Geochemical characteristics and accumulation of marine oil and gas around Halahatang depression, Tarim Basin, China

Abstract

There exists a petroleum system rich of oil and gas around Halahatang depression, where the oil and gas possess obvious local distinctions of properties in different parts. The research proved that the discovered crude oil and natural gas in the region derived mainly from O2+3 source rock, and the differences of its properties were controlled by the oil and gas filling intensity. The comprehensive study result shows the oil and gas reservoirs of the region mainly underwent three important accumulation phases: late Caledonian-Early Hercynian epoch, late Hercynian epoch, and Yanshan-Himalayan epoch. In the first phase, the oil and gas derived mostly from Cambrian source rock, which formed the primary ancient oil reservoirs, then suffered strong degradation and remained a great quantity of pyrobitumen in the high position of Tabei uplift in the present. In the second phase, the O2+3 source rock of Manjia’er depression started its generation of hydrocarbon, which accumulated in the high position of Tabei up-lift afterwards, and then biodegradated to heavy oil in the late Hercynian epoch. In the last phase, the O2+3 source rock of southern Halahatang depression and margin of Manjia’er depression started its peak of generating liquid hydrocarbon, which mostly accumulated in the trap formed before the Indo-China and Yanshan epoch, and in somewhere the heavy oil suffered dilutions in various degrees or serious gas invading, to lead to obvious crude oil divergence.