The Petroleum Geologic Characteristics of Sichuan Basin, Central China

LI DE SHENG, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing, People's Republic of China

Sichuan basin is the main gas producer of China. It covers an area of 230,000 sq km. The evolution of this basin since Meso-Cenozoic was influenced by both trans-Eurasia Tethys tectonism from the west and the circum-Pacific tectonism from the east. So it has dual characteristics, compressional and tensional. The northward-moving Indian Plate resulted in a series of thrust fault zones along the Longmenshan western margin of Sichuan basin.

Jurassic oil pools and Triassic, Permian, Carboniferous, and Sinian gas pools are present, where a series of box-like anticlines, comb-like anticlines, and gentle slope dome anticline, carbonate reef buildups are the main trap types.

Significant role of fractures and caves of carbonate reservoir formations in Sichuan basin affects the production capacity of gas/oil wells and the abundances of gas/oil reserves. Three-dimensional seismic methods are used to predict the unconformities and the paleo-karst and fracture zones. Acidizing treatments were used for well completions.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91004 © 1991 AAPG Annual Convention Dallas, Texas, April 7-10, 1991 (2009)