Abstract: The exploration of carbonate reservoir of the Lower Paleozoic in Tarim Basin has experienced an arduous process from
buried hill structure, reef flat facies-controlled reservoir, interstratal karst to fault-controlled fracture-cavity type reservoir. In recent
10 years, new exploration theory and technology innovations have been achieved in the exploration field of fault-controlled
oil and gas reservoirs, including: (1) innovated geological theory of hydrocarbon accumulation of fault-controlled reservoir in ultra-
deep marine carbonate rocks, and hydrocarbon accumulation pattern of “continuous and large-scale reservoir development,
and differential oil enrichment in different segments” in the strike slip fault zone in depression area, promoting the understandings
on hydrocarbon accumulation pattern and oil enrichment law of carbonate reservoir and delivering major breakthroughs in the exploration of fault-controlled oil and gas reservoirs in strike slip fault zone in ultra-deep depression area; (2) innovated technology
series of target evaluation of fault-controlled fracture-cavity type reservoirs in ultra-deep strike slip fault zone, with the focus of
high-density 3D seismic acquisition and processing, identification of small-displacement and weak strike slip fault, and identification
of fracture-cavity type reservoir in strike slip fault zone, and applicable supporting technologies for well drilling and completion
in strike slip fault zone. Benefiting from the theoretical and technological progress, the exploration of carbonate oil and gas
reservoirs has approached to the forbidden zone in depression area with depth of greater than 7500 m, identifying an exploration
frontier of ultra-deep fault-controlled oil and gas reservoirs with an area of 2×10⁴km², and discovering a giant
one-billion-ton-level fault-controlled oilfield—Fuman Oilfield in ultra-deep strike slip fault zone in Central Depression of Tarim
Basin.