Fault Systems and their Control of Deep Gas Accumulations in Xujiaweizi Area

Abstract

A study of faults and their control of deep gas accumulations has been made on the basis of dividing fault systems in the Xujiaweizi area. The study indicates two sets of fault systems are developed vertically in the Xujiaweizi area, including a lower fault system and an upper fault system. Formed in the period of the Huoshiling Formation to Yingcheng Formation, the lower fault system consists of five fault systems including Xuxi strike‐slip extensional fault system, NE‐trending extensional fault system, near‐EW‐trending regulating fault system, Xuzhong strike‐slip fault system and Xudong strike‐slip fault system. Formed in the period of Qingshankou Formation to Yaojia Formation, the upper fault system was affected mainly by the boundary conditions of the lower fault system, and thus plenty of multi‐directionally distributed dense fault zones were formed in the T2 reflection horizon. The Xuxi fault controlled the formation and distribution of Shahezi coal‐measure source rocks, and Xuzhong and Xudong faults controlled the formation and distribution of volcanic reservoirs of Y1 Member and Y3 Member, respectively. In the forming period of the upper fault system, the Xuzhong fault was of successive strong activities and directly connected gas source rock reservoirs and volcanic reservoirs, so it is a strongly‐charged direct gas source fault. The volcanic reservoir development zones of good physical properties that may be found near the Xuzhong fault are the favorable target zones for the next exploration of deep gas accumulations in Xujiaweizi area.