The State-of-Art of Global and Chinese Meso-Neoproterozoic Petroleum Resources

Abstract

AbstractSince 1960s, the significant research progress on the Proterozoic early lives and life diversity as well as on the Meso-Neoproterozoic shales and carbonate source rocks have established a material foundation for the studies of indigenous Meso-Neoproterozoic sedimentary organic matter and petroliferous nature, and providing the prerequisites for the prospectivity of indigenous petroleum resources. So far at least dozens oil and gas fields, some of considerables size, have been discovered in the Meso-Neoproterozoic strata, oil and/or gas of which were sourced from the Infracambrian source beds. Based on uncompleted global statistics, there are four countries, i.e., Lena-Tounguska Petroleum Province (LTPP) in Siberia Craton (Russia), Oman Basins in Arabian Craton (Oman), Baghewala Oilfield in Indian Craton (India), and Anyue Gasfield in western Yangtze Craton (China), in the world, containing proven geological reserves and/or commercial production of indigenous Infracambrian petroleum; nine regions/countries having been confirmed indigenous Meso-Neoproterozoic oil flow, oil-seep and/or asphalt, but so far no commercial production has been obtained yet; five regions/countries being revealed to possess hydrocarbon generation potential in the Infracambrian strata. China is one of the countries where the Meso-Neoproterozoic sequences are most completely developed and preserved, and Chinese Meso-Neoproterozoic geology was earlier studied in the word. However, both geological research and exploration of Meso-Neoproterozoic petroleum resources are faced with a challenging reality of more age-old strata, more complicated geological tectonics and more extensive scientific innovative possibility. Therefore, it is a considerable urgent question to study and evaluate the prospectivity of Meso-Neoproterozoic oil and gas resources in China. In this chapter, the distribution, exploration and development of Meso-Neoproterozoic oil and gas respectively in Russian LTPP, Sultanate of Oman, Pakistan and India basins, East European Craton, African Taoudenni Basin, Australian Centralian Basins, American Midcontinent Rift System as well as Chinese basins have been compiled, and their prospectivity approached.KeywordsMeso-neoproterozoicLena-tounguska petroleum province (LTPP)Anyue gasfieldOman basinsYanliao faulted-depression zone (YLFDZ)