Palaeogeographical development of two merging delta systems (Eocene Shahejie Formation) in the Bohai Bay Basin, E China and implications for hydrocarbon exploration

Two deltas developed simultaneously during the Eocene on the eastern side of a large lake that existed in the Dongying Sub-basin, which forms part of the Bohai Bay Basin in eastern China. The rivers that built the deltas had different catchment areas, which resulted in sediments with different permeability and porosity, due to differences in sorting and mud content. Both deltas prograded, and mass flows that originated frequently on their fronts formed lobes that expanded laterally. This eventually led to merging of both deltas, a feature that has rarely been described from ancient deposits thus far. Core analysis and seismic reflection data show that the merging of the two deltas took place in nine phases, determined by phases of slower progradation or even temporary retrogradation in between. The alternation of sediments from both deltas and their eventual mixing makes the architecture of the merged deltas much more complex than that of ‘classical’ single deltas. This affects the predictability of the spatial distribution of possible reservoir characteristics significantly, but detailed core analysis shows that the best hydrocarbon reservoirs consist of sand bodies formed in distributary channels on the delta plains, and of sandy turbidites formed in the deep-lacustrine environment in front of the merged deltas.