Critical tectonic events and their geological controls on deep buried coalbed methane accumulation in Daning-Jixian Block, eastern Ordos Basin

Abstract

Commercial exploration and development of deep buried coalbed methane (CBM) in Daning-Jixian Block, eastern margin of Ordos Basin, have rapidly increased in recent decades. Gas content, saturation and well productivity show significant heterogeneity in this area. To better understand the geological controlling mechanism on gas distribution heterogeneity, the burial history, hydrocarbon generation history and tectonic evolution history were studied by numerical simulation and experimental simulation, which could provide guidance for further development of CBM in this area. The burial history of coal reservoir can be classified into six stages, i.e., shallowly buried stage, deeply burial stage, uplifting stage, short-term tectonic subsidence stage, large-scale uplifting stage, sustaining uplifting and structural inversion stage. The organic matter in coal reservoir experienced twice hydrocarbon generation. Primary and secondary hydrocarbon generation processes were formed by the Early and Middle Triassic plutonic metamorphism and Early Cretaceous regional magmatic thermal metamorphism, respectively. Five critical tectonic events of the Indosinian, Yanshanian and Himalayan orogenies affect different stages of the CBM reservoir accumulation process. The Indosinian orogeny mainly controls the primary CBM generation. The Yanshanian Orogeny dominates the second gas generation and migration processes. The Himalayan orogeny mainly affects the gas dissipation process and current CBM distribution heterogeneity.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

deep buried coalbed methane / coal reservoir accumulation evolution / numerical simulation / Daning-Jixian Block

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41902178), National Science and Technology Major Project (Oil & Gas) (No. 2016ZX05065), Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province, China (No. 20210302123165), Open Fund of Beijing Key Laboratory of Unconventional Natural Gas Geological Evaluation and Development Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Beijing) (No. 2019BJ02001).

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