Geological Characters of Continental Rift-Basin Petroleum System in East China

Dou Li-rong

The concept of petroleum system is very applicable to petroleum geology, research, exploration and play evaluation. The petroleum system maps showing mature source rocks and the genetically related accumulations and cross-sections illustrating the tectonic and stratigraphic position of the accumulations clearly indicate the generation, migration route and accumulation of oil and gas.

The Bohai Bay, Songliao, Erlian and Hailar Basins are all continental rift basins. More than 90% of oil production in China is from the Bohai Bay and Songliao Basins. They have undergone pre-, syn- and post-rift development stages, correspondingly forming three sets of tectonic-sequences. The syn-rift tectonic-sequence comprises the main source--reservoir-seal combination from which oil is mainly produced. The application of the petroleum system is not only useful for the evaluation of the new plays of the syn-rift tectonic-sequence, but also for the classification and evaluation of the plays of the post-rift tectonic-sequence in the Songliao Basin, and of the pre-rift tectonic-sequence in the Bohai Bay Basin.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91020©1995 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, May 5-8, 1995