Deep hydrocarbons in the northwestern Junggar Basin (NW China): Geochemistry, origin, and implications for the oil vs. gas generation potential of post-mature saline lacustrine source rocks

Tao, Keyu; Cao, Jian; Chen, Xin; Nueraili, Zhaman; Hu, Wenxuan; Shi, Chunhua

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2019.06.041

Cited by 54 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Recent exploration and exploitation indicate that the conglomerate reservoir of the Lower-Wuerhe Formation is now a field of exploration (Tao et al., 2019; Zhang et al., 2019). The main pore type in the conglomerate reservoir of the Lower-Wuerhe Formation in the Mahu Sag is primary intergranular pores, but dissolution pores such as inter-particle and intergranular dissolution pores are also developed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genesis of diagenetic zeolites and their impact on reservoir formation in the Middle Permian Lower-Wuerhe Formation of the Mahu Sag, Junggar Basin, Northwest China

Wang

Zhou

Jin

et al. 2020

Energy Exploration & Exploitation

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Zeolites are important diagenetic minerals in petroleum reservoirs and have complex impacts on reservoir quality. To highlight this critical and challenging issue, we conduct a case study in the Middle Permian Lower-Wuerhe Formation in the Mahu Sag, Junggar Basin, China. Formation mechanism of zeolites and their impacts on the reservoir quality. Our results show that there are five types of zeolite minerals (i.e. laumontite, heulandite, analcime, stilbite, and clinoptilolite) in the Lower-Wuerhe Formation reservoir, with laumontite and heulandite being the main types. Petrographic and geochemical data suggested that laumontites developed in the Lower-Wuerhe Formation were mainly precipitated from pore water, whereas heulandites were formed associated with alteration of volcanic materials. In addition, the distribution of different type of zeolite minerals is generally controlled by sedimentary facies. The heulandite–laumontite zone developed mainly in the front of fan-delta plain, and the laumontite zone developed mainly in fan-delta front. The distal part of fan-delta front is dominated by albite. The zeolite mineral assemblages are generally controlled by geochemical composition of volcanic lithic fragments. The high content of intermediate-basic volcanic lithic fragments in the eastern Mahu Slope sediments is responsible for authigenic minerals such as heulandite, chlorite, and laumontite. However, the content of intermediate-basic volcanic lithic fragments in the western Mahu Slope sediments is low which results in the cement in this region is dominated by laumontite and mixed-layer illite/smectite. In general, conglomerates deposited in fan-delta front are favorable for the formation of early laumontite and late dissolution of laumontite due to resistance to compaction by coarse fraction and accumulation of acidic fluids in structural highs, which resulted in the formation of a high-quality reservoir. Our results have general implications for hydrocarbon exploration of the zeolite-bearing conglomerate reservoirs in non-marine petroliferous basins.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genesis of diagenetic zeolites and their impact on reservoir formation in the Middle Permian Lower-Wuerhe Formation of the Mahu Sag, Junggar Basin, Northwest China

Wang

Zhou

Jin

et al. 2020

Energy Exploration & Exploitation

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“…6. The heavy oil reservoirs had not obviously uplifted since the late-stage hydrocarbon charging (Tao et al, 2016(Tao et al, , 2019, so the reservoired heavy oils were preserved in the deep layers till the present.…”

Section: Origin Of the Deep Heavy Oilsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Mahu Sag, located near the northwestern margin of the Junggar Basin (Figure 1), is a Permian hybrid petroleum system containing three sets of Permian source rocks (Figure 2): the lower Permian Jiamuhe Formation (P 1 j), the lower Permian Fengcheng Formation (P 1 f), and the Middle Permian Lower Wuerhe Formation (P 2 w) (Cao et al, 2005). Although all the Permian source rocks are currently moderately to highly mature, mostly with vitrinite reflectance values of >1.3% Ro (Cao et al, 2006;Liu et al, 2013;Xiang et al, 2015), plenty of oil but few gas resources have been explored in this region (Tao et al, 2016(Tao et al, , 2019. The lack of gas field discoveries is casting doubt on the natural gas potential and the soundness of gas exploration strategies in the region (Tao et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several research studies have attributed the sparseness of gas discoveries to the underdevelopment of gas-prone source rock in the sag (Cao et al, 2005;Jin et al, 2008; 2016). However, Tao et al (2016Tao et al ( , 2019 argued that gases accumulate at significant depths that have not been discovered by drilling. These suggestions were mainly obtained from the investigation of source rocks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, Tao et al. (2016, 2019) argued that gases accumulate at significant depths that have not been discovered by drilling. These suggestions were mainly obtained from the investigation of source rocks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Origin of deep heavy oils in the northwestern Junggar Basin (NW China) and implications for gas migration

Wang

Xiang

et al. 2020

Energy Exploration & Exploitation

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Whether the northwestern Junggar Basin (NW China) has natural gas potential is an urgent but unresolved question. In this study, we discuss the origin of deep heavy oils (>2900 m) and its implication for gas migration and accumulation, based on a comprehensive investigation into physicochemical and geological properties of hydrocarbons in the northern Zhongguai High. Our results indicate that multiple-episode migration of hydrocarbons created four genetic types of oils and three genetic types of hydrocarbon gases and induced widespread gas washing. Relatively low maturity and gas washing are both responsible for the formation of the deep heavy oils. In detail, the migrating late-stage humic-type gases washed the encountered early stage low-maturity oils. The oil reservoirs lost their light fraction and evolved into heavy oils, which are preserved in the deep layer to the present, while the light-end components continued to migrate upward and accumulated as mixed gas pools or vented out of the system. The spatial distributions pattern of source rocks, heavy oils, and mixed gas clearly indicates the migration pathways of humic-type gases, which otherwise are difficult to define in the study area. Because the gases finally migrate into fault belts, their poor preservation condition likely results in the rare discoveries of gas fields. The favorable exploration targets for gas in the area are expected to be fault traps in fault belts, stratigraphic traps along the pinch-out boundary of the Upper Wuerhe Formation, and, particularly, the deep traps in the Mahu Sag.

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Co-evolution of paleo-environment and bio-precursors in a Permian alkaline lake, Mahu mega-oil province, Junggar Basin: Implications for oil sources

Xia

Cao

Bian

et al. 2022

Sci. China Earth Sci.

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Deep hydrocarbons in the northwestern Junggar Basin (NW China): Geochemistry, origin, and implications for the oil vs. gas generation potential of post-mature saline lacustrine source rocks

Cited by 54 publications

References 41 publications

Genesis of diagenetic zeolites and their impact on reservoir formation in the Middle Permian Lower-Wuerhe Formation of the Mahu Sag, Junggar Basin, Northwest China

Genesis of diagenetic zeolites and their impact on reservoir formation in the Middle Permian Lower-Wuerhe Formation of the Mahu Sag, Junggar Basin, Northwest China

Origin of deep heavy oils in the northwestern Junggar Basin (NW China) and implications for gas migration

Co-evolution of paleo-environment and bio-precursors in a Permian alkaline lake, Mahu mega-oil province, Junggar Basin: Implications for oil sources

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