Hydrocarbon generation and storage mechanisms of deep-water shelf shales of Ordovician Wufeng Formation–Silurian Longmaxi Formation in Sichuan Basin, China

As the hydrocarbon generation and storage mechanisms of high quality shales of Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation- Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation remain unclear, based on geological conditions and experimental modelling of shale gas formation, the shale gas generation and accumulation mechanisms as well as their coupling relationships of deep-water shelf shales in Wufeng–Longmaxi Formation of Sichuan Basin were analyzed from petrology, mineralogy, and geochemistry. The high quality shales of Wufeng–Longmaxi Formation in Sichuan Basin are characterized by high thermal evolution, high hydrocarbon generation intensity, good material base, and good roof and floor conditions; the high quality deep-water shelf shale not only has high biogenic silicon content and organic carbon content, but also high porosity coupling. It is concluded that: (1) The shales had good preservation conditions and high retainment of crude oil in the early times, and the shale gas was mainly from cracking of crude oil. (2) The biogenic silicon (opal A) turned into crystal quartz in early times of burial diagenesis, lots of micro-size intergranular pores were produced in the same time; moreover, the biogenic silicon frame had high resistance to compaction, thus it provided the conditions not only for oil charge in the early stage, but also for formation and preservation of nanometer cellular-like pores, and was the key factor enabling the preservation of organic pores. (3) The high quality shale of Wufeng–Longmaxi Formation had high brittleness, strong homogeneity, siliceous intergranular micro-pores and nanometer organic pores, which were conducive to the formation of complicated fissure network connecting the siliceous intergranular nano-pores, and thus high and stable production of shale gas. Key words: hydrocarbon generation and storage mechanism, Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation, Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation, deep-water shelf, siliceous shale, Sichuan Basin, pore preservation