Abstract:

Cratonic basins in China, such as the Tarim,the Ordos and the Sichuan basins, were developed on the former rifts or aulacogens following supercontinent break-up.Afterwards,cratonic basins were superimposed by foreland basins, following supercontinent amalgamation.Source rocks developed in the early stages; reservoir rocks developed in carbonate-evaporite cycles in the middle stage during periods of subsidence;and seal and overburden rocks formed in the late stage under contractional regimes, which produced a hydrocarbon system based on the cratonic cycle model.When carbonate platforms developed on paleo-uplifts,they started producing favorable reservoir rocks.Meanwhile, turbidity currents developed in the slope and semi-abyssal basin areas, providing source rocks for the hydrocarbon system under a facies change model. The three carbonate reservoir textural types are the pore-type, cavernous type, and fissure type. They are controlled by the following three major factors: sedimentation，relative sea level change and tectonism.In practice the carbonate reservoir types are usually found in combination rather than singly, examples being the pore-cavern, karst cavern-fissure, or fissure-pore types

Key words: cratonic basin, hydrocarbon system, cratonic cycle model, facies change model, paleo-uplift