Reservoir Genesis and Quality Evolution in Hydrocarbon Systems

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reservoir rocks are the foundational units for hydrocarbon storage and flow, and their effectiveness is governed by their original depositional character and subsequent diagenetic modification. The porosity and permeability of these units, essential for economic viability, are products of their source material, the depositional system that formed them, and their post-depositional geological journey. Deciphering this evolution is a central challenge in geoscience with direct applications to reducing exploration risk and enhancing recovery.

We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to showcase innovative research on the formation and quality evolution of clastic and carbonate reservoirs in petroleum basins.

This Special Issue aims bring together a collection of articles that advance the understanding of reservoir genesis, heterogeneity, and quality prediction. This subject is core to the journal's scope in petroleum geology, reservoir engineering, and subsurface characterization, focusing on the geological processes that create and modify hydrocarbon pore space. By highlighting studies that bridge fundamental research and applied practices, this issue will provide valuable insights and predictive models for characterizing complex reservoir systems, ultimately supporting more effective hydrocarbon resource development.

We welcome the submission of original research articles and reviews. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• The genesis of reservoir sedimentary bodies and provenance analysis;
• Diagenetic sequences and their impact on porosity-permeability evolution;
• Fractal characterization of reservoir heterogeneity;
• Advanced techniques in reservoir rock petrophysics and imaging (e.g., digital rock physics, micro-CT);
• Geochemical proxies for reconstructing reservoir quality evolution;
• Mechanical and chemical processes in fracture formation and sealing;
• Reservoir architecture and stratigraphic framework analysis;
• Integrated reservoir modeling and quality prediction;
• Case studies of reservoir evolution in conventional and unconventional plays.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Lei Chen
Prof. Dr. Bojiang Fan
Dr. Hexin Huang
Dr. Liangwei Xu
Dr. Zhikai Liang
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Minerals minerals	2.2	4.4	2011	18.2 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Geosciences geosciences	2.1	5.1	2011	23.4 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Fractal and Fractional fractalfract	3.3	6.0	2017	19.9 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
Energies energies	3.2	7.3	2008	16.2 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering jmse	2.8	5.0	2013	15.6 Days	CHF 2600	Submit

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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All Minerals Geosciences Fractal Fract Energies JMSE

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19 pages, 3641 KB  

Open AccessArticle

The Enrichment of Uranium in Marine Organic-Rich Overmature Shales: Association with Algal Fragments and Implications for High-Productivity Interval

by Guoliang Xie, Kun Jiao, Shugen Liu, Yuehao Ye, Jiayu Wang, Bin Deng, Juan Wu and Xiaokai Feng

Minerals 2025, 15(12), 1238; https://doi.org/10.3390/min15121238 - 23 Nov 2025

Viewed by 295

Abstract

Marine organic-rich shales frequently exhibit anomalously high uranium (U) concentrations, yet the mechanisms governing its enrichment in overmature formations like the Wufeng–Longmaxi shales remain unclear. This study examines the distribution and enrichment patterns of uranium in the Wufeng–Longmaxi shales in typical wells through [...] Read more.

Marine organic-rich shales frequently exhibit anomalously high uranium (U) concentrations, yet the mechanisms governing its enrichment in overmature formations like the Wufeng–Longmaxi shales remain unclear. This study examines the distribution and enrichment patterns of uranium in the Wufeng–Longmaxi shales in typical wells through integrated geochemical and geophysical analyses, supplemented by natural gamma spectral logging data. Key findings include: (1) Multiple (up to three) uranium enrichment events are identified within the Wufeng–Longmaxi sequence, consistently corresponding to shale gas sweet spots. (2) Uranium content shows a clear dependence on organic matter (OM) type, with algal fragments being the primary host of uranium, likely due to incorporation during early diagenesis. Pore-water redox conditions and pH further govern the reduction of U (U⁶⁺) and its subsequent sequestration into organic phases. (3) The equivalent vitrinite reflectance (ER_o) of uranium-rich shales is 0.11%–0.17% higher than that of non-uranium-rich shales, suggesting that uranium enrichment may slightly enhance OM thermal maturity. (4) Uranium distribution is collectively controlled by reducing conditions, volcanic eruptions (e.g., tuff layers), and OM type. Additionally, uranium enrichment provides chronostratigraphic markers that may aid in timing marine black shales. These findings thus offer a mechanistic understanding of uranium enrichment in overmature shales, with direct implications for targeting productive intervals in shale gas systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Reservoir Genesis and Quality Evolution in Hydrocarbon Systems)

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