Chen Qinghua
College of geological science and technology, China university of Petroleum,Qingdao,Shandong,266580,china.
Title: From time, magnitude and type of basin structures to petroleum exploration targets
Biography
Biography: Chen Qinghua
Abstract
Most of the oil and gas have been found in Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins. The most important factor that controls oil and gas accumulation is the structure/tectonics. It can be summarized as three important themes in the studies of structural Geology for oil and gas exploration. The first one is the time /period of the tectonism or crust movement happened in the basin evolution. For the basins which has gone through several stages of structural evolution, the Mesozoic/Cenozoic one is of more importance. For example, from Precambrian to Cenozoic, Tarim basin (Northwest China) have five stages of basin development. We believe that the Cenozoic structural movement is vital to its oil and gas accumulating. The second one is the magnitude or the intensity of the structural movement/tectonism. The bigger the magnitude, the better for the richness of oil and gas. Jiuxi depression (Northwest China) may be served as an good example, the oil mainly exists in its southern faulted fold belt. The third theme is the type of the structures. ln extensional and strike-slip basins, the pull apart structures control the oil and gas distribution. In compressional basins, large uplift belt and large fault belts are still prospective domains for petroleum industry. Of large uplift belts, the deep burried carbonate rocks which have a great amount of fractures and Karst caves are of special interest. In such area, more attention should be paid to the extensional structures and the transitive zone between different structural belts.
There are still many oilfields to be found today and in the future. Time,magnitude and type of basin structures are fateful for petroleum exploration targets.