Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2023, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (3): 789-800.doi: 10.11743/ogg20230320

• Petroleum Geology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characterizing hydrothermal siliceous nodules to guide shale oil exploration in the Middle Permian Lucaogou Formation, Bogda area, Junggar Basin

Jiaquan ZHOU1,2(), Yue WANG3, Ziyi SONG4, Jiting LIU5, Sainan CHENG3   

  1. 1.Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution,Ministry of Education,School of Earth and Space Sciences,Peking University,Beijing 100871,China
    2.Institute of Oil & Gas,Peking University,Beijing 100871,China
    3.Exploration and Development Research Institute,Shengli Oilfield Company,SINOPEC,Dongying,Shandong 257015,China
    4.CNOOC Research Institute Co. ,Ltd. ,Beijing 100027,China
    5.CCDC Downhole Service Company,PetroChina,Chengdu,Sichuan 610066,China
  • Received:2022-12-05 Revised:2023-03-10 Online:2023-06-01 Published:2023-06-05

Abstract:

Siliceous rocks are frequently included in reconstructing paleoenvironment, tracing hydrothermal circulation and understanding silicification process, aiming at using the results to guide the exploration and development of continental shale oil. Siliceous rock samples from the Lucaogou Formation in Bogda area, Junggar Basin, were observed through X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope and analyzed with major and trace elements, vitrinite reflectance, Rock-Eval and total organic carbon data to identify their genetic mechanisms and hydrocarbon significance. The results show that the siliceous nodules in the samples host highly-deformed soft-sediments mainly composed of crypto-microcrystalline silica, indicating a synsedimentary product. Hydrothermal minerals such as barite, mangano-siderite, trevorite and azurite are developed inside the nodules with low total content of rare earth elements and relative high content of heavy rare earth elements as well as positive Eu anomalies, all indicating a hydrothermal origin and intermittent hydrothermal activities in the Bogda area during the Permian. The nutrients and metal cations, brought by the hydrothermal fluid, improved the paleo-productivity and paleo-salinity, and enhanced the reducibility of the bottom water, which was conducive to the enrichment of organic matter. Well-developed pores and fractures with enriched quartz greatly improved the brittleness of the rocks, making the reservoirs in the formation more responsive to fracturing. The hydrothermal activities associated with siliceous rocks participated in the evolution of hydrocarbon generation of organic matters, resulting in reduced crude viscosity and enhanced crude mobility which are conducive to shale oil development.

Key words: siliceous nodule, hydrothermal fluid, organic matter, ancient sedimentary setting, shale oil, Lucaogou Formation, Junggar Basin

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