Influences of burial process on diagenesis and high-quality reservoir development of deep–ultra-deep clastic rocks: A case study of Lower Cretaceous Qingshuihe Formation in southern margin of Junggar Basin, NW China

Abstract

Taking the Lower Cretaceous Qingshuihe Formation in the southern margin of Junggar Basin as an example, the influences of the burial process in a foreland basin on the diagenesis and the development of high-quality reservoirs of deep and ultra-deep clastic rocks were investigated using thin section, scanning electron microscope, electron probe, stable isotopic composition and fluid inclusion data. The Qingshuihe Formation went through four burial stages of slow shallow burial, tectonic uplift, progressive deep burial and rapid deep burial successively. The stages of slow shallow burial and tectonic uplift not only can alleviate the mechanical compaction of grains, but also can maintain an open diagenetic system in the reservoirs for a long time, which promotes the dissolution of soluble components by meteoric freshwater and inhibits the precipitation of dissolution products in the reservoirs. The late rapid deep burial process contributed to the development of fluid overpressure, which effectively inhibits the destruction of primary pores by compaction and cementation. The fluid overpressure promotes the development of microfractures in the reservoir, which enhances the dissolution effect of organic acids. Based on the quantitative reconstruction of porosity evolution history, it is found that the long-term slow shallow burial and tectonic uplift processes make the greatest contribution to the development of deep–ultra-deep high-quality clastic rock reservoirs, followed by the late rapid deep burial process, and the progressive deep burial process has little contribution.