Hydrocarbon Generation and Accumulation in the Eastern Kuqa Depression, Northwestern China: Insights from Basin and Petroleum System Modeling
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Geological Setting
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Restoration of the Tectonic Evolution
3.2. Two-Dimensional Basin Modeling of an Extruded Structural Section
3.2.1. ‘Block’ Definition and Subdivision
3.2.2. Input Parameters
4. Results
4.1. Tectono-Sedimentary Evolution of the Eastern Kuqa Depression
4.2. Thermal and Maturity History of the Eastern Kuqa Depression
4.3. Hydrocarbon Generation History of the Eastern Kuqa Depression
5. Discussion
5.1. Comparisons of Hydrocarbon Generation
5.1.1. Hydrocarbon Generation in Different Geological Periods
5.1.2. Hydrocarbon Generation in Different Zones
5.1.3. Hydrocarbon Generation in Different Strata
5.1.4. Hydrocarbon Generation of Different Lithologic Source Rocks
5.2. Migration and Accumulation Process
5.3. Prediction of Oil and Gas Accumulation
6. Conclusions
- (1)
- Thermal anomalies are caused by extrusion thrust, the plastic deformation of gypsum–salt rock, and rapid deposition or erosion in the Kuqa Depression, all of which have had a significant influence on the heat flow and source rock maturity evolution history of the area. Numerous thrust faults have developed in the northern slope zone, where source rock maturity is the highest. Affected by rapid and deep burial, the source rocks in the southern slope zone and the deep sag zone became mature. The presence of a thick gypsum–salt rock layer with high thermal conductivity facilitated the fast heat transfer of the underlying strata, thus retarding the hydrocarbon generation process of the source rocks, which is conducive to oil and gas accumulation in the late stage.
- (2)
- A new understanding of the hydrocarbon generation and thermal evolution of the source rocks in the eastern Kuqa Depression has been obtained, mainly by simulating the thermal evolution history of the compressional structural section through the TD-2 well. The source rocks in the northern slope zone became mature in the early stage, but their maturation stagnated in the later stage as a result of extrusion and uplift. The source rocks in the central anticline zone, the southern slope zone, and the deep sag zone were at low maturation levels during the period between the Jurassic and Paleogene and reached a mature-to-highly mature stage after the deposition of the N1j and N1_2k formations. The main hydrocarbon generation periods in the eastern Kuqa Depression are the late Neogene and Quaternary, and the main hydrocarbon generation stratum is the J1y formation. The cumulative hydrocarbon generation of mudstone has been significantly greater than that of carbonaceous mudstone and coal before the deposition of the N2k formation, but the cumulative hydrocarbon generation of coal is the largest at present.
- (3)
- Hydrocarbon saturation in the reservoir of the Paleogene, Cretaceous, J1y formation, and J1a formation accounts for 55.13% of the total, and the other hydrocarbons have accumulated in the source rocks, especially mudstone in the deep sag zone and coal in the northern slope zone. Except for the deep sag zone, the hydrocarbon abundance of the other zones is high, and it has mainly accumulated in the reservoirs, especially in the central anticline zone. In the southern slope zone and the deep sag area, where the tectonic activity is weak, the stratum formation is horizontal; there are no major developed structural traps apart from a small number of lithologic oil and gas reservoirs. In the central anticline zone, the effective superposition of an excellent reservoir and thick gypsum–salt cap rock makes the area a favorable site for oil and gas accumulation. After hydrocarbon generation in the northern slope area source rocks, oil and gas migrated to anticline traps along sandstone transport layers and faults. This is confirmed by the recent Tudong-2 gas field discovery in the central anticline zone. Our model may provide further exploration of fault-related traps in the northern part of the northern slope zone.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Formation | Deposition Age | Erosion/Hiatus | Lithology | Petroleum System Element | TOC (%) | HI (mg HC/g TOC) | Kinetics | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
From (Ma) | To (Ma) | From (Ma) | To (Ma) | ||||||
Q | 1.8 | 0 | Conglomerate (Typical) | Overburden rock | |||||
N2k | 5.3 | 3 | 3 | 1.8 | Sandstone, Siltstone, Shale | Overburden rock | |||
N1_2k | 12 | 5.3 | Siltstone, Shale | Overburden rock | |||||
N1j | 23.03 | 12 | Shale, Siltstone, Gypsum | Seal rock | |||||
E | 66 | 34 | 34 | 23.03 | Conglomerate, Sandstone | Reservoir rock | |||
K | 145 | 130 | 130 | 66 | Sandstone, Siltstone | Reservoir rock | |||
J2kz | 158 | 145 | Shale (Typical) | Seal rock | |||||
170 | 158 | Shale (Organic-Rich, Typical) | Source rock | 3 | 200 | Mudstone [12] | |||
J1y | 175.5 | 170 | Coal (Pure) | Source rock | 55 | 250 | Coal [12] | ||
178 | 175.5 | Sandstone (Typical) | Reservoir rock | ||||||
178.5 | 178 | Coal (Pure), Shale (Typical) | Source rock | 20 | 200 | C-mudstone [12] | |||
182 | 178.5 | Conglomerate, Sandstone | Reservoir rock | ||||||
188 | 182 | Shale (Organic-Rich, Typical) | Source rock | 3 | 200 | Mudstone [12] | |||
J1a | 201.3 | 188 | Conglomerate, Sandstone | Reservoir rock | |||||
T | 203.5 | 201.3 | Shale (Organic-Rich, Typical) | Source rock | 3 | 200 | Mudstone [12] | ||
210 | 203.5 | Conglomerate, Sandstone, Shale | Underburden rock |
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Jia, K.; Yuan, W.; Liu, J.; Yang, X.; Zhang, L.; Liu, Y.; Zhou, L.; Liu, K. Hydrocarbon Generation and Accumulation in the Eastern Kuqa Depression, Northwestern China: Insights from Basin and Petroleum System Modeling. Appl. Sci. 2024, 14, 1217. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14031217
Jia K, Yuan W, Liu J, Yang X, Zhang L, Liu Y, Zhou L, Liu K. Hydrocarbon Generation and Accumulation in the Eastern Kuqa Depression, Northwestern China: Insights from Basin and Petroleum System Modeling. Applied Sciences. 2024; 14(3):1217. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14031217
Chicago/Turabian StyleJia, Kun, Wenfang Yuan, Jianliang Liu, Xianzhang Yang, Liang Zhang, Yin Liu, Lu Zhou, and Keyu Liu. 2024. "Hydrocarbon Generation and Accumulation in the Eastern Kuqa Depression, Northwestern China: Insights from Basin and Petroleum System Modeling" Applied Sciences 14, no. 3: 1217. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14031217
APA StyleJia, K., Yuan, W., Liu, J., Yang, X., Zhang, L., Liu, Y., Zhou, L., & Liu, K. (2024). Hydrocarbon Generation and Accumulation in the Eastern Kuqa Depression, Northwestern China: Insights from Basin and Petroleum System Modeling. Applied Sciences, 14(3), 1217. https://doi.org/10.3390/app14031217