Complex Petroleum Migration and Accumulation in Central Region of Southern Junggar Basin, Northwest China

The central region of the southern Junggar basin (Northwest China) is a key exploration target in this petroliferous basin. As there are four sets of potential source rocks (e.g., Permian, Jurassic, Cretaceous and Paleogene sequences), petroleum migration and accumulation are likely complex. This study represents an attempt to understand this complexity in order to provide fundamental information for future regional petroleum exploration and geological studies. Based on petroleum geology and geochemistry, it is implied that there are mainly three types of hydrocarbons, including Cretaceous- and Paleogene-sourced oils (with the former being dominant) and Jurassic-sourced gas. The petroleum migration and accumulation mainly cover three stages. The first stage is the late period of the Early Pleistocene, in which the Cretaceous-sourced oils migrate and accumulate. Then, in the second stage (from the late period of the Middle Pleistocene to the early period of the Late Pleistocene), the Cretaceous-sourced oils, together with the Paleogene-sourced oils, participate in the migration and accumulation. At last, in the end of the Late Pleistocene, large quantities of oils remigrate and accumulate, with gas (especially Jurassic-sourced gas) migrating along faults to accumulate. Thus, petroleum charge events in the area are complex, reflecting the control of complex tectonic evolution on petroleum migration and accumulation.