--> Hydrocarbon Accumulations in Tarim Basin, China, by D. S. Li and D. F. He; #90986 (1994).

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Abstract: Hydrocarbon Accumulations in Tarim Basin, China

D. S. Li, D. F. He

The Tarim basin is the largest and least explored inland basin in China. The areal extent of the basin reaches 560,000 sq km. The interior of the basin is mostly covered by the Taklimakan Desert and about 324,000 sq km in areal extent. It has become the exploration object for special attention. China has set aside 73,000 sq km in Tarim basin for foreign oil firms to explore.

The Tarim basin is a polyhistory superimposed basin that has experienced seven evolutional stages: (1) Sinian-Cambrian-Ordovician Aulacogen stage; (2) Silurian-Devonian intracratonic depression stage; (3) Carboniferous marginal sea stage; (4) Permian rift basin stage; (5) Triassic-Jurassic foreland stage; (6) Cretaceous Tathys bay stage; and (7) Neogene-Pleistocene mountain front and inland basin stage. it is suggested that both the basin's Paleozoic marine platform sequences and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic terrestrial fills contain substantial volumes of hydrocarbons. After recent years of exploration efforts, six oil fields were discovered and proved in the Tabei and Tazhong areas. Three of them have been put into production; output will be 1.6 million tons (32,000 bbl/day) by 1993. Giant oil and gas traps are waiting to be discovered in this promising petroliferous basin.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994