Provenance Study of Shanxi Formation, Lower Permian in Southwestern Ordos Basin

Abstract

Provenance study is the most basic and important work to find out provenance location and quality, to ascertain sediment transporting way, and to confirm depositional system display in addition to sandstone. Shanxi Formation in Lower Permian has a depositional system distribution from North to South in Ordos Basin. The north provenance in Ordos is regarded as the leading factor to the facies, so it is relatively weaker about the south provenance. Now that all about provenance study in southwestern Basin has been a concern of explorationists, which is also the fundamental criterion of next aspect. This thesis analyses the main and subordinate provenances of Southwestern Ordos Basin in Shanxi Period according to sedimentary petrology (composition, heavy mineral assemblage, paleocurrent direction, cathodoluminescence etc.), as well as sandstone thickness, to forecast prospective reservoir.