Deep thermal state and hydrocarbon accumulation potential of Cenozoic sedimentary basins in East China: a case study of Subei-South Yellow Sea basin

Abstract

A remarkable phenomenon of the Cenozoic basins in East China is that there is a close correlation between the amount of post-rift thermal subsidence and the petroleum resources. In order to explore the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon and the correlation between deep thermal processes of sedimentary basins and the distribution of oil and gas resources, this paper takes the Curie interface depth estimated by the magnetic data as the first-order constraint for the deep thermal state to determine the quantitative relationship between it and the reaction rate of hydrocarbon generation from the cracking of kerogen. Moreover, the Subei-South Yellow Sea basin is an example of the outstanding positive correlation between hydrocarbon generation from source rocks and the deep thermal state, which could help to understand the tectonic-thermal system of sedimentary basin and hydrocarbon generation process, and offer a new research perspective for hydrocarbon accumulation and evaluation of petroleum potential.

Keywords

• sedimentary basin
• thermal state
• petroleum potential
• subei-south yellow sea basin
• east china