Marine strata in the Jianghan Plain area are widely distributed with a total depth of more than 8,000 m from the Upper Sinian to the Middle Triassic. Six reservoir caprock units, named Z-C2, C2-O, S, D--C, P and T1, can be identified with each epoch. The geology, stratigraphy, drilling, oil testing and other basic data as well as the measured inclusion and strontium isotope data in the study area are used in the analysis of the formation and evolution process of marine petroliferous reservoirs in the Jianghan Plain area. This study aims to provide a scientific basis for the further exploration of hydrocarbons in the Jianghan Plain and reduce the risks by analyzing the key factors for hydrocarbon accumulation in the marine strata. Our findings show that in the Lower Palaeozoic hydrocarbon reservoir, oil/gas migration and accumulation chiefly occurred in the early period of the Early Yanshanian, and the hydrocarbon reservoir was destroyed in the middle-late period of the Early Yanshanian. In the Lower Triassic-Carboniferous hydrocarbon reservoir, oil/gas migration and accumulation chiefly occurred in the Early Yanshanian, and the hydrocarbon reservoir suffered destruction from the Late Yanshanian to the Early Himalayanian. The preservation conditions of the marine strata in the Jianghan Plain area have been improved since the Late Himalayanian. However, because all source beds have missed the oil/gas generation fastigium and lost the capacity to generate secondary hydrocarbon, no reaccumulation of hydrocarbons can be detected in the study area＇s marine strata. No industrially exploitable oil/gas reservoir has been discovered in the marine strata of Jianghan Plain area since exploration began in 1958. This study confirms that petroliferous reservoirs in the marine strata have been completely destroyed, and that poor preservation conditions are the primary factor leading to unsuccessful hydrocarbon exploration. It is safely concluded that hydrocarbon exploration in the marine strata of the study area is quite risky
The multi-stage minerals filled in pore space were sequenced, and the charging stages of fluid and hydrocarbon were reconstructed based on the observation of drilling cores and thin sections, homogeneous temperature testing of fluid inclusions, Laser Raman composition analysis and isotope geochemical analysis. The Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation in the study area went through 5 stages of fluid charging, in which 3 stages, mid-late Triassic, early-mid Jurassic and early-mid Cretaceous, were related to oil and gas charging. Especially the oil and gas charging event in early-mid Cretaceous was the critical period of gas accumulation in the study area, and was recorded by methane gas inclusions in the late stage quartz fillings. The ^(40) Ar-^(39) Ar dating of the 3 rd stage methane inclusions shows that the natural gas charging of this stage was from 125.8±8.2 Ma. Analysis of Si, O isotopes and ^(87) Sr/^(86) Sr of the late stage quartz indicates that the fluid source of the quartz was formation water coming from long term evolution and concentration of meteoric water, but not from deep part or other sources, this also reflects that, in the critical charging period of natural gas, the Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation in Moxi structure had favorable conservation conditions for hydrocarbon accumulation, which was favorable for the formation of the Longwangmiao large natural gas pool.
The sequence of the densification and hydrocarbon charging of the Xu2 reservoir in the Anyue–Hechuan area of Central Sichuan Basin is discussed.The diagenetic sequence is considered a time line to determine the historical relationship between the densification process and the hydrocarbon charging of the Xu2 reservoir in the study area:Early diagenetic stage B(the first stage of hydrocarbon charging,which was about 200–160 Ma ago,with a porosity of about 20%,consolidated and not tight)→middle diagenetic stage A(the second stage of hydrocarbon charging,which was about 140–120 Ma ago,with a porosity of 10%–20%and relatively tight)→middle diagenetic stage B(the third stage of hydrocarbon charging,which was about 20–5 Ma ago,with a porosity of 6%–10%and tight;However,fractures have developed).The study results prove that large-scale hydrocarbon charging and accumulation completed before the densification of the Xu2 reservoir,showing that the Upper Triassic Xujiahe Fm unconventional tight reservoir in the Sichuan Basin is prospective for exploration.
