Citation: | Zhen-quan Lu, Shi-qi Tang, Xiao-ling Luo, Gang-yi Zhai, Dong-wen Fan, Hui Liu, Ting Wang, You-hai Zhu, Rui Xiao, 2020. A natural gas hydrate-oil-gas system in the Qilian Mountain permafrost area, northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China Geology, 3, 511-523. doi: 10.31035/cg2020075 |
Natural gas hydrate, oil and gas were all found together in the Qilian Mountain permafrost area, northeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. They are closely associated with each other in space, but whether they are in any genetic relations are unknown yet. In this paper, a hydrocarbon gas-generation series, gas-fluid migration series and hydrocarbon gas-accumulation series are analyzed to probe the spatial, temporal and genetic relationships among natural gas hydrate, oil and gas. The subsequent results show that natural gas hydrate, oil and gas actually form a natural gas hydrate-oil-gas system. Based on the Middle Jurassic and the Upper Triassic hydrocarbon gas-generation series, it is divided into four major sub-systems in the study area: (1) A conventional Upper Triassic gas-bearing sub-system with peak hydrocarbon gas-generation in the late Middle Jurassic; (2) a conventional Middle Jurassic oil-bearing sub-system with low to mature hydrocarbon gas-generation in the late Middle Jurassic; (3) a natural gas hydrate sub-system with main gas source from the Upper Triassic gas-bearing sub-system and minor gas source from the Middle Jurassic oil-bearing sub-system as well as little gas source from the Middle Jurassic coal-bed gas and the microbial gas; (4) a shallower gas sub-system with microbial alteration of the main gas source from the Upper Triassic gas-bearing sub-system. This natural gas hydrate-oil-gas system and its sub-systems are not only theoretical but also practical, and thus they will play an important role in the further exploration of natural gas hydrate, oil and gas, even other energy resources in the study area.
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Geological characteristics and borehole locations in the study area.
Characteristics of natural gas hydrate collected from drilling holes in the study area.
Characteristics of oil-bearing cores in DK-9 in the study area.
Blowout of gases from the abnormal gas layer in DK-10 in the study area.
Comparison of gas composition between natural gas hydrate and thermal simulation products.
Comparison of carbon isotopes between natural gas hydrate and thermal simulation products.
Characteristics of normal alkanes (a), terpanes (b), and steranes (c) from oil samples in DK-9 in the study area.
Contrast of oil and gas displays with thermal simulation products from the Middle Jurassic samples in DK-9 in the study area.
Contrast of oil and gas displays with thermal simulation products from the Upper Triassic samples in DK-9 in the study.
Diagram of δ13C1 vs. C1/(C2+C3) (a) and δ13
Illustration for natural gas hydrate-oil and gas system in the study area.