Abstract:
Tarim Basin is characterized by vast exploration areas, large amount of oil-gas reserves, and relatively low degree of exploration. It plays a crucial role as one of the key drivers for China's domestic oil-gas reserves and production during the "14th Five-Year Plan". However, numerous world-class challenges are encountered in the exploration of Tarim Basin, such as ancient marine source rocks, ultra-deep reservoirs, the occurrence of hydrocarbons in ultra-deep reservoirs, as well as the long-term evolution of oil-gas reservoirs, which significantly limit the overall efficiency of exploration in Tarim Basin. Through an integrated approach that combines the data of outcrops, well drilling, geophysics, and testing over the past two years, this paper systematically analyzes the coupling model of key factors for the new types of hydrocarbon accumulation in new prospecting fields of Tarim Basin, as well as resource potential in the study area. The research indicates that Tarim Basin mainly developed four regional reservoir-cap combinations and hydrocarbon systems, including Cambrian pre-salt, Ordovician, and Carboniferous reservoirs in the platform area of basin, as well as the Paleozoic to Cenozoic reservoirs in the foreland area. The most important new areas and types are shown as below:the Lower Cretaceous Yageliemu Formation in Kuqa depression, the Paleozoic buried hills on the south slope of Kuqa depression, the Jurassic tight gas fault-fracture bodies in the northern tectonic belt (Dibei area) of Kuqa depression, the Carboniferous-Permian strata in the southwest Tarim Basin, the Lower Cambrian platform margin belt in platform area and the Cambrian in the west margin of Awati sag, as well as Ordovician fault-karst bodies in the platform area. The near-source oil-gas resources in the Paleozoic buried hills and the Mesozoic of Kuqa foreland basin have enormous potential. The amount of oil and gas resources can reach 2×10
8t and 600× 10
8m
3 in the paleo buried hills of Wensu-Jiamu area, respectively. The amount of gas and oil resources in the Cretaceous Yageliemu Formation is about 10 500×10
8m
3 and 4 300×10
4t, respectively. In the northern tectonic belt of Kuqa depression, the natural gas and oil resources of the Jurassic Ahe Formation possess 2.6×10
12m
3 and 1.3×10
8t, respectively. The Lower Cambrian pre-salt platform margin belt in the platform area contains 1.78×10
12m
3 of natural gas. The gas and oil resources are 4 400×10
8m
3 and 1.4×10
8t in the west margin of Awati sag, respectively. The Ordovician fault-karst bodies has around 32×10
8t of oil equivalent in the Fuman-Shunbei area. The insights into geological and resource potential gained from breakthroughs in exploring new fields and types of oil-gas resources can lay a solid foundation for further efficient exploration in the future.