Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2021, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (1): 158-172.doi: 10.11743/ogg20210114

• Petroleum Geology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Sedimentary environment and organic matter enrichment mechanisms of the Upper Permian Dalong Formation shale, southern Anhui Province, China

Jianghui Ding1,2(), Jinchuan Zhang3,4, Gang Shi5, Baojian Shen1,2, Xuan Tang3,4, Zhenheng Yang1,2, Xingqi Li3,4, Chuxiong Li1,2   

  1. 1. Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, SINOPEC, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214126, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214126, China
    3. School of Energy and Resources, China University of Geosciences(Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
    4. Key Laboratory of Strategy Evaluation for Shale Gas, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100083, China
    5. Nanjing Center of China Geological Survey, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210061, China
  • Received:2020-05-06 Online:2021-02-28 Published:2021-02-07

Abstract:

The organic-rich shale in the Upper Permian Dalong Formation in southern Anhui Province is one of the major source rocks in the Lower Yangtze region and also the important shale gas exploration target in China.Its sedimentary environment and organic matter enrichment mechanisms were studied through organic geochemical tests and elemental geochemical analyses on samples from Well Gangdi-1 in the area.Results show that the shale was deposited in a warm and humid paleoclimate in which biotic productivity was high and sedimentary rate was relatively fast.The sedimentation experienced an environmental transition from an overall dysoxic-anaerobic setting with regional rising sea level that enhanced sediment retention during the early and middle stages to an oxydic setting with falling regional sea level (accompanied by regional volcanic hydrothermal activities at the end of the Permian) that reduced sediment retention during the later stage.In other words, the Dalong Formation shale, rather than a child of a single factor, is the result of a mutual configuration and coupling of multiple factors such as paleoclimate, paleoredox, biotic productivity, and sedimentary rate.The rising regional sea level during the early sedimentary stage took with it abundant nutrients from deep up to the surface, leading to bacteria, algae and phytoplankton booms that significantly enhanced the biotic productivity and a dysoxic-anaerobic water body that aided in the preservation of organic matter in a partially reducing environment.The falling sea level that formed an oxydic environment during the late stage of sedimentation was unfavorable in terms of organic matter preservation.However, the organic matter was still well preserved when the Permian volcanic hydrothermal activities brought in rich nutrients that promoted the mass reproduction of microorganisms (both the source of high biotic productivity and the reason of a rapid consumption of oxygen), accelerated sedimentary rate to shorten the exposure time, and fasten the burial and preservation process of organic matter.

Key words: organic matter, enrichment mechanism, sedimentary environment, black shale, Dalong Formation, the Permian, South Anhui Province

CLC Number: