Comparison of Hydrocarbon Accumulations in Global Marine Carbonate Sequences and Its Implication for Exploration

Marine carbonates are important oil and gas exploration plays. By the end of 2008, those recoverable reserves found in marine carbonates, primarily distributed along the northern margin of Gondwana as well as the western and eastern margins of Euramerica, account for 42.1% of the total oil and gas reserves in the world based on our recent research. Stratigraphically, they are largely reserved in Cretaceous, Jurassic, Paleogene, Permian, Neogene and Carboniferous. A comparison of Chinese basins with global basins indicates that marine carbonate sequences in China, particularly those in the Tarim and Sichuan Basins, possess the essential elements for the formation of significant hydrocarbon accumulations. The distribution of oil and gas in marine carbonate sequences are mainly controlled by the source kitchen and regional seal, especially evaporite seal. Within the prospective areas, the major paleo-highs, paleo-slopes, large structural trends and/or zones with good reservoirs are the most favorable fairways. Within the fairways, traps, lithofacies, diagenesis and/or structural fracturing dominate the distribution of hydrocarbon accumulations.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90142 © 2012 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, April 22-25, 2012, Long Beach, California