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The first exploratory well, the ZS1C well, with 158,545 m 3 daily gas production was discovered in 6861–6944 m deep strata of the Cambrian gypsolyte layer of the Tarim Basin, China in 2014. The discovery opens a new target for the Cambrian-reservoired oil and gas exploration, and directly leads to large-scale oil and gas exploration of the deep-reservoired Cambrian oil and gas fields in the Basin. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry and a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–flame ionization detector revealed the presence of abundant adamantane compounds, 2-thiaadamantanes and 2-thiadiamantanes, and a large amount of sulfur-containing compounds in the condensate oil. The formation of organic sulfur-containing compounds, such as 2-thiaadamantanes, is an indication of sulfur incorporation from the gypsum in the stratum into oil and gas in the course of TSR. This reservoir has apparently suffered severe TSR alteration because (1) High content of H 2 S, (2) H 2 S sulfur isotopes, (3) CO 2 carbon isotopes, and others abundant data to support this findings. Similar sulfur isotopic composition of H 2 S, oil condensate and the gypsum in the Cambrian strata indicate that the produced condensate is experienced TSR alteration. Therefore, the deep-accumulated Cambrian oil reservoir has experienced severe TSR alteration, and accumulated natural gas and condensate contains high sulfur content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal stability of liquid petroleum in the subsurface is closely linked to reservoir temperature. Most oil accumulations occur at temperatures <120 °C. Oil cracks into gas at temperatures >150–160 °C leading to the dominance of gas condensate and free gas accumulations in ultra-deep high-temperature reservoirs. The recently drilled Fuyuan-1 exploration well (northern Tarim basin) produced high-quality non-cracked single-phase (black) oil from a carbonate reservoir located at maximum depth 7711 m and temperature 172 °C. This is the deepest oil discovery in China to date and among the deepest in the world. The oil density (0.825 g/cm 3 at 20 °C or API gravity 40°), relatively low gas/oil ratio (135 m 3 /m 3 or 758 scf/bbl), low variety and abundance of adamantanes as well as lack of thiaadamantanes and dibenzothiophenes indicate that the oil was expelled from a source rock at moderate thermal maturity and has not been cracked. The molecular and isotopic composition of oil-associated gases are consistent with this interpretation. We suggest that the oil remained uncracked because the residence time at temperatures >150-160°C was relatively short (<5 my based on 1D modeling) and apparently insufficient for cracking. We conclude that there is potential for finding unaltered liquid petroleum in other high-temperature reservoirs with relatively low geothermal gradient and recent burial in the Tarim basin and around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]