Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale-hosted regions of China

China is home to shales of three facies: Marine shale, continental shale, and marine-continental transitional shale. Different types of shale gas are associated with significantly different formation conditions and major controlling factors. This study compared the geological characteristics of vari...

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Main Authors: Shu-jing Bao, Tian-xu Guo, Jin-tao Yin, Wei-bin Liu, Sheng-jian Wang, Hao-han Li, Zhi Zhou, Shi-zhen Li, Xiang-lin Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2024-01-01
Series:China Geology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519224000624
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author Shu-jing Bao
Tian-xu Guo
Jin-tao Yin
Wei-bin Liu
Sheng-jian Wang
Hao-han Li
Zhi Zhou
Shi-zhen Li
Xiang-lin Chen
author_facet Shu-jing Bao
Tian-xu Guo
Jin-tao Yin
Wei-bin Liu
Sheng-jian Wang
Hao-han Li
Zhi Zhou
Shi-zhen Li
Xiang-lin Chen
author_sort Shu-jing Bao
collection DOAJ
description China is home to shales of three facies: Marine shale, continental shale, and marine-continental transitional shale. Different types of shale gas are associated with significantly different formation conditions and major controlling factors. This study compared the geological characteristics of various shales and analyzed the influences of different parameters on the formation and accumulation of shale gas. In general, shales in China’s several regions exhibit high total organic carbon (TOC) contents, which lays a sound material basis for shale gas generation. Marine strata generally show high degrees of thermal evolution. In contrast, continental shales manifest low degrees of thermal evolution, necessitating focusing on areas with relatively high degrees of thermal evolution in the process of shale gas surveys for these shales. The shales of the Wufeng and Silurian formations constitute the most favorable shale gas reservoirs since they exhibit the highest porosity among the three types of shales. These shales are followed by those in the Niutitang and Longtan formations. In contrast, the shales of the Doushantuo, Yanchang, and Qingshankou formations manifest low porosities. Furthermore, the shales of the Wufeng and Longmaxi formations exhibit high brittle mineral contents. Despite a low siliceous mineral content, the shales of the Doushantuo Formation feature a high carbonate mineral content, which can increase the shales’ brittleness to some extent. For marine-continental transitional shales, where thin interbeds of tight sandstone with unequal thicknesses are generally found, it is recommended that fracturing combined with drainage of multiple sets of lithologic strata should be employed to enhance their shale gas production.©2024 China Geology Editorial Office.
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spelling doaj-art-ecc8d0bdfc9c41569ad7e4e3e9530a552025-08-20T03:28:37ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.China Geology2589-94302024-01-017113814910.31035/cg2022082Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale-hosted regions of ChinaShu-jing Bao0Tian-xu Guo1Jin-tao Yin2Wei-bin Liu3Sheng-jian Wang4Hao-han Li5Zhi Zhou6Shi-zhen Li7Xiang-lin Chen8The Key Laboratory of Unconventional Petroleum Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, 100083 Beijing, China; Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, 100083 Beijing, China; First author: E-mail address: 415530248@qq.com (Shu-jing Bao).The Key Laboratory of Unconventional Petroleum Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, 100083 Beijing, China; Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, 100083 Beijing, China; Corresponding author: E-mail address: 253307350@qq.com (Tian-xu Guo).Research Institute of Yanchang Petroleum (Group) CO. LTD, 710076 Xi’an, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Unconventional Petroleum Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, 100083 Beijing, China; Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, 100083 Beijing, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Unconventional Petroleum Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, 100083 Beijing, China; Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, 100083 Beijing, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Unconventional Petroleum Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, 100083 Beijing, China; Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, 100083 Beijing, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Unconventional Petroleum Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, 100083 Beijing, China; Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, 100083 Beijing, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Unconventional Petroleum Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, 100083 Beijing, China; Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, 100083 Beijing, ChinaThe Key Laboratory of Unconventional Petroleum Geology, China Geological Survey, Ministry of Natural Resources, 100083 Beijing, China; Oil and Gas Survey, China Geological Survey, 100083 Beijing, ChinaChina is home to shales of three facies: Marine shale, continental shale, and marine-continental transitional shale. Different types of shale gas are associated with significantly different formation conditions and major controlling factors. This study compared the geological characteristics of various shales and analyzed the influences of different parameters on the formation and accumulation of shale gas. In general, shales in China’s several regions exhibit high total organic carbon (TOC) contents, which lays a sound material basis for shale gas generation. Marine strata generally show high degrees of thermal evolution. In contrast, continental shales manifest low degrees of thermal evolution, necessitating focusing on areas with relatively high degrees of thermal evolution in the process of shale gas surveys for these shales. The shales of the Wufeng and Silurian formations constitute the most favorable shale gas reservoirs since they exhibit the highest porosity among the three types of shales. These shales are followed by those in the Niutitang and Longtan formations. In contrast, the shales of the Doushantuo, Yanchang, and Qingshankou formations manifest low porosities. Furthermore, the shales of the Wufeng and Longmaxi formations exhibit high brittle mineral contents. Despite a low siliceous mineral content, the shales of the Doushantuo Formation feature a high carbonate mineral content, which can increase the shales’ brittleness to some extent. For marine-continental transitional shales, where thin interbeds of tight sandstone with unequal thicknesses are generally found, it is recommended that fracturing combined with drainage of multiple sets of lithologic strata should be employed to enhance their shale gas production.©2024 China Geology Editorial Office.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519224000624Shale gasMarine shaleContinental shaleMarine-continental transitional shaleNeoproterozoic-Cretaceous strataGeological conditions
spellingShingle Shu-jing Bao
Tian-xu Guo
Jin-tao Yin
Wei-bin Liu
Sheng-jian Wang
Hao-han Li
Zhi Zhou
Shi-zhen Li
Xiang-lin Chen
Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale-hosted regions of China
China Geology
Shale gas
Marine shale
Continental shale
Marine-continental transitional shale
Neoproterozoic-Cretaceous strata
Geological conditions
title Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale-hosted regions of China
title_full Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale-hosted regions of China
title_fullStr Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale-hosted regions of China
title_full_unstemmed Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale-hosted regions of China
title_short Geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale-hosted regions of China
title_sort geological conditions and reservoir characteristics of various shales in major shale hosted regions of china
topic Shale gas
Marine shale
Continental shale
Marine-continental transitional shale
Neoproterozoic-Cretaceous strata
Geological conditions
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519224000624
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