Favorable exploration areas for large and medium-sized gas fields

Abstract

 At present, China (except Taiwan Province) has discovered 33 large and medium-sized gas fields with reserves greater than or equal to 100 billion m~3, accounting for 72% of the total proven reserves of gas in the country. This paper focuses on the main controlling factors of China's large and medium-sized gas fields: development in gas generation centers and their peripheries; paleo-uplifts (structures) in gas-generating areas; late latent low- and medium-order coal measures or their upper and lower associated traps; late accumulation period of large and medium-sized gas fields; large-area porous reservoirs and good regional caprocks. Based on these controlling factors, a comprehensive evaluation was conducted on the Tarim, Junggar, Tuha, Qaidam, Ordos, Sichuan, Yinggehai, Qiongdongnan, and East China Sea basins, and favorable zones for finding large, medium, and small gas fields were pointed out.