A REVIEW OF THE COALY SOURCE ROCKS AND GENERATED PETROLEUMS IN THE DANISH NORTH SEA: AN UNDEREXPLORED MIDDLE JURASSIC PETROLEUM SYSTEM?

This paper reviews the Middle Jurassic petroleum system in the Danish Central Graben with a focus on source rock quality, fluid compositions and distributions, and the maturation and generation history. The North Sea including the Danish Central Graben is a mature oil province where the primary source rock is composed of Upper Jurassic – lowermost Cretaceous marine shales. Most of the shale‐sourced structures have been drilled and, to accommodate continued value creation, additional exploration opportunities are increasingly considered in E&P strategies. Triassic and Jurassic sandstone plays charged from coaly Middle Jurassic source rocks have proven to be economically viable in the North Sea. In the Danish‐Norwegian Søgne Basin, coal‐derived gas/condensate is produced from the Harald and Trym fields and oil from the Lulita field; the giant Culzean gas‐condensate field is under development in the UK Central North Sea; and in the Norwegian South Viking Graben, coal‐derived gas and gas‐condensate occur in several fields. The coaly source rock of the Middle Jurassic petroleum system in the greater North Sea is included in the Bryne/Lulu Formations (in Denmark), the Pentland Formation (in the UK), and the Sleipner and Hugin Formations in Norway. In the Danish Central Graben, the coal‐bearing unit is composed of coals, coaly shales and carbonaceous shales, has a regional distribution and can be mapped seismically as the ‘Coal Marker’. The coaly source rocks are primarily gas‐prone but the coals have an average Hydrogen Index value of c. 280 mg HC/g TOC and values above 300 mg HC/g TOC are not uncommon, which underpins the coals' capacity to generate liquid hydrocarbons (condensate and oil). The coal‐sourced liquids are differentiated from the common marine‐sourced oils by characteristic biomarker and isotope compositions, and in the Danish Central Graben are grouped into specific oil families composed of coal‐sourced oil and mixed oils with a significant coaly contribution. Similarly, the coal‐sourced gases are recognized by a normally heavier isotope signature and a relatively high dryness coefficient compared to oil‐associated gas derived from marine shales. The coal‐derived and mixed coaly gases are likewise assigned to well‐defined gas families. Coal‐derived liquids and gas discoveries and shows in Middle Jurassic strata suggest that the coaly Middle Jurassic petroleum system has a regional distribution. A 3D petroleum systems model was constructed covering the Danish Central Graben. The model shows that present‐day temperatures for the Middle Jurassic coal source rock ('Coal Marker') are relatively high (>150 °C) throughout most of the Danish Central Graben, and expulsion of hydrocarbons from the ‘Coal Marker’ was initiated in Late Jurassic time in the deep Tail End Graben. In the Cretaceous, the area of mature coaly source rocks expanded, and at present day nearly the whole area is mature. Hydrocarbon expulsion rates were low in the Paleocene to Late Oligocene, followed by significant expulsion in the Miocene up to the present day. High Middle Jurassic reservoir temperatures prevent biodegradation.     

TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ORIGINAL SOURCE ROCK POTENTIAL IN UPPER JURASSIC – LOWERMOST CRETACEOUS MARINE SHALES,DANISH CENTRAL GRABEN,NORTH SEA

The Danish Central Graben, North Sea, is a mature oil‐ and gas‐producing basin in which the principal source rocks are the Upper Jurassic – lowermost Cretaceous marine shales of the Farsund Formation (Kimmeridge Clay Formation equivalent), with possible additional potential in the directly underlying Lola Formation. This study investigates the initial source rock potential of the basin by evaluating the original (back‐calculated) source rock properties (TOCo, S2o, HIo) of the shales in the Farsund and Lola Formations within a temporal and spatial framework. About 4800 samples from 81 wells regionally distributed in the Danish Central Graben were included in the study. Samples for source rock analysis were in general collected with varying sampling density from the entire shale section. The shale section has been divided into seven units (referred to as pre‐FSU1 to FSU6; FSU: Farsund Seismic Unit) which are delineated by mappable, regional‐scale seismic markers. For the pre‐FSU1 and FSU2–FSU6 units, the number of available samples ranged from 608 to 1145, while 433 samples were available for FSU1. Good source rock quality varies through space and time and reflects both the structural development of the basin and the effects of the Late Jurassic transgression, with primary kitchen areas developing in the Tail End Graben, Feda Graben, Gertrud Graben and the Rosa Basin. The source rock quality of the shales increases gradually through time and reaches a maximum in FSU6 which includes the “hot shales” of the Bo Member. The maximum source rock quality appears to correspond to an original Hydrogen Index (HIo) of approximately 675 mg HC/g TOC. The proportion of oil‐prone samples per unit (with HIo >350 mg HC/g TOC) ranges from 7 to 11% in the pre‐FSU1 to FSU2 units (Lower Kimmeridgian – Lower Volgian), increasing to 18 – 22% in FSU3 and FSU4/FSU5 (Lower Volgian – Middle Volgian), and reaching a maximum of 53% in FSU6 (Upper Volgian – Ryazanian). FSU6 is the most prolific oil‐prone source rock interval, but the presence of oil‐prone intervals in older and deeper parts of the shale succession is important for assessing the generation potential of the Upper Jurassic petroleum system. The breakdown of the Upper Jurassic – lowermost Cretaceous shale section into mappable seismic units with assigned original source rock properties will contribute to a considerably improved understanding of the temporal and spatial distributions of source rock quality in the Danish Central Graben.     

HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF JURASSIC SOURCE ROCKS IN THE JUNGGAR BASIN, NW CHINA

Jurassic source rocks in the Junggar Basin (NW China) include coal swamp and freshwater lacustrine deposits. Hydrocarbon-generating macerals in the coal swamp deposits are dominated by desmocollinite and exinite of higher-plant origin. In lacustrine facies, macerals consists of bacterially-altered amorphinite, algal- amorphinite, alginite, exinite and vitrinite. Coals and coaly mudstones in the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Formation generate oil at the Qigu oilfield on the southern margin of the basin. Lacustrine source rocks generate oil at the Cainan oilfield in the centre of the basin.
The vitrinite reflectance (Ro) of coal swamp deposits ranges from 0.5% to 0.9%, and that of lacustrine source rocks from 0.4% to 1.2%. Biomarker compositions likewise indicate that thermal maturities are variable. These variations cause those with lighter compositions to have matured earlier. Our data indicate that oil and gas generation has occurred at different stages of source-rock maturation, an "early" stage and a "mature" stage. Ro values are 0.4%–0.7% in the former and 0.8%–1.2% in the latter.     

PETROLEUM SYSTEMS OF THE BONGOR BASIN AND THE GREAT BAOBAB OILFIELD,SOUTHERN CHAD

The Bongor Basin in southern Chad is an inverted rift basin located on Precambrian crystalline basement which is linked regionally to the Mesozoic – Cenozoic Western and Central African Rift System. Pay zones present in nearby rift basins (e.g. Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene reservoirs overlying Lower Cretaceous source rocks) are absent from the Bongor Basin, having been removed during latest Cretaceous – Paleogene inversion-related uplift and erosion. This study characterizes the petroleum system of the Bongor Basin through systematic analyses of source rocks, reservoirs and cap rocks. Geochemical analyses of core plug samples of dark mudstones indicate that source rock intervals are present in Lower Cretaceous lacustrine shales of the Mimosa and upper Prosopis Formations. In addition, these mudstones are confirmed as a regional seal. Reservoir units include both Lower Cretaceous sandstones and Precambrian basement rocks, and mature source rocks may also act as a potential reservoir for shale oil. Dominant structural styles are large-scale inversion anticlines in the Lower Cretaceous succession whilst underlying “buried hill” -type basement plays may also be important. Accumulations of heavy to light oils and gas have been discovered in Lower Cretaceous sandstones and basement reservoirs. The Great Baobab field, the largest discovery in the Bongor Basin with about 1.5 billion barrels of oil in-place, is located in the Northern Slope, a structural unit near the northern margin of the basin. Reservoirs are Lower Cretaceous syn-rift sandstones and weathered and fractured zones in the crystalline basement. The field currently produces about 32,000 barrels of oil per day.     

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东海陆架盆地是发育于华夏板块之上的中、新生代叠合盆地，其下地壳性质与浙闽隆起区一致。盆地前第三纪主要发育侏罗—白垩系沉积，沉积岩主要分布于南部的台北坳陷内。中生代构造演化可分为早中生代坳陷盆地发育和晚中生代断陷盆地发育两个阶段，为下坳上断形式的中生代陆相复合盆地。盆地中生界具有形成油气藏的基本地质条件，其中中下侏罗统暗色泥岩及煤层为主要生烃岩系；上白垩统砂岩具较好的储集性能，储集空间以孔隙—裂缝型为主。     

HYDROCARBON ACCUMULATION PROCESSES IN THE YANGTAKE FOLDBELT,KUQA FORELAND BASIN,NW CHINA: INSIGHTS FROM INTEGRATED BASIN MODELLING AND FLUID INCLUSION ANALYSES

Abundant gas and condensate resources are present in the Kuqa foreland basin in the northern Tarim Basin, NW China. Most of the hydrocarbons so far discovered are located in foldbelts in the north and centre of the foreland basin, and the Southern Slope region has therefore been less studied. This paper focusses on the Yangtake area in the west of the Southern Slope. Basin modelling was integrated with fluid inclusion analyses to investigate the oil and gas charge history of the area. ID modelling at two widely spaced wells (DB‐1 and YN‐2) assessed the burial, thermal and hydrocarbon generation histories of Jurassic source rocks in the foreland basin. Results show that the source rocks began to generate hydrocarbons (R_o >0.5%) during the Miocene. In both wells, the source rocks became mature to highly mature between 12 and 1.8 Ma, and most oil and gas was generated at 5.3–1.8 Ma with peak generation at about 3 Ma. Two types of petroleum fluid inclusions were observed in Cretaceous and lower Paleocene sandstone reservoir rocks at wells YTK‐5 and YTK‐1 in the Yangtake area. The inclusions in general occur along healed microfractures in quartz grains, and have either yellowish or blueish fluorescence colours. Aqueous inclusions coexisting with both types of oil inclusions in Cretaceous sandstones in well YTK‐5 had homogenization temperatures of 96–128 °C and 115–135 °C, respectively. The integrated results of this study suggest that oil generated by the Middle Jurassic Qiakemake Formation source rocks initially charged sandstone reservoirs in the Yangtake area at about 4 Ma, forming the yellowish‐fluorescing oil inclusions. Gas, which was mainly sourced from Lower Jurassic Yangxia and Middle Jurassic Kezilenuer coaly and mudstone source rocks, initially migrated into the same reservoirs in the Yangtake area at about 3.5 Ma and interacted with the early‐formed oils forming blueish‐fluorescing oil inclusions. The migration of gas also resulted in formation of the condensate accumulations which are present at the YTK‐1 and YTK‐2 fields in the Yangtake area.     

准噶尔盆地南缘下组合成藏条件与大油气田勘探前景

准噶尔盆地是一个油气资源丰富的叠合含油气盆地,该盆地南缘下部成藏组合贴近准南主要烃源层--中下侏罗统煤系地层,宽缓大中型构造圈闭多,上侏罗统-下白垩统深部规模有效储集层发育,下白垩统吐谷鲁群厚层湖相泥岩及三叠系、中下侏罗统各层组内部湖湘泥岩盖层条件好。研究结果表明：该区圈闭与规模有效储集层空间发育匹配;圈闭形成时间与主生排烃期时间匹配;白垩系吐谷鲁群区域盖层与中上侏罗统储盖组合匹配,油气资源量大、发现程度低。结论认为：该区具备大油气田成藏条件,具有良好的勘探前景。     

HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL AND PALAEO‐DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF LACUSTRINE SOURCE ROCKS: MIDDLE JURASSIC SHIMENGOU FORMATION,NORTHERN QAIDAM BASIN,NW CHINA

The Middle Jurassic Shimengou Formation in the Qaidam Basin, NW China, includes coals and lacustrine source rocks which locally reach oil shale quality (i.e. yielding >3.5 % oil on low‐temperature distillation). In the present study, the palaeo‐depositional environment and hydrocarbon potential of the 84.5 m thick Shale Member of the Shimengou Formation are investigated based on bulk geochemical parameters, organic petrographic data, biomarker analysis, and stable isotope geochemistry of 88 core samples. The Shale Member was deposited in an anoxic freshwater lake which formed following the drowning of a precursor low‐lying mire. Variations in bulk geochemical parameters allow four informal units to be identified, referred to (from the base up) as Units 1 to 4. These contain intervals of oil shale of varying thicknesses. In Unit 1, mudstones in the interval referred to as oil shale Layer 1 (true thickness [TD]: 2.06 m) are OM‐rich as a result of algal blooms and photic zone anoxia, and correspond to an initial flooding event. Subsequently, productivity of aquatic organisms decreased, resulting in the deposition of organic‐lean mudstones in Unit 2. Oil shale Layers 2 (TD: 2.03 m) and 3 (TD: 8.03 m) near the base of Unit 3 were deposited during maximum water depths. As with Layer 1, high productivity by algal blooms resulted in photic zone anoxia in a stratified water column. The shales in the upper part of Unit 3 are characterized by high TOC contents and a gradual increased input of terrigenous OM, and were deposited in a stable semi‐deep lake. Finally, organic‐lean mudstones in Unit 4 were deposited in shallow lacustrine conditions. The reconstruction of depositional environments in thick, non‐marine shale‐rich successions by mineralogical, petrographic and inorganic geochemical methods may be challenging as a result of the homogenous composition of component mudstones. The results of this study indicate, however, that sub‐division and basin‐wide correlation of such intervals can be achieved by organic geochemical analyses. Oil shales and organic‐rich mudstones in Units 1 and 3 of the Shimengou Formation Shale Member are excellent oil‐prone source‐rocks with a Source Potential Index of 3.2 t HC/m². Considering the large area covered by the Shimengou Formation in the northern Qaidam Basin (～34,000 km²), the results of this study highlight the regional significance for future petroleum exploration. They indicate that variations in organic productivity and dilution by minerals are key factors controlling the abundance and type of organic matter in the formation. An understanding of these factors will assist with the identification of exploration targets.     

准噶尔盆地油气富集规律

准噶尔盆地是一个"满盆"含油、全层系多层组含油、油气资源丰富的大型沉积盆地.它是在前寒武系结晶基底与前石炭系褶皱基底基础上,经历了晚石炭世-中三叠世前陆盆地阶段、晚三叠世-中侏罗世早期(J₂x)弱伸展拗陷盆地阶段、中侏罗世晚期(J₂t)-白垩纪压扭盆地阶段与新生代前陆盆地阶段的演化历史.4个构造发展阶段不同类型的原型盆地的叠合,形成了南厚北浅的楔形地质结构,决定了油气聚集的基本面貌;不同时期、不同性质的古隆起纵横叠置,制约着相应地质时期油气运聚的基本格局.在垂向上,以上三叠统白碱滩组泥岩、下白垩统吐谷鲁群泥岩与广泛分布的异常压力封隔层为界可将盆地划分为C-T₂,T₃-J₁s,J₂-K₁与K₂-N-4个各具特色的成藏区间;油气沿断裂的垂向运移与异常高压流体系统的幕式突破,导致了以垂向运移为主导的运聚模式,多源、多期油气混合成藏.现有油气田的分布及勘探趋势表明4个NNE向基底断裂带为油气优势运移通道,沿着它们形成了4个油气富集的黄金带.这些基底断裂与盖层断裂之间的耦合方式是制约形成油气田及导致含油气丰度差异的关键条件.准噶尔盆地侏罗系-白垩系与二叠系-三叠系分别发育"远源、缓坡、次生"与"近源、陡坡、原生"两种典型的断裂-岩性体油气藏类型,断裂与岩性体(砂体、砂砾岩、砾岩体等)的有机组合部位是油气富集的主要场所.侏罗系-白垩系的油气主要富集在NE、NEE向压扭性构造带上,它们是腹部地区下一步勘探的主要方向.     

UPPER TRIASSIC-MIDDLE JURASSIC STRATIGRAPHY AND SEDIMENTOLOGY IN THE NE QAIDAM BASIN, NW CHINA: PETROLEUM GEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NEW OUTCROP AND SUBSURFACE DATA

Although Mesozoic source and reservoir rocks are known to occur at oilfields in the northern Qaidam Basin (NW China), the precise identification and distribution of Mesozoic rocks in the subsurface are outstanding problems. The Dameigou locality has in the past been considered as the type section for Lower-Middle Jurassic strata in northern Qaidam. Previous studies have concluded that the onset of non-marine sedimentation here took place in the Early Jurassic; and that Mesozoic strata penetrated by wells in the Lenghu structural zone are Middle Jurassic.
In this paper, we present new data from the Lengke-1 well, drilled in the Lenghu structural zone in 1997. This data indicates the existence of a more extensive pre-Middle Jurassic stratigraphy than has previously been recognized. Biostratigraphic data together with regional seismic mapping suggest that the pre-Middle Jurassic succession at Lengke-1 includes both Late Triassic and Early Jurassic deposits. The Late Triassic sedimentary rocks appear to have been deposited in local half graben, some of which were later inverted during Jurassic, Cretaceous and Cenozoic tectonism.
Lower and Middle Jurassic strata (lacustrine and fluvial deposits) are present in the SW and NE parts of the Lenghu structural zone, respectively. Extensive organic-rich intervals are present in both successions. Lower Jurassic lacustrine mudstones may represent a previously under-appreciated, and potentially large, source rock sequence.     

HYDROCARBON SOURCE ROCKS AND GENERATION HISTORY IN THE LUNNAN OILFIELD AREA, NORTHERN TARIM BASIN (NW CHINA)

In this paper we report on source rocks and maturation history at the Lunnan oilfield, northern Tarim Basin (NW China), using a combination of organic petrographic and geochemical techniques. Three separate source rock intervals are present here: Cambrian mudstones and argillaceous limestones; Middle and Upper Ordovician argillaceous limestones; and Triassic mudstones. Reservoir rocks comprise Lower Ordovician carbonates, Carboniferous sandstones, and Triassic and Jurassic sandstones. Structural traps were formed principally during the Silurian and Jurassic.
The Lunnan field is located on a small-scale palaeo uplift which developed during the Early Palaeozoic. Hydrocarbons migrated updip from source areas in surrounding palaeo-lows along faults and unconformities. Major phases of hydrocarbon generation and migration occurred in the Early Silurian — Late Devonian, Cretaceous — Early Tertiary and Late Tertiary. Uplift and intense erosion at the end of the Devonian destroyed Early Palaeozoic oil and gas accumulations sourced from the Cambrian source rocks, but hydrocarbons generated by Middle and Upper Ordovician source rocks during the Mesozoic and Tertiary have been preserved. At the present day, accumulations are characterized by a range of crude oil compositions because source rocks from different source areas with different maturation histories are involved.     

PETROLEUM GEOLOGY OF THE NOGAL BASIN AND SURROUNDING AREA,NORTHERN SOMALIA,PART 2: HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL

Seismic reflection profiles and well data show that the Nogal Basin, northern Somalia, has a structure and stratigraphy suitable for the generation and trapping of hydrocarbons. However, the data suggest that the Upper Jurassic Bihendula Group, which is the main source rock elsewhere in northern Somalia, is largely absent from the basin or is present only in the western part. The high geothermal gradient (～35–49 °C/km) and rapid increase of vitrinite reflectance with depth in the Upper Cretaceous succession indicate that the Gumburo Formation shales may locally have reached oil window maturity close to plutonic bodies. The Gumburo and Jesomma Formations include high quality reservoir sandstones and are sealed by transgressive mudstones and carbonates. ID petroleum systems modelling was performed at wells Nogal‐1 and Kalis‐1, with 2D modelling along seismic lines CS‐155 and CS‐229 which pass through the wells. Two source rock models (Bihendula and lower Gumburo) were considered at the Nogal‐1 well because the well did not penetrate the sequences below the Gumburo Formation. The two models generated significant hydrocarbon accumulations in tilted fault blocks within the Adigrat and Gumburo Formations. However, the model along the Kalis‐1 well generated only negligible volumes of hydrocarbons, implying that the hydrocarbon potential is higher in the western part of the Nogal Basin than in the east. Potential traps in the basin are rotated fault blocks and roll‐over anticlines which were mainly developed during Oligocene–Miocene rifting. The main exploration risks in the basin are the lack of the Upper Jurassic source and reservoirs rocks, and the uncertain maturity of the Upper Cretaceous Gumburo and Jesomma shales. In addition, Oligocene‐Miocene rift‐related deformation has resulted in trap breaching and the reactivation of Late Cretaceous faults.     

蒙古尼尔金盆地石油地质特征及勘探前景

位于蒙古国中部的尼尔金盆地是一个中生代裂谷盆地，目前仍处于勘探早期。盆地内下白垩统湖相泥岩和纸状页岩具有很强的生油能力，下白垩统的煤系地层及上二叠统-下侏罗统中富含有机质的泥岩和煤层是可能的气源岩；盆地内广泛分布着3套储集层；上侏罗统、下白垩统、上白垩统的泥岩是潜在的盖层；存在多种生储盖组合及远景圈闭类型。通过对石油地质条件的分析，认为尼尔金盆地很可能形成多套含油气层系和多种油气藏类型，推测在盆地中部和南部会有大的油气藏存在。     

漠河盆地中侏罗统沉积演化及含油气远景

对漠河盆地中侏罗统绣峰组、二十二站组、额木尔河组及开库康组露头剖面详细沉积学研究,查明漠河盆地绣峰组为冲积扇、扇三角洲及湖泊沉积,二十二站组和额木尔河组为辫状河三角洲和湖泊沉积,开库康组为冲积扇、扇三角洲及湖泊沉积,湖底扇和湖泊相在各组均有发育。从绣峰组到开库康组,具有冲积扇-扇三角洲-湖泊—辫状河-辫状河三角洲-湖泊—冲积扇-扇三角洲-湖泊的沉积演化规律。这一沉积演化规律决定了漠河盆地中侏罗统生油气层、储层、盖层均较发育,具有油气勘探潜力。     

BURIAL AND THERMAL HISTORY MODELLING OF THE MANNAR BASIN,OFFSHORE SRI LANKA

The Mannar Basin is a Late Jurassic – Neogene rift basin located in the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka which developed during the break‐up of Gondwana. Water depths in the Gulf of Mannar are up to about 3000 m. The stratigraphy is about 4 km thick in the north of the Mannar Basin and more than 6 km thick in the south. The occurrence of an active petroleum system in the basin was confirmed in 2011 by two natural gas discoveries following the drilling of the Dorado and Barracuda wells, located in the Sri Lankan part of the Gulf. However potential hydrocarbon source rocks have not been recorded by any of the wells so far drilled, and the petroleum system is poorly known. In this study, basin modelling techniques and measured vitrinite reflectance data were used to reconstruct the thermal and burial history of the northern part of the Mannar Basin along a 2D profile. Bottom‐hole temperature measurements indicate that the present‐day geothermal gradient in the northern Mannar Basin is around 24.4 ^oC/km. Optimised present‐day heat flows in the northern part of the Mannar Basin are 30–40 mW/m². The heat flow histories at the Pearl‐1 and Dorado‐North well locations were modelled using SIGMA‐2D software, assuming similar patterns of heat flow history. Maximum heat flows at the end of rifting (Maastrichtian) were estimated to be about 68–71 mW/m². Maturity modelling places the Jurassic and/or Lower Cretaceous interval in the oil and gas generation windows, and source rocks of this age therefore probably generated the thermogenic gas found at the Dorado and Barracuda wells. If the source rocks are organic‐rich and oil‐ and gas‐prone, they may have generated economic volumes of hydrocarbons.     

WORLD‐CLASS PALEOGENE OIL‐PRONE SOURCE ROCKS FROM A CORED LACUSTRINE SYN‐RIFT SUCCESSION,BACH LONG VI ISLAND,SONG HONG BASIN,OFFSHORE NORTHERN VIETNAM

Oil‐prone source rocks occurring in lacustrine syn‐rift successions have generated significant amounts of hydrocarbons in many Cenozoic basins in SE Asia. As most exploration wells are located on structural highs, the source rock successions are seldom drilled and their initial composition and generation potential are poorly known. The inverted Bach Long Vi Graben is located at the intersection of the NW–SE trending Song Hong Basin (Yinggehai Basin) and the NE–SW trending Beibuwan Basin in the Gulf of Tonkin, offshore northern Vietnam. The uppermost part of the inverted graben is exhumed and exposed on Bach Long Vi island. In order to investigate the amount and source rock quality of the syn‐rift mudstones, the ENRECA‐3 well was drilled on the island and cored some 500 m of the syn‐rift succession. The well provided excellent cores with a recovery of 99%, dominated by lacustrine mudstones interbedded with various gravity flow deposits. Organic petrography shows that the mudstones are thermally immature and contain sapropelic Type I and mixed Types I and III kerogen. Source rock screening data from more than 300 samples demonstrate that the lacustrine source rocks have an average TOC content of 2.88 wt% and an average Hydrogen Index of 566 mg HC/g TOC. The average Hydrogen Index of the reactive kerogen was determined to be 769 mg HC/g TOC. The Source Potential Index (SPI) is 9 tons HC/m² and the mudstones will, upon full maturation, generate black oil with a gas‐liquid ratio not exceeding ～1700 scf/stb. The mudstones are thus highly oil‐prone. In addition, several tens of metres of source rock within the overlying succession are exposed on Bach Long Vi island and in the surrounding seafloor, and the well did not reach the base of the source rock succession. Although the net‐source rock thickness of the ENRECA‐3 well is estimated to be 233 m, the net thickness of the entire source rock succession will be greater. The present study is the first organic geochemical assessment of a thick lacustrine source rock section in the petroliferous NE Song Hong Basin, and the promising results may be applied not only to other parts of the basin but also to other Cenozoic basins with syn‐rift successions containing significant source rock intervals.     

DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS, ORGANIC MATURITY AND PETROLEUM POTENTIAL OF THE CRETACEOUS COAL-BEARING ATANE FORMATION AT QULLISSAT, NUUSSUAQ BASIN, WEST GREENLAND

Coals and coaly mudstones of the Cretaceous Atane Formation are exposed along the north coast of the island of Disko and the south coast of Nuussuaq peninsula, West Greenland. Numerous oil seepages have been found in the region, but the so‐called Kuugannguaq oil type only occurs at the north coast of Disko. The oil is presumed to have been generated from coaly (Type III) source rocks in the Vaigat strait where the Atane Formation is thermally mature due to deep burial. The exposed coals and coaly mudstones may thus be thermally immature equivalents of the active source rocks. The exposed section at Qullissat on the island of Disko is composed of four sedimentary facies associations: delta plain, distributary channel, delta front, and transgressive sand sheet. Samples of coals and coaly mudstones from the delta plain association were analysed for their total organic carbon (wt % TOC) and total sulphur (wt % TS) contents, and their source rock potential was determined by Rock‐Eval pyrolysis. The organic matter composition was analysed by reflected light microscopy and the thermal maturity was established by vitrinite reflectance measurements. The Qullissat samples were supplemented with source rock screening data from coals and coaly mudstones from the Atane Formation at Paatuut on the south coast of Nuussuaq. The coals and coaly mudstones from Qullissat are dominated by huminite, but several samples have a considerable content of inertinite. The mineral content is high in some samples. Inundations of the peat‐mires may have been quite frequent resulting in the formation of the coaly mudstones. TS contents (0.13–8.97 wt %) and the presence of framboidal pyrite suggest that the precursor peats were influenced by seawater, and that peat formation probably occurred during rises in relative sea‐level. The organic matter is thermally immature, and a constructed vitrinite reflectance gradient for the region suggests that the Qullissat section prior to exhumation was buried to 1,500–1,600 m depth. Hydrogen Index (HI) values from both Qullissat and Paatuut are generally low; estimated maximum HI values for three Qullissat coals yield values of 140–190 mg HC/g TOC. The coals are gas‐prone and only marginally oil‐prone, and may in addition possess a limited oil expulsion efficiency. The effective oil window extends from approximately 1.0–1.6%Ro and the start of the effective oil window is located at about 3,000 m depth. Very thick sedimentary successions in the Vaigat strait indicate that such burial depths have been reached for the Atane Formation offshore, and up‐dip migration of hydrocarbons from these source rocks may have generated the Kuugannguaq oil seepage.     

STRATIGRAPHY AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY OF THE CROATIAN PART OF THE ADRIATIC BASIN

Coastal parts of Croatia are dominated by the SW‐verging Dinaric foldbelt, to the west and SW of which is the Adriatic Basin (the stable foreland). In both areas, the stratigraphic column is dominated by a thick carbonate succession ranging from Carboniferous to Miocene. Four megasequences have been identified: (i) a pre‐platform succession ranging in age from Late Carboniferous (Middle Pennsylvanian: Moscovian) to Early Jurassic (Early Toarcian; Bru?ane and Ba?ke Ostarije Formations); (ii) an Early Jurassic to Late Cretaceous platform megasequence (Mali Alan Formation); (iii) a Paleogene to Neogene post‐platform megasequence (Ra?a Formation); and (iv) a Neogene to Quaternary (Pliocene to Holocene) megasequence (Istra and Ivana Formations). A number of organic‐rich intervals with source rock potential have been identified on‐ and offshore Croatia: Middle and Upper Carboniferous, Upper Permian, Lower and Middle Triassic, Lower and Upper Jurassic, Lower and Upper Cretaceous, Eocene, and Pliocene – Pleistocene. Traps and potential plays have been identified from seismic data in the Dinaric belt and adjacent foreland. Evaporites of Permian, Triassic and Neogene (Messinian) ages form potential regional seals, and carbonates with secondary porosity form potential reservoirs. Oil and gas shows in wells in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Basin have been recorded but no oil accumulations of commercial value have yet been discovered. In the northern Adriatic offshore Croatia, Pliocene hemi‐pelagic marlstones and shales include source rocks which produce commercial volumes of biogenic gas. The gas is reservoired in unconsolidated sands of the Pleistocene Ivana Formation.     

额济纳旗地区侏罗—白垩纪盆地演化与油气特征

额济纳旗地区侏罗纪以来经历了两期断陷盆地的发育。早—中侏罗世研究区处于一种张扭构造环境之中,晚侏罗世盆地发生明显抬升和反转。白垩纪—早第三纪盆地演化为一个完整的裂谷发育过程,下白垩统是裂谷早期断陷作用的产物,而上白垩统和下第三系则代表裂谷后期热沉降(或区域坳陷)沉积。侏罗纪盆地和白垩纪盆地应属两类不同性质盆地。两期盆地的不同叠置关系控制了本区烃源岩的发育,影响到这一地区坳陷的油气潜力。下白垩统烃源岩为较差—较好烃源岩,中—下侏罗统为好烃源岩。各凹陷的生烃潜力取决于两期生烃洼陷的规模和叠置关系,天草凹陷继承性发育,中—下侏罗统和下白垩统两套烃源岩叠置关系较好,是额济纳旗地区最有远景的凹陷。     

东北地区晚中生代地质群发事件及生物群响应

中国东北地区内陆盆地下白垩统充填火山岩、火山碎屑岩和含煤碎屑岩沉积组合,上白垩统充填以砂、泥碎屑岩为主的河流相、湖泊相沉积组合。盆地沉积演化史和生物发育史研究表明,地质群发事件阶段性特征明显,早白垩世的火山事件,中白垩世的超静磁带和极端温室气候及古湖泊缺氧事件与全球同期重大地质事件的发生具有较好的协同性。同时,盆地内湖生生物群演化表征为热河生物群、松花江生物群和明水生物群的顺序出现、突发演化和显著的种群绝灭现象,显示出生物与环境变化的一致性。