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The Longmaxi and Niutitang Formations are typical shale reservoirs in southeastern Chongqing. Since the Paleozoic, southeastern Chongqing has experienced multistage tectonic movement and diagenesis, resulting in the formation of a large number of natural fractures. In shale reservoirs, fractures not only provide seepage channels for oil and gas migration but also play an important role in the oil and gas reservoir space. Natural fractures provide a flow path from source rock to reservoir during oil filling and connect hydraulic fractures, matrix pores, and boreholes during production. Therefore, identifying the main factors that control the development of natural fractures in the Longmaxi and Niutitang Formations in southeastern Chongqing has a guiding significance for the efficient development of shale reservoirs in this area. By considering the Longmaxi and Niutitang Formation shales as case studies, using field outcrops, drilling cores, and other data, and conducting X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis as well as total organic carbon (TOC) measurements, the quantitative parameter characteristics and main factors that control the development of natural fractures in reservoir shales were examined in detail. The results obtained showed that there are three types of fractures in the lower Paleozoic shale in southeastern Chongqing, which are structural, diagenetic, and abnormal high-pressure fractures. Among them, the fractures in the Longmaxi Formation shale, which are relatively abundant, predominantly consist of low-angle and high-angle inclined fractures, while the Niutitang Formation predominantly consists of high-angle fractures. Additionally, the investigation of fracture size and fracture density, as well as correlation analyses, showed that the fractures of the Lower Paleozoic shale are predominantly micro fractures that play a key role in improving reservoir seepage. It was also noted that the development of fractures is affected by several factors, including tectonic stress, mineral composition, organic carbon content, and rock thickness. The degree of fracture development was found to be positively correlated with brittle mineral and quartz contents, and high organic matter contents also significantly favored the formation micro fractures.

Microfractures are key for migrating and aggregating hydrocarbon source rocks and fracturing oil-gas exploitation in tight reservoirs. In this study, rock samples from the Lucaogou Formation tight reservoirs in Xinjiang, China, were studied using multidisciplinary techniques to investigate the genetic types and main control factors of microfractures. Results indicated that the Lucaogou Formation mainly developed diagenetic microfractures followed by tectonic microfractures, with slight formations of granular microfractures. These observations were used to clarify the relationship between the development of microfractures and the pore fluid content, lithology, mineral composition, and stratum thickness. A higher pore fluid content corresponded to a lower compressive strength of the rocks and a larger ring count, resulting in a higher probability of failure and microfracture formation. Tight reservoirs containing more quartz and carbonate minerals were found to develop more microfractures. Quartz grains showed fractures at the margins under stress, which increased the pore permeability of rocks. Carbonate minerals tended to form microfractures owing to corrosion. Microfracture formation mechanisms differed depending on lithology, and microfractures were found to develop most in dolomite and dolomitic siltstones and least in mudstone. Muddy rocks developed fewer tectonic fractures because they can easily absorb stress and undergo plastic deformation. Within a certain stratum thickness range, the average single-well fracture space and stratum thickness showed positive correlations. Moreover, the fracture space increased and the fracture density decreased as the stratum thickness increased. When the stratum thickness was less than 2.5 m, the fracture space increased linearly with the stratum thickness, and when the stratum thickness was greater than 2.5 m, the fracture space remained constant. This study will provide an essential scientific basis for enhancing tight oil recovery.