Analysis and Interpretation of Thermal Evolution Anomalies in Palaeozoic Source Rocks in the Southwestern Ordos Basin, China

Abstract

The YT3 well in the southern section of the western margin of the Ordos Basin recently accessed oil reservoirs in the Palaeozoic Carboniferous Yanghugou Formation and Ordovician Wulalike Formation that were previously believed to be gas-producing. However, the region is characterised by extensive faulting and complex geological phenomena. Additionally, the Wulalike Formation exhibits an anomaly: shallow burial depth and high maturity occur in the western region. This study assesses the maturity of source rocks using organic geochemical methods in typical Palaeozoic oil-bearing strata of the region. PetroMod software simulations are employed to reconstruct the thermal evolution history of selected wells and seismic profiles, elucidating these maturity anomalies. The findings reveal a generally higher thermal maturity in the western part and lower in the eastern part of the study area. The R _o of the Wulalike Formation ranged from 1.08% to 2.03%, while that of the Yanghugou Formation ranged from 0.55% to 0.68%. Prior to the Jurassic, the western strata were buried at a greater depth than the eastern strata. The source rocks of the western Palaeozoic had already produced a significant amount of hydrocarbons, and at this time, the strata exhibited a monoclinic west-low-east-high pattern. Hydrocarbons would have been transported eastward along the stratigraphic gradient and deposited in suitable traps. After the Jurassic, the western part of the study area underwent significant denudation due to the Yanshan Movement and a strong retrograde overturning effect, which resulted in a shallow burial depth and high maturity.