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Based on an elaboration of the resource potential and annual production of tight sandstone gas and shale gas in the United States and China, this paper reviews the researches on the distribution of tight sandstone gas and shale gas reservoirs, and analyzes the distribution characteristics and genetic types of tight sandstone gas reservoirs. In the United States, the proportion of tight sandstone gas in the total gas production declined from 20%–35% in 2008 to about 8% in 2023, and the shale gas production was 8 310×108 m3 in 2023, about 80% of the total gas production, in contrast to the range of 5%–17% during 2000–2008. In China, the proportion of tight sandstone gas in the total gas production increased from 16% in 2010 to 28% or higher in 2023. China began to produce shale gas in 2012, with the production reaching 250×108 m3 in 2023, about 11% of the total gas production of the country. The distribution of shale gas reservoirs is continuous. According to the fault presence, fault displacement and gas layer thickness, the continuous shale gas reservoirs can be divided into two types: continuity and intermittency. Most previous studies believed that both tight sandstone gas reservoirs and shale gas reservoirs are continuous, but this paper holds that the distribution of tight sandstone gas reservoirs is not continuous. According to the trap types, tight sandstone gas reservoirs can be divided into lithologic, anticlinal, and synclinal reservoirs. The tight sandstone gas is coal-derived in typical basins in China and Egypt, but oil-type gas in typical basins in the United States and Oman.

Based on the geochemical parameters and analytical data, the heat conservation equation, mass balance law, Rayleigh fractionation model and other methods were used to quantify the in-situ yield and external flux of crust-derived helium, and the initial He concentration and thermal driving mechanism of mantle-derived helium, in the Ledong Diapir area, the Yinggehai Basin, in order to understand the genetic source, migration and accumulation mechanisms of helium under deep thermal fluid activities. The average content of mantle-derived He is only 0.001 4%, the 3He/4He value is (0.002–2.190)×10−6, and the R/Ra value ranges from 0.01 to 1.52, indicating the contribution of mantle-derived He is 0.09%–19.84%, while the proportion of crust-derived helium can reach over 80%. Quantitative analysis indicates that the crust-derived helium is dominated by external input, followed by in-situ production, in the Ledong diapir area. The crust- derived helium exhibits an in-situ 4He yield rate of (7.66– 7.95)×10−13 cm3/(a·g), an in-situ 4He yield of (4.10–4.25)× 10−4 cm3/g, and an external 4He influx of (5.84–9.06)×10−2 cm3/g. These results may be related to atmospheric recharge into formation fluid and deep rock-water interactions. The ratio of initial mole volume of 3He to enthalpy (W) is (0.004–0.018) ×10−11 cm3/J, and the heat contribution from the deep mantle (XM) accounts for 7.63%–36.18%, indicating that deep hot fluid activities drive the migration of mantle-derived 3He. The primary helium migration depends on advection, while the secondary migration is controlled by hydrothermal degassing and gas-liquid separation. From deep to shallow layers, the CO2/3He value rises from 1.34×109 to 486×109, indicating large amount of CO2 has escaped. Under the influence of deep thermal fluid, helium migration and accumulation mechanisms include: deep heat driven diffusion, advection release, vertical hydrothermal degassing, shallow lateral migration, accumulation in traps far from faults, partial pressure balance and sealing capability.

A comprehensive analysis was carried out on the geochemical characteristics of 15 shale gas samples from the Changning area to study the carbon isotopic composition features of shale gas and the reversal cause of carbon isotopic composition in post-mature shale gas in the Silurian Longmaxi Formation of the Changning area, Sichuan Basin. Through the analysis of alkane gas component and carbon isotopic composition, combining with the research on carbon isotopic composition from the Longmaxi Formation of the Fuling and Weiyuan areas in Sichuan Basin, the methane from the Longmaxi Formation shale gas accounts for 97.11% to 99.45%, the average gas wetness is 0.49% representing typical dry gas, abnormal average δ13C1 value as −28.2‰ and the average of δ13C2 values is −33.2‰, in view of sapropel-type kerogen, the Longmaxi Formation shale gas belongs to the typical oil-associated gas. With the increasing degree of thermal evolution, the wetness of shale gas decreases gradually, and carbon isotopic composition of methane becomes heavier, and the carbon isotopic composition of ethane and propane will reverse, but the carbon isotopic composition of ethane and propane in the post-mature shale gas of the Changning area stays in the post-stage of reverse and will not get continuously heavier. The abnormal heavy carbon isotopic composition of methane and the reversal phenomenon of carbon isotopic (δ13C1>δ13C2>δ13C3) mainly generate from the secondary cracking effect in the post-mature stage and reactions between ethane with ferrous metals and water under Reileigh fractionation situation. Furthermore, the high temperature is also one of the important influence factors. Key words: Sichuan Basin, Changning area, Silurian Longmaxi Formation, shale gas, carbon isotope

Based on the geochemical characteristics of Lower Paleozoic gases from 154 most recently drilled wells and their genetic type, in combination with the organic abundance evaluation of 733 core samples from the Lower Paleozoic, the origin of Lower Paleozoic gases in Ordos Basin was discussed. According to the carbon isotope data of paraffin gases in the gas samples and the geological background, the Lower Paleozoic gases are divided into three types and four sub-types: (1) the coal-derived gas generated from the Upper Paleozoic coaly source rock; (2) the oil-associated gas sourced from the Lower Paleozoic source rock, and (3) the mixing gas originated from the Upper Paleozoic coaly source rock and Paleozoic limestone, and the mixing gas can be divided into two sub-types, the mixing gas of positive carbon isotopic series and that of negative carbon isotopic series. From the TOC and organic maceral results of Lower Paleozoic source rock, the samples below salt have an average TOC of 0.3%, with 28.2% of them having TOC>0.4%, the kerogen type being sapropel type, showing great gas generating potential. The Lower Paleozoic gases are primarily coal-derived gas generated from the Upper Paleozoic coal, some oil-associated gas of self-source and self-reservoir can be found in pre-salt reservoirs in the central-eastern basin, where the developed source rock can serve as the source of some Lower Paleozoic gas. Key words: Ordos Basin, Lower Paleozoic, natural gas origin, source rock

Owing to its limited homologous, simple structure, small molecular weight and radius, natural gas could diffuse easily and migrate in a long distance, which greatly increases the difficulties of the study of source rock maturity. So in this paper we study the relationship between natural gas wetness and source rock maturity. Based on 49 coal-derived gas samples from the Ordos, Sichuan, Bohai Bay, Qiongdongnan, Junggar and Turpan–Hami basins in China with integral molecular series, it is discovered that the wetness of natural gas decreases with the maturity (Ro) of source rock. The negative correlation between wetness and maturity was established. Since the wetness could be easily acquired, the Ro could be quickly calculated based on the relationship, which provides important basis for gas source definition and resource evaluation. Key words: coal-derived gas, wetness, maturity, gas source rock, gas resource evaluation