Cretaceous play and exploration potential of East Gobi Basin, Mongolia

Abstract

Abstract: The exploration potential of the East Gobi Basin, Mongolia, was evaluated based on the geological features of the Cretaceous play derived from the analysis of tectonic-sedimentary evolution and hydrocarbon accumulation. According to the play division principle, the East Gobi Basin consists of one primary play (the Cretaceous play) and two secondary plays (the Tsagaantsav and the Zuunbayan structural unconformity plays). The main source rock of the Cretaceous play is the dark semi-deep to deep lacustrine shale of the lower Zuunbayan Formation and the Tsagaantsav Formation of the Lower Cretaceous, with high hydrocarbon generation potential. Class I reservoir is composed of braided river delta and fan delta lithic sandstone of the Lower Cretaceous Tsagaantsav Formation, showing good physical properties. Class II reservoir is composed of turbidite, shore-shallow lake and alluvial plain facies sandstone of the Lower Cretaceous Zuunbayan Formation. Cap rock is regional shale and mudstone and regional uncomformity surface wide distributed in the Cretaceous strata. The Cretaceous play, as a self-generating & self-preserving reservoir, mainly contains structural and lithologic traps. Based on the detailed analysis on the geological elements of each play, the undiscovered recoverable resources of the basin were estimated to be 61.7?0⁶ t with the subjective probability method. The evaluation results reveal that the main exploration strata in the East Gobi Basin are Lower Cretaceous strata in the Cretaceous play in vertical. Besides, in plane, the northeastern and central parts of the Unegt subbasin, Zuunbayan subbasin and the southwestern and central parts of the Khovsgol subbasin have sizable exploration potential.

Key words: Mongolia, East Gobi Basin, play, resources, favorable exploration area, exploration potential

Qin Qin, Hua Songtao, An Yongmin, Bao Zhidong, He Lingyuan, Lu Ning, Wen Jie, Tian Zuoji, Lai Hongfei, Song Jian, Mao Shuwei. Cretaceous play and exploration potential of East Gobi Basin, Mongolia[J]. China Petroleum Exploration, 2016, 21(5): 81-89.

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