Paleoenvironment reconstruction of the Middle Ordovician thick carbonate from western Ordos Basin, China

Reconstructing paleoenvironments has long been considered a vital component for understanding the development and evolution of carbonate reservoirs.The Middle Ordovician Period is considered the archetypical greenhouse interval,and also a critical period in biological evolution.The Middle Darriwilian isotope carbon excursion has been observed in many areas of the world and may be related to the biological explosions caused by decreases in the temperature.The thick carbonate rocks in the fifth member of the Middle Ordovician Majiagou Formation in the Dingbei area of the Ordos Basin were chosen as an example,based on the concentration of major,trace and rare earth elements as well as C,O and Sr isotopic analyses,the paleoenvironment was reconstructed.And its impact on natural gas exploration was analyzed.The results show that the seawater paleotemperature was 29℃,suboxicanoxic paleoredox conditions were observed,and the seawater paleosalinity was high.A large number of plankton in the biological explosion caused a rapid increase in the total organic carbon in carbonate rocks,which provided natural gas as supplemental source rocks.Affected by early meteoric water,the dissolution of gypsum laid the foundation for high-quality reservoirs,and the residual gypsum also further preserved natural gas.This study provides new data for the paleoenvironment and a theoretical basis for further natural gas exploration.

Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications of Middle Ordovician Ocean Island Basalts from the Chagantaolegai Ophiolitic Mélange in Junggar,NW China

Seamount accretion is one of the most significant accretionary orogenic processes in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt,but there are few paleo-seamounts reported from and debate on the tectonic evolution of the Junggar Ocean still exists.In this study,we present geochronological,mineralogical,geochemical and isotopic data for basalts from the Chagantaolegai ophiolitic mélanges in Junggar.Zircon U-Pb dating on one basalt yielded a weighted mean^(206)Pb/^(238)U age of 469±7 Ma,which suggests that it formed in the Middle Ordovician.All rock samples belong to alkaline basalt and show similar geochemical characteristics,displaying high TiO_(2)(~3 wt%),(La/Yb)N(17.6–19.0),ΣREE(232–289 ppm)and enrichment in Nb and Ta,which implies an ocean island basalt(OIB)affinity.Based upon positiveεN d(t)(+4.16 to+4.23),ΔNb(0.20–0.22)and low initial^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr(0.70425 to 0.70452)and Zr/Nb(3.35–3.57),we suggest that the Chagantaolegai OIB samples were likely derived from a fertile mantle source related to plume.The OIB rock assemblage,chert and marble in the southern part of the Chagantaolegai ophiolitic mélange indicates that a Middle Ordovician seamount was accreted to the Boshchekul-Chingiz arc due to the northward subduction of the Junggar-Balkhash Ocean.

Geochemical,mineralogical,and petrological analyses for the interpretation of the sedimentary environment of the Middle-Late Ordovician Majiagou Formation(northern China)as a tool for more effective gas exploration

Core samples from the deeply buried Ordovician Majiagou Formation below the Huainan Coalfield(E China) have been investigated for their carbonate types,major and trace elements(including rare earth elements) and C and O isotopes,The objective was to get a better insight into the possible occurrences of gas(and possibly oil) derived from Carboniferous coals.It was found that the carbonates are dolomites with strongly varying amounts of CaO and MgO.The low concentrations of SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),and Fe_(2)O_(3)indicate deposition in a normal marine environment with little terrigenous input,The Na_(2)O/K_(2)O,Fe/Mn and Sr/Ba ratios,as well as the Ga values indicate mainly a marine salinity and a hot and humid climate.The slight depletion of Ce and Eu,the depletion of heavy rare earth elements(HREE) and the enrichment of light rare earth elements(LREE) indicate deposition in a reducing environment.It thus appears that the Majiagou Formation below the Huainan Coalfield closely resembles that in the eastern part of the Ordos Basin,where several gas reservoirs are present,so that the Majiagou Formation under the Huainan Coalfield represents a promising target for hydrocarbon exploration.

Tightness and sweet spot formation in moldic-pore-type dolomite reservoirs: The middle Ordovician Majiagou Formation in the eastern Ordos Basin, central China

The diagenetic evolution of the moldic-pore-containing gypsum dolomites of the Middle Ordovician Majiagou Formation in the eastern Ordos Basin,central China,was studied by means of petrological,mineralogical,and geochemical analyses,to improve our understanding of heterogeneity in high-quality reservoirs.The aim of the study was to elucidate the processes that resulted in reservoir tightness and the formation of sweet spots,to guide future exploration.Results show that the moldic-pore-containing gypsum dolomites are the most favorable reservoir in the study area,with a mean porosity of 4.96%and a mean permeability of 0.748 mD.The development and preservation of gypsum moldic pores were the main factors causing reservoir heterogeneity.Specifically,moldic pore development was controlled by the sedimentary microfacies,whereas pore preservation was related to dissolution and filling during telogenetic diagenesis.There were three main dissolution-filling stages that took place in three settings:penecontemporaneous,epigenetic,and burial.These processes controlled the formation of reservoir sweet spots.Early-consolidated dolomite deposits were frequently exposed to the atmosphere in the penecontemporaneous environment under the influence of high-frequency sedimentary cycles,which led to the dissolution of evaporite minerals and consequent formation of gypsum moldic pores,accompanied by infilling by freshwater calcite.During epigenesis,the porosity initially increased due to karstification,then significantly decreased because of calcite infilling resulting from long subaerial exposure(120 Myr),which contributed to reservoir heterogeneity.Finally,during burial the high-temperature and high-pressure conditions led to chemical compaction and continuous tightening of the reservoir,although some burial dissolution also took place.In conclusion,the variable paleo-topography resulted in differences in the intensity of pore filling among the blocks in the study area,resulting in reservoir heterogeneity.

Halysis Høeg,1932—An ancestral tabulate coral from the Ordos Basin,North China

The problematic calcareous microfossil Halysis is abundant in the Middle Ordovician Darriwilian Stage of the western edge of the Ordos Basin,North China.The rich and well-preserved specimens of Halysis in this area facilitate detailed studies for its skeletal construction and tube microstructure.Halysis differs from calcified cyanobacteria and calcareous red and green algae in morphology,skeletal construction and microstructure,as well as reproduction mode.Halysis typically consists of multiple juxtaposed parallel tubes arranged in sheets(‘multiple-tube'type)or is just composed of one tube(‘single-tube'type).In‘multiple-tube'Halysis,tube fission by bifurcation results from the insertion of a microcrystalline wall at the center of a mother tube.This study demonstrates for the first time that the tube walls of Halysis have a laminofibrous(fibronormal)microstructure,composed of fibrous calcite perpendicular to wall surface,and recognizes the‘single-tube'type Halysis composed of one tube;in addition,for the first time,this study finds out that‘multiple-tube'Halysis develops buddings from the conjunction of two tubes and‘single-tube'Halysis shows wide-angle Y-shaped branchings.Based on these findings,this study further compares Halysis with tabulate corals.Halysis appears stratigraphically earlier than Catenipora and Aulopora,and has a smaller tube size.‘Multiple-tube'Halysis resembles Catenipora and‘single-tube'Halysis resembles Aulopora in skeletal construction and microstructure,and in their tube walls of laminofibrous microstructure composed of fibrous calcite perpendicular to the tube wall surface.Catenipora and Halysis are both characterized by the absence of septal spines.The similarities suggest that Halysis may be the ancestor of Catenipora-like and Aulopora-like tabulate corals.