Revisiting Controls on Shale Oil Accumulation in Saline Lacustrine Basins: The Permian Lucaogou Formation Mixed Rocks, Junggar Basin

Fine-grained mixed rocks in saline lacustrine basins are important targets for shale oil exploration. However, the controls on shale oil accumulation are complex due to the multi-source mixed deposition. This is a challenging issue in the study of shale oil. Here, we present a case study in the Middle Permian Lucaogou Formation in the Jimusar Sag, Junggar Basin, northwestern China. Results show that the Lucaogou Formation consists mainly of carbonate rocks, dolomitic or calcareous mudstones, tuffaceous or silty mudstones, and siltstones. The dolomitic/calcareous mudstones ( TO C average = 6.44 wt . % ) and tuffaceous/silty mudstones ( TO C average = 4.83 wt . % ) have the best hydrocarbon generation potential and contain type I–II1 kerogens that are in the peak oil generation stage. However, the shale oil potential is highest for the carbonate rocks and siltstones with average oil saturation index (OSI) values of 315.03 mg HC/g TOC and 343.27 mg HC/g TOC, respectively. This indicates that hydrocarbon generation potential is not the main factor controlling shale oil potential. Micro-nanoscale pores are the main control. Abundant dissolution pores provide excellent reservoir space for near-source migration and accumulation of shale oil. Different mixing processes between lithofacies control the accumulation of shale oil, and shale oil productivity is the best when multi-facies deposition in transitional zones formed the mixed rocks (facies mixing). In addition, local accumulations of calcareous organisms and adjacent carbonate components on terrigenous sediments (in situ mixing) are also conducive to shale oil enrichment. This is an unusual and special feature of saline lacustrine shale oils, which is different from freshwater lacustrine and marine shale oils. Comprehensive assessment of source rock and reservoir is needed to robustly establish a widely applicable method to determine the shale oil potential in such basins.

Geoenvironmental Implications and Biocenosis of Freshwater Lakes in the Arid Zone of East Kazakhstan

Steppe and semi-desert lakes of Central Asia represent unique and still poorly known aquatic ecosystems. The paper provides summaries of multi-proxy environmental and biological investigations of the previously unexplored ground of Sibe lakes in the naturally pristine zone of East Kazakhstan, and of their contributions to people. Data on the taxonomic composition of zooplankton and zoobenthos of these freshwater lacustrine basins are presented in terms of the species’ frequency of occurrence; the abundance of the aquatic biomass and the analyzed water geochemical variables insofar as they are dependent and correlative. The qualitative and quantitative records display variability in the biocenosis diversity due to the lakes’ geochemistry and hydrology differences—some lakes being oligotrophic and others being moderately trophic. In the latter case, the lakes characterized by an increased macrozoobenthos biomass are favourable for local ichthyofauna. Sapro-biological analysis reveals the predominance of β-saprobic species in the zooplankton composition pointing to slight or moderate pollution of surface waters due to natural biotic substances. This observation is in agreement with differences in the water quality of solitary lakes. The uneven distributions of benthic invertebrates (in terms of taxonomy and species populations) in the water bodies suggest specific hydro-ecological conditions that predetermine the structure of the lakes’ biocenosis. The littoral part of the lakes is characterized by the highest abundance of zooplankton and benthic fauna. The Sibe lakes are an example of an autonomous functioning of the lacustrine basins in the upland arid steppe zone, which is characterized by pronounced climate “continentality” and a high level of the sub-aquatic flora and fauna endemism. The present results are relevant to the understanding of the ecosystems’ dynamics and the modern anthropogenic impacts upon the pristine parkland-steppe landscapes of Central Asia, with implications for regional nature protection and sustainable eco-recreation.

Lake basin closure and episodic inflow as recorded by radiogenic Sr isotopes: Eocene Green River Formation in the Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado

Lacustrine basins are excellent archives of lake evolution, and deposits record the uplift and weathering histories of the surrounding terrain. The application of Sr isotopes has been tested in several lacustrine basins, both modern and ancient, based on the premise that lakes are well mixed, and shifting Sr isotopes may suggest changes in lake provenance. In the Eocene lacustrine Green River Formation in the Piceance Creek Basin of Colorado, Sr isotope analysis of carbonate mudstones indicates that radiogenic Sr in the center of the Piceance lake decreased during the evolution of the lake, from 52.8–48.4 Ma. Because deposition in the basin center occurred away from the influence of episodic alluvial inflow at the basin margin, Sr isotope evolution in the Piceance lake after basin closure is recorded in the John Savage #24-1 core deposits, not the Anvil Points deposits. Sr isotope analysis of carbonate mudstones at Anvil Points below 55 m shows fluctuating radiogenic Sr values that record episodic inflow from the White River Uplift. This inflow is responsible for the difference in radiogenic Sr trends recorded between the basin center and margin. Above 55 m, fluctuating Sr isotope values at Anvil Points record episodic inflow from the White River Uplift, without inflow of Paleozoic and Mesozoic carbonates. The boundary at 55 m records the hydrologic closure of the Uinta and Piceance lakes around 52 Ma, when lake level lowered beneath the basin sill and the lakes were no longer connected across the Douglas Creek Arch. A significant increase in radiogenic Sr across the 55-m-boundary records this transition from open to closed hydrology, reflecting a loss of dissolved Sr sourced from Paleozoic and Mesozoic carbonates.