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Geoscience ›› 2022, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (02): 719-728.DOI: 10.19657/j.geoscience.1000-8527.2021.193

• Oil and Gas Exploration • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Classification of Sub-sags in the Erlian Basin and Its Petroleum Prospecting Significance

CAO Lanzhu1(), WU Piao2,3, HOU Dujie2(), WEI Xiuli1, ZHEN Ronghua1   

  1. 1. Exploration and Development Research Institute,PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company,Renqiu, Hebei 062550,China
    2. School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
    3. Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Qingdao, Shandong 266071, China
  • Received:2021-04-05 Revised:2021-07-20 Online:2022-04-10 Published:2022-06-01
  • Contact: HOU Dujie

Abstract:

A total of 56 sags and 21 uplifts have been discovered in the Erlian Basin. Each sag consists of two or three sub-sags, according to the segmentation of sedimentation center in the Tenggeer Formation (1st member). In order to study the geological classification and its correlation with the hydrocarbon generation potential of the sub-sags, the geological and geochemical statistical data from 23 sub-sags were analyzed. It is found the maximum burial depth of the Paleozoic basement surface, the sub-sag area, and the paleo-water salinity during the epoch of the Aershan and Tenggeer (1st member) Formation have respectively controlled the maximum total thickness and organic matter maturity, area, organic matter abundance and type of the source rocks in the Aershan Formation and Tenggeer Formation (1st member). Thus, we propose that the sub-sags could be divided into the highly-mature, mature, and lowly-mature class, and 14 sub-classes according to the differences of the maximum basement burial depth, deep sub-sag area, and paleo-water salinity of the two formation strata. Coupled with hydrocarbon generation potential assessment of 23 sub-sags, we consider that hydrocarbon-rich sub-sags generally belong to highly-mature large-medium sub-sags sub-class or mature large-medium salty sub-sags sub-class. We suggest that the salty or brackish sub-sags are more suitable for tight oil exploration, as they possess more advantageous source and reservoir conditions. As highly-mature saline sub-sags are better developed in the Manite and the Ulanqab depressions, priority of exploration area selection should be given to the sub-sags in these two depressions.

Key words: Erlian Basin, sub-sag classification, basement burial depth, salinization of lacustrine basin, hydrocarbon generating potential

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