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Diagenetic differences in tight sandstone reservoirs in two delta fronts: an example from the Chang 4 and 5 members of the Yanchang Formation in the Longdong area, Ordos Basin, China

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Abstract

With the intensification of oil and gas exploration, tight sandstone reservoirs have received an increasing amount of attention, particularly with regard to the genesis of tight reservoir rock. The Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Longdong area of the Ordos Basin has developed a typical tight, oil-bearing, clastic reservoir (lithic arkose and feldspathic litharenite, grain size is mainly 0.1~0.3 mm in diameter). During the depositional period of the Chang 4 and 5 members, the two provenance systems of the southwest and northeast developed in the study area. In the southwest, sandstones in the lower part of distributary channels are coarser with fewer quartz overgrowth and ankerite and better reservoir quality (porosity about 12%, permeability about 1 mD). In the northeast, chlorite coating is thicker (> 4 vol%) in the underwater channel sandstones (porosity is about 14%, permeability is about 2 mD) than in the mouth bar sandstones. Sandstones in the upper part of distributary channels are finer with lower permeability (about 0.1 mD). Authigenic ankerite mainly appears around detrital dolomite as an overgrowth. The SiO2 in the quartz overgrowth most likely came from the transformation of smectite to illite and the dissolution of feldspar. In the northeast, only 2 vol% of chlorite rims significantly inhibited quartz overgrowth, but they probably blocked and delayed the dissolution of feldspars by acids. We present results here that show the diagenetic differences in sand bodies in delta fronts are influenced by sediment size, maturity, and the composition of framework grain; the materials that compose authigenic minerals mainly come from the alteration of sandstones. As a whole, the formation of tight reservoir rocks in the study area is closely related to sedimentary facies, composition of framework grain, cement type and content, and development of dissolution.

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Acknowledgements

Our thanks go to the reviewers.

Funding

This work was supported by the national natural science fund of China (41872102; 41202107), the specialized research fund for the doctoral program of higher education of China (20120007120004), and the research fund of China University of Petroleum (KYJJ2012-01-20).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Shifa Zhu, Xiaomin Zhu, Jiahao Chen, Zhen Yang, Ye Jia & Hang Cui

  2. College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Shifa Zhu, Xiaomin Zhu, Jiahao Chen, Zhen Yang, Ye Jia & Hang Cui

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  1. Shifa Zhu
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  2. Xiaomin Zhu
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  3. Jiahao Chen
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Correspondence to Shifa Zhu.

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Appendix

1 A systematic identification of framework grain, diagenetic minerals and pore configuration based on thin sections. (XLS 128 kb)

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Zhu, S., Zhu, X., Chen, J. et al. Diagenetic differences in tight sandstone reservoirs in two delta fronts: an example from the Chang 4 and 5 members of the Yanchang Formation in the Longdong area, Ordos Basin, China. Arab J Geosci 11, 715 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-4048-7

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