Depocenter migration of the Ordos Basin in the late Triassic and its controls on shale distribution

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. SF81-SF98
Author(s):  
Jing Wang ◽  
Xiangbo Li ◽  
Huaqing Liu ◽  
Xiuqin Deng ◽  
Rong Wanyan
Keyword(s):  
Oil Shale ◽  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
The South ◽  
Deep Lake ◽  
The West ◽  
Resource Potential ◽  
Yanchang Formation ◽  
The Ordos Basin

The Ordos Basin has abundant conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources. Focusing on shale oil in the Ordos Basin, we studied the distribution, depositional features, and resource potential of shales in the upper Triassic Yanchang Formation based on the Ordos Basin development and depocenter migration. During the late Triassic, the Ordos Basin was a large cratonic sedimentary basin that bordered to the Hexi Corridor to the west, the southern North China block to the east, the Qilian and western Qinling orogenic zone to the south, and the foot of the Yin Mountains to the north. During deposition of the Yanchang Formation, its depocenter was not fixed. It migrated to the west before deposition of the Chang 7 oil layer and to the south after deposition of the Chang 7 oil layer. Controlled by the depocenter migration and relevant deep-lake facies, the Yanchang Formation mainly developed two sets of source rocks. The dark mudstone and shale in the Chang 9 oil layer is chiefly distributed in the south-central region of the basin, with thicknesses of 4–16 m and covers an area of approximately [Formula: see text]. The shales in the Chang 7 oil layer can be divided into two types, black oil shale and dark mudstone, and they are much thicker and more widespread than the dark mudstone in the Chang 9 oil layer. The black shale alone can be up to 60 m thick, and covers an area of more than [Formula: see text]. The shales in the Chang 7 and 9 oil layers were mainly formed in a deep-lake environment that produced high concentrations of organic matter and large hydrocarbon generation potential. According to preliminary estimates, the Chang 7 oil shale may contain [Formula: see text] of oil, thereby representing a huge resource potential with broad exploration prospectivity.

Discovery and geological significance of the Magma-hydrothermal micro-jets at the bottom of a lake: A case from the Chang 7 section of the Yanchang Formation of the Triassic in the Ordos Basin, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiyuan You ◽  
Yiqun Liu ◽  
Dingwu Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Hydrothermal Vents ◽  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Hydrothermal Activity ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Geological History ◽  
Yanchang Formation ◽  
The Ordos Basin

<p>The "black chimney" type of hydrothermal vents in the modern deep sea have become a popular research topic in many disciplines. Due to the actual conditions, the research on palaeo-thermal vents in geological history is relatively low. Fortunately, the discovery of hydrothermal vents and bio-fossils from the Chang 7 source rocks of the Yanchang Formation of the Triassic in the Ordos Basin, China, provides the best evidence for deciphering hydrothermal activity during geological history. Here, we report a case study. Through ordinary sheet observation, scanning electron microscopy and electron probe observation, layered grained siliceous rocks, dolomites, and hydrothermal mineral combinations, such as pyrite + dolomite + gypsum and calcite + barite, are found. Their unique petrological characteristics, mineral composition, and structure confirm the existence of palaeo-thermal fluid vents. We further analysed the geochemical characteristics and in situ isotope characteristics. The study found that Cs, U, Th, Pb, Ba and other trace elements of the sample showed positive abnormalities, in which values of U/Th were high; in addition, the enrichment of major elements such as Sr, Mn, and the in situ sulphur isotopes of pyrite reached 7.89%-10.88%. This study of hydrothermal vents over geological history is expected to provide new insights on the life forms of various extreme microorganisms in hydrothermal environments and on their formation of high-quality source rocks.</p>

Facies, rock attributes, stratigraphy, and depositional environments: Yanchang Formation, Central Ordos Basin, China

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. SF15-SF29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C. Ruppel ◽  
Harry Rowe ◽  
Kitty Milliken ◽  
Chao Gao ◽  
Yongping Wan
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Clay Mineral ◽  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Depositional Environments ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Yanchang Formation ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Stacking Patterns

The Late Triassic Yanchang Formation (Fm) is a major target of drilling for hydrocarbons in the Ordos Basin. Although most of the early focus on this thick succession of lacustrine rocks has been the dominant deltaic sandstones and siltstones, which act as local reservoirs of oil and gas, more recent consideration has been given to the organic-rich mudstone source rocks. We used modern chemostratigraphic analysis to define vertical facies successions in two closely spaced cores through the Chang 7 Member, the primary source rock for the Yanchang hydrocarbon system. We used integrated high-resolution X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction measurements to define four dominant facies. Variations in stable carbon isotopes mimic facies stacking patterns, suggesting that terrigenous organic matter (although minor in volume) is associated with the arkoses and sandstones, whereas aquatic organic matter is dominant in the mudstones. Facies stacking patterns define three major depositional cycles and parts of two others, each defined by basal mudstone facies that document basin flooding and deepening (i.e., flooding surfaces). Unconfined compressive strength measurements correlate with clay mineral abundance and organic matter. Comparisons of core attributes with wireline logs indicate that although general variations in clay mineral volumes (i.e., mudstone abundance) can be discerned from gamma-ray logs, organic-matter distribution is best defined with density or resistivity logs. These findings, especially those established between the core and log data, provide a powerful linkage between larger scale facies patterns and smaller scale studies of key reservoir attributes, such as pore systems, mineralogy, diagenesis, rock mechanics, hydrocarbon saturation, porosity and permeability, and flow parameters. This first application of modern chemostratigraphic techniques to the Yanchang Fm reveals the great promise of applying these methods to better understand the complex facies patterns that define this lacustrine basin and the variations in key reservoir properties that each facies displays.

scholarly journals Re-discussion on the detrital zircon provenance of the lower Yanchang Formation in the southern Ordos Basin

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Jianchao Liu ◽  
Haidong Zhang ◽  
Yangyang Chen
Keyword(s):  
North China Craton ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
North China ◽  
Middle Triassic ◽  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Yanchang Formation ◽  
The Ordos Basin

AbstractThe Ordos Basin is the second largest sedimentary basin in China. The Yanchang Formation is the key oilbearing layer in the Ordos Basin. The stratigraphic time interval and the stratigraphic division of the Yanchang Formation has been highly debated with estimates ranging from Middle Triassic to Late Triassic. According to the latest studies on the stratigraphical division of Yanchang Formation, it was considered to be deposited as early as the Middle Triassic. Based on this new understanding, we reexamined the previous studies of the detrital zircons from the lower Yanchang Formation. The detrital zircons from the lower Yanchang Formation were divided into three groups based on their U-Pb ages: Paleozoic, Paleoproterozoic, and Neoarchean. The lack of Neoproterozoic U-Pb ages indicates no input from either the Qinling Orogen or the Qilian Orogen. The two older age groups (Paleoproterozoic, and Neoarchean) are likely derived from the North China Craton basement. The Paleozoic zircons were derived from the Inner Mongolia Paleo-uplift. The lower Yanchang Formation was mainly derived from the Inner Mongolia Paleo-uplift instead of being recycled from the previous sedimentary material from the central-eastern North China Craton as was previously hypothesized.

scholarly journals Genetic mechanisms of deep-water massive sandstones in continental lake basins and their significance in micro–nano reservoir storage systems: A case study of the Yanchang formation in the Ordos Basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 489-503
Author(s):  
Jianbo Liao ◽  
Aihua Xi ◽  
Sujuan Liang ◽  
Xinping Zhou ◽  
Zhiyong Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Pore Radius ◽  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Shear Resistance ◽  
Deep Lake ◽  
Yanchang Formation ◽  
Sedimentary Structures ◽  
The Ordos Basin ◽  
Sedimentary Layer

AbstractBased on field geological surveys of two deep-water sedimentary outcrops in the Yanchang formation of the Ordos Basin, X-ray diffraction analysis, elemental geochemical analysis, and polarizing microscope observations were conducted to investigate the causes of various sedimentary structures inside the massive sand bodies from deep-water debris flow. A genesis model of deep-water debris-flow sandstone is established: during the handling of the mass transport complexes in the basin slope, the soft sandy sedimentary layer with relatively strong shear resistance tears the soft muddy sedimentary layer with weak shear resistance and pulls various clumps inside the muddy layer. Finally, debris-flow massive sandstones with rich sedimentary structures are formed. Through argon ion polishing and field emission scanning electron microscopy, the debris-flow sandstones mainly develop micron-scale pores, and the pore radius is mainly distributed in the range of 1–8 µm. The sedimentary rocks from the semi-deep lake to deep lake facies only have a small number of nano-scale pores, and the pore radius is distributed between 20 and 120 nm.

Grain composition and diagenesis of organic-rich lacustrine tarls, Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, China

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. SF189-SF210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kitty L. Milliken ◽  
Ying Shen ◽  
Lucy T. Ko ◽  
Quansheng Liang
Keyword(s):  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Barnett Shale ◽  
Solid Hydrocarbon ◽  
Pore Filling ◽  
Grain Composition ◽  
Yanchang Formation ◽  
The Ordos Basin ◽  
Quartz Grains

The role of the primary detrital grain assemblage as a control on diagenetic pathways is reasonably well-understood in sandstones and limestones, but less so in mudrocks. We have documented diagenesis in mudstones from the Triassic Yanchang Formation that are dominated ([Formula: see text] by volume) by grains derived from outside the basin of deposition (terrigenous-argillaceous mudstones or tarls). Major extrabasinal grains are K-rich clay, quartz, plagioclase, K-feldspar, lithic fragments, and micas. In terms of the quartz-feldspar-lithic grain compositions, the silt fraction in these samples is classified as arkose. Grains of intrabasinal derivation include particulate organic matter, phosphatic debris, and rare carbonate allochems. The principal chemical diagenetic components in these mudrocks have strongly localized spatial distributions at micrometer to centimeter scales. Chemical diagenetic components include cone-in-cone structures, replacements of detrital feldspar, pore-filling precipitates within anomalously large pores, pore-filling solid hydrocarbon, and very minor quartz overgrowths associated with local packing flaws around silt-size detrital quartz grains. Matrix-dispersed intergranular cementation, as observed in well-known organic-rich marine mudstones, such as the Barnett Shale and the Eagle Ford Formation, is not observed in Yanchang Formation lacustrine mudstones. The authigenic features present are consistent with the thermal maturity of the units ([Formula: see text]) and are broadly similar to features observed in other mudstones that contain grain assemblages dominated by particles of extrabasinal derivation. The low porosity and the absence of significant amounts of intergranular cement indicate that compactional porosity loss and in-filling by migrated solid hydrocarbon were the major causes of porosity decline during diagenesis of Yanchang Formation mudrocks. Although the mudstones of the Yanchang Formation have a relatively high content of organic carbon and serve as source rocks in the Ordos Basin, the depositional grain assemblage is not conducive to creation of porosity, permeability, and mechanical properties that would make these mudrocks effective unconventional reservoirs.

scholarly journals Analysis of the charging process of the lacustrine tight oil reservoir in the Triassic Chang 6 Member in the southwest Ordos Basin, China

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (12) ◽  
pp. 1228-1247
Author(s):  
Zhengjian Xu ◽  
Luofu Liu ◽  
Tieguan Wang ◽  
Kangjun Wu ◽  
Wenchao Dou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Driving Mechanism ◽  
Tight Oil ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Tight Sandstone ◽  
Main Production ◽  
The Ordos Basin ◽  
Homogenization Temperatures ◽  
Quartz Grains

With the success of Bakken tight oil (tight sandstone oil and shale oil) and Eagle Ford tight oil in North America, tight oil has become a research focus in petroleum geology. In China, tight oil reservoirs are predominantly distributed in lacustrine basins. The Triassic Chang 6 Member is the main production layer of tight oil in the Ordos Basin, in which the episodes, timing, and drive of tight oil charging have been analyzed through the petrography, fluorescence microspectrometry, microthermometry, and trapping pressure simulations of fluid inclusions in the reservoir beds. Several conclusions have been reached in this paper. First, aqueous inclusions with five peaks of homogenization temperatures and oil inclusions with three peaks of homogenization temperatures occurred in the Chang 6 reservoir beds. The oil inclusions are mostly distributed in fractures that cut across and occur within the quartz grains, in the quartz overgrowth and calcite cements, and the fractures that occur within the feldspar grains, with blue–green, green, and yellow–green fluorescence colours. Second, the peak wavelength, Q650/500, and QF535 of the fluorescence microspectrometry indicate three charging episodes of tight oil with different oil maturities. The charging timings (141–136, 126–118, and 112–103 Ma) have been ascertained by projecting the homogenization temperatures of aqueous inclusions onto the geological time axis. Third, excess-pressure differences up to 10 MPa between the Chang 7 source rocks and the Chang 6 reservoir beds were the main driving mechanism supporting the process of nonbuoyancy migration.

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