In this study,GC-MS of aliphatic hydrocarbons,palynofacies and algal identification,as well as stable carbon isotope data of organic matter were used to identify the algal species and construct the paleoclimate during deposition of the Wenchang Formation source rocks in the ZhuⅢdepression of the Zhujiangkou Basin.It is suggested that during the Wenchang Formation period,freshwater green algae prevailed in the lake,which is likely account for the relatively low content of 4-methyl steranes in the high-quality lacustrine source rocks.Controlled by the algal species,it is proposed that the content of C_(30)tetracyclic polyprenoids(TPP)can better indicate the quality of the Wenchang source rocks than C_(30)4-methyl steranes.Consequently,a relationship between the TPP index and the quality of the lacustrine source rocks in the Wenchang Formation of the ZhuⅢdepression was established.A higher TPP index indicates higher organic matter abundance and hydrogen index of the lacustrine source rocks.When applied to the origin analysis of oils in the ZhuⅢdepression,it is believed that the organic-rich deep lacustrine source rocks in the Wenchang Formation made great contribution to the transitional zone crude oils in the Wenchang A and Wenchang B depressions.

Petrologic and geochemical characteristics of high-quality saline lacustrine source rocks in western Qaidam Basin

The main oil source in western Qaidam Basin is the Paleogene saline lacustrine source rocks.Traditionally,it was considered that these source rocks were characterized by low abundance and poor type of organic matter as well as limited oil generation potential,but this poor source rock condition was very inconsistent with good hydrocarbon exploration results.A previous study has just confirmed that this area develops high-quality source rocks,which is of great significance for recognizing potential of hydrocarbon resource and consolidating confidence to search large and medium-sized oil and gas fields in western Qaidam Basin.Based on fine geochemical analysis of source rocks,petrology,element geochemistry and organic geochemistry are applied to discuss development conditions of high-quality source rocks in this area.The results showed that the saline lacustrine sediments in western Qaidam Basin were deposited in relatively shallow and quiet water with relatively high salinity and low nutrient content;influenced by the drought and cold climate,the terrigenous supply of fresh water was limited,and few aquatic organisms were developed.Good preservation condition is favorable for rapid preservation of oil generating biomass(such as aquatic organisms),to form source rocks rich in hydrogen element with high soluble organic matter content;but relatively lower paleo-productivity makes organic matter abundance lower than that in the eastern saline lacustrine basins.The semi-deep lake,with relatively low salinity and abundant nutrients,is the most favorable are for development of high-quality source rocks;the source rocks have large thickness in the sedimentary depression areas,but due to high water salinity and far away from the provenance area,the water stratification was obvious,so it have moderate to high organic matter abundance.

Organic geochemistry and petrology of source rocks from the Banqiao Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, China: Implications for petroleum exploration

The organic geochemistry and petrology of source rocks determine the hydrocarbon generation potential of the Banqiao Sag. In this study, organic geochemistry and petrology were used to determine the abundance of organic matter(OM), OM type, OM maturity, and sedimentary environments of the source rocks, collected from Cenozoic Shahejie Formation, Banqiao Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, China. Vitrinite and liptinite are the main maceral composition of the source rocks, and range from 18% to 81% and from 2% to82% on a mineral matter free(MMF) basis, respectively. The values of vitrinite reflectance(Ro)(0.36%-1.20%) and the Tmaxvalues(397-486.C) show that the thermal maturity range from low mature to peak-maturity. The abundance of OM varies between 0.22% and 4.37%, suggesting that the source rocks of the Shahejie(Es) Formation are mainly fair to good source rocks. The Rock-Eval pyrolysis results show that the source rocks have good petroleum generation potential. The amount of free hydrocarbons(S_1)and hydrocarbons generated from pyrolysis(S_(2)) range within 0.01-3.70 mg/g, and 0.04-29.17 mg/g. The hydrogen index(HI) varies between 18.18 and 741.13 mg HC/g TOC, with most of the samples appearing to be mainly Type II kerogen, and thereby exhibiting the ability to generate both oil and gas. The ratios of Pr/Ph, the cross plot of Pr/nC_(17)-Ph/nC_(18), the cross plot of C_(29)/C_(27)-Pr/Ph, and ternary of dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, and fluorene, indicate that the Shahejie Formation deposited in suboxic and weak reducing environments. The main biological source is from advanced plants. The maceral composition and rock pyrolysis data indicate the kerogen type is a humic type or mixed sapropelic-humic type. The source rocks of the Shahejie(Es) Formation occur in the oil window, and the abundant organic richness,humic kerogen demonstrate that these rocks are effective oil and gas source rocks. The mudstone rocks in the Shahejie Formation are the main source of oil and gas and represent the main exploration target for the Banqiao Sag. This study enhances the great prospect of oil and gas production in the Banqiao Sag.

Maturity effects on steranes of source rocks in Lishu fault depression,Songliao Basin

Geochemical analysis results of 30 source rock samples from Lishu fault depression in Songliao Basin show that samples are compositionally similar and represent a uniform organic facies.Differential distribution of steranes among the samples is due to rank,with vitrinite reflectances(Ro)ranging from 0.65 to 1.61%.In the maturity stage(Ro=0.65-1.20%),the absolute concentrations of steranes increase,which is affected by kerogen degradation,whereas the pyrolysis of high mature source(Ro=1.20-1.61%)show a decrease in the abundance of steranes.Simultaneously,the parameters of steranes vary greatly with maturity.Decrease of prognane/regular sterane value with the increase of maturity suggests that pregnane is not a product of regular steranes pyrolysis.The ratios of C27/C29regular sterane gradually increase,while the value of C29-20S/(20S+20R)and αββ/(αββ+ααα)decrease at high maturity stage,which is associated with the difference in the thermostability of steranes involved.This reversed trend can be used to determine the high-maturity stage of source rocks.Whereas the values of rearranged steranes/regular steranes in source rocks show an apparent positive correlation with maturity,it,therefore,appears to be particularly useful for maturity assessment at elevated levels.

Origin of Phosphate-bearing Carbonate Concretions in the Upper Triassic Lacustrine Black Shales of the Southern Ordos Basin,China

Carbonate concretions are conspicuous in organic-rich shales and are generally related to decomposition of organic matter.The black shales from the Chang 7 Member of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation of the southern Ordos Basin host abundant carbonate concretions,which provide a unique record of depositional and early diagenetic conditions of the paleo-lake sediments.However,little attention has been given to the genesis and growth processes of the concretions in these lacustrine petroleum source rocks.New petrographic observations and geochemical analysis show that the concretions are composed of calcite,phosphate fossil fragments,K-NH4-feldspar,quartz,bitumen,and minor Fe-dolomite.Phosphate minerals,mainly carbonate fluorapatite(CFA),show pervasive replacement by calcite,most of which contains phosphorus,ranging in concentration from 0.26 to 2.35 wt%.This suggests that the phosphate minerals are the precursors for concretion growth.Positiveδ13C(+5.6 to+12.4‰V-PDB)signatures and the absence of pyrite indicate that microbial methanogenesis was the dominant driver for concretion growth,rather than bacterial sulfate reduction.Quartz,bitumen,and Fe-dolomite are the last cements that occurred,at deep burial depths and high temperatures.The formation of phosphate minerals might have been induced by upwelling of phosphate-enriched deep water in the Late Triassic paleo-lake,which promoted phytoplankton blooms and further enrichment of organic matter.Extremely slow sedimentation rates of fine-grained detrital minerals,relative to dead organism accumulation,led to the high permeabilities of the organic-rich sediments and rapid concretion growth during shallow burial.The close association of phosphate-bearing carbonate concretions and organic-rich shales reflects that upwelling played a critical role in the formation of the high-quality petroleum source rocks in the Triassic paleo-Ordos lake.

Distribution characteristics and its controlling factor of lacustrine high-quality source rocks in the Bozhong sag,Bohai Bay Basin

Distribution of Paleogene lacustrine high-quality source rocks in the Bozhong sag in Bohai Bay Basin is analyzed through data of geochemistry,geology and well logging,and its differences under the control of climate and tectonics is also well discussed.Distribution characteristics of the high-quality source rocks developed in the saline environment controlled by the climate are quite different from that developed in the rapid subsidence environment controlled by tectonics.The high-quality source rocks in Member 1 of Shahejie Formation developed in the saline environment account for 81.9%of total subsag area,and are distributed widely and extensively.The high-quality source rocks in Member 3 of Shahejie Formation and Member 3 of Dongying Formation is developed in the tectonic subsidence environment,and horizontally,the subsag subsidence rates has a positive correlation with the area proportion of the high-quality source rocks in the sag;vertically,the reduction-oxidation interface of the lake controls the enrichment of highquality source rocks.Controlled by the saline environment and rapid subsidence environment,the highquality source rocks in the Bozhong sag and adjacent areas have three types of development condition:the saline water,the tectonic subsidence,and joint control of the saline water and the tectonic subsidence.The humid climate and low subsidence rate are not favorable for development of high-quality source rocks.

Hydrocarbon Systems in the North-Eastern Area of the Song Hong Basin

This paper reports some results of geo-scientific evaluation of the petroleum systems in the northeastern area of the Song Hong Basin offshore Vietnam. Geological-geophysical data, including regional studies, 2D and 3D seismic ＆ logging interpretation results as well as core/cutting samples analysis were integrated to reveals that the north-eastern area were controlled by pull apart activities along Song Hong river fault system, rifting phase during Eocene-Oligocene and subsidence during Miocene-Quaternary. Inversion activities at the end of Oligocene and late Miocene also play very important roles. These activities convert Pre-tertiary carbonate basement rocks to be potential reservoirs. The main source rock, overlying and adjacent to basement highs, was deposited in the lacustrine environment during rifting phase of Eocene and Oligocene and is still at the depth of oil generation window. The mentioned source rock layer is also considered as a good top seal for the basement. Petroleum system has been proven by the drilling and testing results and the studied area become more attractive and have higher chance of success.