--> Abstract: Deep Gas Discoveries and New Exploration Horizons in the Songliao Basin, by Zhi-qiang Feng, Zihui Feng, Wei Huang, Heyong Wu, Jingshun Qi, and Changhai Yin; #90078 (2008)

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Deep Gas Discoveries and New Exploration Horizons in the Songliao Basin

Zhi-qiang Feng, Zihui Feng, Wei Huang, Heyong Wu, Jingshun Qi, and Changhai Yin
PetroChina Daqing Oilfield Company, Daqing City, China

The Songliao Basin is a Mesozoic-Cenozoic basin with duplex structures. Rift development in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous period resulted in the deposition of thick clastic and volcanic sediments in isolated rift depressions with average areas around 1300-5800 sq. km, whereas the sag development in the Upper Cretaceous series led to several kilometers of freshwater lacustrine-deltaic sediments in a gigantic sag basin. A number of giant oil discoveries were made by early exploration of structural traps in the Upper Cretaceous strata. The depletion of oil reserves in this basin from over half of a century's production have been substantially offset by oil reserve addition from increased exploration of subtle stratigraphic-lithological traps toward the distal parts of the basin, and more importantly by major breakthroughs in gas exploration in the deep rift depressions underlying the current oil production zones. This presentation will use the giant gas discovery from volcanic reservoirs in the Xujiaweizi rift depression as an example, to discuss the critic geological controls on volcanic reservoir properties and to highlight the exploration strategies and key technical factors that were responsible for the discovery. The deep discovery in volcanic reservoirs will not only broaden the exploration scope in the Songliao Basin, but also provide an excellent analog for exploration in other rift basins worldwide.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas