Genesis Types and Migration of Middle and Lower Assemblages of Natural Gas in the Eastern Belt around the Penyijingxi Sag of the Junggar Basin, NW China

Abstract

This study analyzes the geochemical characteristics of natural gas composition, carbon isotope, and light hydrocarbon in the eastern belt around the Penyijingxi sag of the Junggar Basin. The result shows the that natural gas content is dominated by alkane gas, with low contents of heavy hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon components. The overall carbon isotopic composition of the alkanes shows a trend as δ13methane (C1) < δ13ethane (C2) < δ13propane (C3) < δ13butane (C4), and all δ13C1 values are <−30‰, which are typical of gases of organic origin. The natural gas is mainly coal-derived gas from the Lower Urho formation, mixed with a small amount of oil-associated gas from the Fengcheng formation. The vertical migration of natural gas resulted in the mixing of oil-associated gas and coal-derived gas and the mixing of alkane gas at different stages of the same origin, which should be the origin of carbon isotope inversion. The diffusion migration of carboniferous oil and gas reservoirs has led to differences in gas geochemical characteristics among gas wells. These migration characteristics of natural gas may indicate that the shallow layers are a favorable stratum for the next step of oil and gas exploration in the eastern belt around the Penyijingxi sag.