Sequence Stratigraphy of Fine-Grained “Shale” Deposits: Case Studies of Representative Shales in the USA and China

Abstract

The fine-grained "shale" deposits host a vast amount of unconventional oil and gas resources. This chapter examines the variations in lithofacies, patterns of well logs, geochemistry, and mineralogy in order to construct a sequence stratigraphic framework of the representative marine Barnett, Woodford, Marcellus, Mowry, and Niobrara finegrained "shales" (USA) and the marine Longmaxi shale and lacustrine Chang7 lacustrine shale (China). Practical methods are proposed in order to recognize the sequence boundaries, the flooding surfaces, the parasequences and parasequence sets, the system tracts, and variation patterns of facies and rock properties. The case studies for the sequence stratigraphy in the USA and China have revealed that the transgressive systems tract (TST) and the early highstand systems tract (EHST, if identifiable) of finegrained "shales" have been deposited in anoxic settings. TST and EHST of the siliciclastic "shales" are characterized by high gamma ray, high TOC, and high quartz content, while TST and EHST of the carbonate-dominated fine-grained "shales" are characterized by low gamma ray, organic lean, and carbonate rich fine-grained deposits. The lithofacies, geochemistry, mineralogy, depositional evolution, and reservoir development have been predicted and correlated within a sequence stratigraphic framework for the suggested cases. The best reservoir with the best completion quality is developed in TST and HST in both siliciclastic-dominated and carbonate-dominated finegrained "shales."