Oil filling history of the Bashituo Oilfield in the Markit Slope, SW Tarim Basin, China

Abstract

The Markit Slope is an important area for the petroleum exploration in the Tarim Basin. Elucidation of the oil filling history of discovered oilfields has great significance for recognizing the accumulation processes of the whole region. Using molecular geochemistry, fluid inclusion techniques and basin modeling, we studied the oil filling process of the Bashituo Oilfield that is located in the west of the Markit Slope. The molecular migration indexes, such as the methyldibenzothiophene ratio (4-/1-MDBT), trimethylnaphthalene ratio (TMNr) and pyrrolic nitrogen compounds content, decrease from west to east, indicating that the charging direction and migration pathways are from west to east. Lithological analysis and homogenization temperatures of saline fluid inclusions accompanied with oil fluid inclusions suggest that two charging periods occurred in the Devonian oil reservoir. Combining the burial history and heating history of well BT4, Basinmod ID software modeling shows the two oil filling periods are from 290 Ma to 285 Ma and from 10 Ma to 4 Ma, respectively, and later oil filling dominates. This study may be helpful to understand the accumulation process and provide useful references for oil and gas exploration in the Markit Slope.