ALBERT

Description: Detailed facies and paleogeographical analyses of extensive borehole and outcrop data from Lower and lower Middle Jurassic oil-prone coal-bearing sequences in the Turpan-Hami oil-producing basin of northwest China have led to the reconstruction of a basinwide depositional model. A total of 20 distinct lithofacies have been identified and grouped into braided fluvial plain, meandering fluvial plain, braided delta, meandering channel delta, and lacustrine depositional systems. Coal-forming swamps occur in each depositional system, but the preferred sites of accumulation are interdelta bay and lower delta-plain environments in the braided delta and meandering channel depositional systems, and it is in these sites that major oil-prone source rocks are located. A series of age-specific, basinwide, paleogeographical maps have been constructed leading to a depositional model for the basin. Results indicate that the basin experienced cyclic flooding to produce swamps and lakes, and that these characterize the deposition of the Lower and lower Middle Jurassic coal measures. Analyses indicate that both the Bogda and Harlik Mountains were uplifted prior to the Early Jurassic, and a lake separated the two mountain regions during the Early and early Middle Jurassic. From these results, it is interpreted that major oil-prone coal sequences are to be found in the western part of the Taibei depression of the basin, and thus, the full economic potential of the basin has yet to be fully realized. Longyi Shao is professor of geology at China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT). He received his B.Sc. degree from Jiaozuo Mining Institute in 1983 and obtained his M.Sc. degree and Ph.D. from the Beijing Graduate School of CUMT in 1986 and 1989, respectively. He is currently leading an active group working on sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of coal and oil basins in China.Pengfei Zhang is an emeritus professor at China University of Mining and Technology. He obtained his B.Sc. degree from Peking University in 1950, and since then, he has been involved in teaching and research on petrology and sedimentology and has authored several important textbooks in Chinese, including Sedimentary Petrology and Coal-Bearing Sedimentary Environmental Analysis . Jason Hilton is an NERC Research Fellow and curator of palaeobotany at the National Museums of Scotland. He obtained his B.Sc. degree in environmental earth sciences from Sheffield University in 1992 and his Ph.D. in paleobotany from Cardiff University in 1996. His research focuses on land plant evolution and on geological characterization of fossil plant-bearing sedimentary sequences. Rod Gayer is reader in tectonics and coal geology in the Department of Earth Sciences at Cardiff University. He studied at Cambridge University, gaining a B.A. degree in 1961 and Ph.D. in 1964. His principal area of research is the evolution of coal-bearing foreland basins and especially the role of basin-scale fluid flow. He has edited several books on tectonics and coal geology. He is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Coal Geology . Yanbin Wang is a professor at China University of Mining and Technology, working on organic petrology and petroliferous basin analysis. He received his B.Sc. degree from Huainan Mining Institute in 1981 and has obtained his M.Sc. degree and Ph.D. from the Beijing Graduate School of China University of Mining and Technology in 1988 and 1998, respectively. Changyi Zhao is a senior engineer at the Geology Division, RIPED, CNPC. He received his B.Sc. degree from Fuxin Mining Institute in 1983 and obtained his M.Sc. degree and Ph.D. from the Beijing Graduate School of China University of Mining and Technology in 1988 and 1991, respectively. His major research interests are source rock assessment with organic petrology and geochemistry. Zhong Luo is a senior engineer at Central Laboratory, RIPED, CNPC. He obtained his B.S. degree from Huainan Mining Institute in 1988 and his M.Sc. degree from the Beijing Graduate School of China University of Mining and Technology in 1991. His major interests are mainly in reservoir evaluation.