Characteristics of Chinese Petroleum Geology: Geological Features and Exploration Cases of Stratigraphic, Foreland and Deep Formation Traps

605 Pages·2012·17.429 MB·English

by  Prof. Chengzao Jia (auth.)

ADVANCED TOPICS
IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN CHINA
ADVANCED TOPICS
IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN CHINA

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Chengzao Jia

Characteristics of Chinese
Petroleum Geology

Geological Features and Exploration Cases
of Stratigraphic, Foreland and Deep
Formation Traps

With 161 figures, 119 of them in color
Author
Prof. Chengzao Jia
PetroChina Company Limited
Beijing 100011, China
E-mail: [email protected]

ISSN 1995-6819 e-ISSN 1995-6827
Advanced Topics in Science and Technology in China

ISBN 978-7-308-08270-9
Zhejiang University Press, Hangzhou

ISBN 978-3-642-23871-0 ISBN 978-3-642-23872-7 (eBook)
Springer Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London

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Preface
The Chinese petroleum industry has a glorious and long history. The Chinese
petroleum explorationists and geologists have made important contributions
throughout the history of petroleum exploration. During the development of the
petroleum industry, advancements in the understanding of Chinese petroleum
geology were always accompanied by huge growth in the petroleum reserves. At
the end of the 1950s, the Daqing oil field was discovered in the Songliao basin;
along with the development of the geological theory of the terrigenous basin
generating oil, the old geological theory that only marine facies could generate oil
was revised. At the end of the 1970s, because of the exploration breakthrough in
the Bohai Bay basin, the geological theory of composite petroleum accumulation
in the faulted basin was developed and annual crude oil production reached
100 million tons. Entering the 21st century, the Chinese petroleum industry has
developed into a new stage. The rapid development of the domestic economy
brought a serious challenge to domestic oil and gas supplies. Chinese petroleum
companies invested a huge amount of capital in domestic exploration. Oil and gas
exploration was carried out in eastern and western China on a large scale. As a
result, there were major advances in natural gas exploration. At present, the new
circumstances that we encounter are increasingly diversified exploration targets;
the exploration focal points and hot spots may include several types of basin,
complicated oil and gas reservoirs, various regions with different exploration
levels and old and new exploration domains. In accordance with oil and gas
exploration in the near future, petroleum explorationists and geologists are now
facing the major need to develop new geological theories to be applied to oil and
gas exploration so as to achieve new breakthroughs and maintain and increase
domestic oil and gas supplies. This issue can also be viewed as a challenge and an
opportunity facing Chinese petroleum geologists and Chinese petroleum
exploration engineers. The Chinese petroleum industry needs a forward-thinking
geological theory and a suitable exploration strategy.
In recent years, new geological theories have been developed, which were
motivated by the following: to challenge existing geological theories that were
being applied during oil and gas exploration by the petroleum industry; to examine
the use of new geological theories from overseas and from within China (such as
vi Preface
the introduction of the theory of stratigraphic sequences); to make use of the
progress in technologies that specialized in seismic technology and drilling
technology. The author believes that the application of new geological theories are
in the course of development, to face the latest challenges facing oil and gas
exploration at the beginning of the 21st century, incorporating the newest
discoveries and advances in knowledge that were uncovered during the petroleum
exploration of recent years, and which absorb the newest study results in
fundamental disciplines of petroleum geology as well. These new geological
theories could be called “Chinese Exploration Theories for Petroleum Geology at
the beginning of the 21st Century”, which include applying new theories to
petroleum geology and exploration of the stratigraphic reservoir; to a study of the
tectonics of the petroleum basins of western China; to thrust belt exploration in the
terrigenous foreland basin; to exploration of the lower and middle petroleum
systems (at a deep level) in the superimposed basin; to natural gas geology and
related gas accumulative theory; to the geology of non-conventional oil and
gas resources and to related technology for exploration and development and
to petroleum resource evaluation and forecasting of the remaining petroleum
resources.
At the same time, considering the circumstances that the Chinese onshore
petroleum exploration is confronting (which include the situation of the petroleum
resources, the economic circumstances and the technical conditions), the author
believes that the strategy for onshore petroleum exploration at the beginning of the
21st century should include the following four measures: firstly, the major
exploration domains should include the stratigraphic reservoir, the thrust belt in
the foreland basin, the middle and lower petroleum systems (at a deep level) in the
superimposed basin and comprehensive exploration in previously explored regions.
Furthermore, the seven large petroleum basins should be the major targets,
including the Songliao basin, Tarim basin and other large basins; secondly, we
should not only accentuate oil exploration and accelerate natural gas exploration,
but should also positively carry out risky exploration in new basins and new
domains; thirdly, while developing applied seismic technology and drilling
technology, we should also highlight comprehensive geological research and
geoscience studies in fundamental disciplines; lastly, we should pay close
attention to non-conventional petroleum resources and new forms of energy.
The author is not only a geologist, but also an explorationist. Almost all of his
working years have been spent either at the site of petroleum exploration and
development or in geological field studies. At present, the author still concentrates
on petroleum exploration research. With many years of working experience (either
in scientific study or in exploration), the author profoundly understands that new
scientific discoveries come from first hand scientific data collected at the work site
and, in addition, that new exploration ideas come from petroleum exploration
practices. These new scientific discoveries and new exploration ideas not only
motivate the creation of new geological theory and new exploration theory, but
also direct the development of the petroleum industry. In recent years, during
geological research and exploration, the author has achieved some success by
Preface vii
carefully studying and evaluating the data at first hand. Some research results have
been tested and proven by exploration practices, which also have made a number
of contributions to Chinese onshore petroleum exploration. The author is happy to
see a hard working petroleum industry and the important progress that has been
achieved during oil and gas exploration in recent years.
This book includes four parts. Part I contains three chapters that fully
introduce the plate tectonics, the sedimentology, the petroleum geology and the
distribution pattern of oil and gas resources in the Chinese petroleum basins.
Chapter 1 discusses the tectonic background and related developments in the
Chinese petroleum basins. Chapter 2 discusses the distribution features of
petroleum resources and exploration potential in the Chinese petroleum basins.
Chapter 3 includes the evaluation of the Chinese petroleum resources, the current
situation of petroleum exploration and development. In particular, the author
discusses distribution patterns, the undiscovered oil and gas resources and the
exploration domains.
Part II introduces the geological theory of Chinese stratigraphic reservoirs, the
technology and exploration practices. Part II contains five chapters, from Chapters
4 to 8. Chapter 4 discusses the types of reservoir, the characteristics of a trap and
the controlling factors in the creation of traps in a Chinese stratigraphic petroleum
reservoir. Chapter 5 discusses the major types and related characteristics of
petroleum accumulative regions to be found in stratigraphic reservoirs. In this
chapter the author presents the concept of the accumulative petroleum combination
of structure–stratigraphy; in addition, the author also discusses the classification of
accumulative combinations and their features. In establishing three types of
petroleum accumulative combination (which include the type of source rock
inside, above and beneath the reservoir) and due to the controlling factors of
the accumulative petroleum combination, Chapter 6 presents the categories of
accumulative combinations and related creative mechanisms. Chapter 7 discusses
the petroleum accumulative features and distribution patterns of stratigraphic
reservoirs in four different basin prototypes. Chapter 8 presents successful
exploration examples that include the lithologic type of oil reservoir in the
Bayindulan depression in the Erlian basin, the lithologic type of oil reservoir in the
Changling depression in the southern part of the Songliao basin, the lithologic
type of oil reservoir in the Mesozoic low permeable sandstone in the Eerduosi
basin and the stratigraphic type of oil and gas reservoir in the carbonate reef flat in
the Tazhong area.
Part III not only introduces the characteristics of petroleum geology in the
foreland thrust belt which contains extremely complicated structural geology, but
it also discusses the related exploration practices. Part III contains Chapters 9 and
10. Chapter 9 discusses the characteristics of petroleum geology in the Chinese
foreland thrust belt. Chapter 10 discusses successful examples of petroleum
exploration in the Chinese foreland thrust belt, which not only include oil and gas
exploration in the Kuche foreland thrust belt and the discovery of the Kela 2 gas
field, but also oil and gas exploration in the Jiuquan foreland thrust belt and the
discovery of the Qingxi oil field.
viii Preface
Part IV introduces the geological characteristics of oil and gas reservoirs that
not only utilize carbonate rocks and volcanic rocks as the reservoir sequences, but
that are also positioned at a deep level in the superimposed basin. In addition, Part
IV also discusses the potential of the oil and gas resources and exploration
practices. Part IV includes four chapters, from Chapters 11 to 14. Chapter 11
proposes methods of exploration in searching for a petroleum system at a deep
level in the onshore superimposed basins. Chapter 12 discusses the geological
features of oil and gas reservoirs in carbonate rocks in China. Chapter 13
introduces the geological features of volcanic reservoirs in China. It also utilizes
the geochemistry of non-organic carbon dioxide and its resource as an example of
how to carry out an in-depth investigation. Non-organic carbon dioxide occurs in
the Cretaceous volcanic petroleum system in the Songliao basin. Chapter 14 discusses
successful examples of petroleum exploration at a deep level in the superimposed
basins, in particular emphasizing the Lunnan Ordovician oil and gas reservoir in
the Tarim basin, the reef flat gas reservoir in the Changxing–Feixianguan
formation in the Longgang area in the Sichuan basin, the Cretaceous volcanic gas
reservoir in the Xujiaweizi faulted basin in the Songliao basin and the
Carboniferous volcanic gas field in the Zhungeer basin.
The author is full of gratitude to the enormous support from PetroChina, the
Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development (RIPED), as well as
the Science and Technology Division of PetroChina. The author would like to
show particular appreciation to Professor Kai Qian, Professor Guoqi Wei,
Professor Xuanjun Yuan, Dr. Benliang Li, Dr. Hui Qu and Dr. Yongfeng Zhang;
they contributed to this book by editing and writing some chapters. Last, the
author would like to thank Dechin Wang and Ian McIntosh for their contribution
in improving the English of the manuscript.

Chengzao Jia
Beijing, China
Oct. 2011
Contents
Part I Characteristics of Chinese Petroleum Geology and
Evaluation of Oil and Gas Resources.........................................1
1 Tectonic Background and Development of Chinese Basin.........................3
1.1 Characteristics of Tectonic Framework and Distribution of
Geophysical Field...................................................................................5
1.2 Basement of the Craton Basin Formed During the Precambrian............7
1.2.1 Continental Shield Formed Earlier than 2,800 Ma......................7
1.2.2 Basement of the Craton Basin Formed During
2,800 – 800 Ma...........................................................................8
1.3 Drifting of Small Paleozonic Plates and Marine Deposits....................10
1.3.1 Drifting of Early Paleozonic Plates and Marine Deposits.........11
1.3.2 Late Paleozoic Plate Convergence and Marine–Terrigenous
Basin..........................................................................................13
1.3.3 Creation and Development of Marine Craton Basin in China...14
1.4 Mesozoic Plates Convergence and Terrestrial Basin Deposits..............19
1.4.1 Terrestrial Basins were Formed During the Early–Middle
Triassic Epochs in Northern China............................................20
1.4.2 Diversity of Marine Basins and Terrestrial Basins
Originated During the Late Triassic Epoch...............................21
1.4.3 Intra-Continental Faulted Basin Developed During the
Jurassic–Cretaceous Periods.....................................................24
1.5 Development of Intra-Continental Orogenies and Basins During the
Himalayan Tectonic Period...................................................................26
1.5.1 Collision Between Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate and
Development of Regenerated Foreland Basin...........................27
1.5.2 Subduction of West Pacific Plate and Development of
Back-Arc Rift Basin in Eastern China.......................................28
References......................................................................................................30