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A significant breakthrough has been made in the exploration and development of shale oil in the Subei Basin. Cores from well HY1 in the Gaoyou Sag of Subei Basin indicate the presence of well-developed natural fractures within the organic-rich shale of the second member of Paleogene Funing Formation. These fractures contain compelling evidence of shale oil, gas, and fluid activities and migration. This study specifically examines the calcite veins filling the shale fractures within the second member of Funing Formation. Through the integration of methodologies from mineralogy, elemental geochemistry, geochronology, and geological fluid analysis, the originof paleo fluids, the timing of vein formation, and fluid inclusions within the shale fracture veins are investigated. This study also sheds light on paleotemperature conditions and corresponding geological timeframes during the burial, uplift, and denudation of the shale oil-bearing layers. The primary fracture types observed in the second member of Funing Formation include bedding fractures, detachment fractures, shear fractures, shrinkage fractures, and tensile fractures, predominantly filled with fibrous calcite veins indicating a source linked to hydrothermal fluids in a reducing environment. Notably, three distinct stages of shale oil injection are evident within the organic-rich shale fracture veins of the second member of Funing Formation, marked by primary green fluorescent oil inclusions from the Middle Eocene, secondary blue fluorescent oil inclusions from the Late Eocene, and secondary green fluorescent oil inclusions from the Late Quaternary period. The primary accumulation of shale oil occurred during the period of maximum burial depth, emphasizing the significant role of tectonic movements, especially the Sanduo tectonic event, in the redistribution and migration of shale oil in the region.

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Sichuan Basin is the only successful basin for shale gas exploration in China. In addition to the main shale in the Lower Silurian Longmaxi formation, the lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi shale is an important potential formation. However, it was once considered that shale gas is difficult to enrich because of its poor sealing conditions and hydrocarbon migration to adjacent reservoirs. With the increasing research on hydrocarbon generation and reservoir in shale of Qiongzhusi Formation in recent years, it has become an important exploration target in Sichuan Basin. The enrichment of oil and gas is closely related to fluid activities. Limited by the degree of exploration, there is little analysis of fluid activities in Qiongzhusi Formation, and there is little analysis of shale gas enrichment potential from the perspective of fluid. The hydrocarbon generated from Qiongzhusi shale in the rift could migrate laterally to the uplift area and form a reservoir in Dengying Formation. The fluid activities from source rock to reservoir are basically the same. Therefore, this paper reconstructed the history of hydrocarbon activities in Dengying reservoirs based on fluid inclusion analysis. Then the fluid activity process in Qiongzhusi shale was studied, and its enrichment conditions of shale gas was discussed. The results show that the hydrocarbon activities of Dengying Formation can be divided into three stages: 1) oil charging stage, 2) oil cracking gas generation stage and 3) gas reservoir adjustment stage. The first stage is under normal pressure, and the second and third stages developed overpressure with pressure coefficients of 1.3 and 1.2, respectively. High pressure coefficient is an important indicator of shale gas enrichment. Because the source rock of Qiongzhusi Formation has always been the main source rock of Dengying Formation, it can supply hydrocarbon to Dengying Formation only with overpressure in gas generation stage. Therefore, overpressure in the last two stages of gas generation indeed existed. As long as the sealing condition of shale itself is not particularly poor, shale gas “sweet points” would be formed. Therefore, the thick shale in Deyang-Anyue rift is the focus of shale gas exploration in Qiongzhusi Formation.

Differential exhumation was petrologically recognized in ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks from the southern and northern parts of the Sulu terrane. While a normal exhumation occurred for eclogites and gneisses in south Sulu, granulite-facies overprinting of ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks took place with high retrograde temperatures in north Sulu. A study of fluid inclusions reveals trapping of five type fluid inclusions in high and ultrahigh pressure eclogite minerals and vein quartz in the Sulu terrane. These are A-type N2±CO2 inclusion trapped at high and ultra-high pressure eclogite-facies metamorphic condition, B-type pure-CO2 liquid phase inclusion with higher density trapped during granulite-facies overprinting metamorphism of eclogites, C-type CO2-H2O inclusion and D-type hypersaline inclusion trapped in high pressure eclogite-facies re-crystallization stage, and E-type low salinity H2O inclusion trapped in the latest stage of ultrahigh pressure exhumation (amphibolite-facies retrogression). Identification of crowded-distributing pure-CO2 liquid inclusions with higher density trapped in garnet of eclogites provides an evidence for granulite-facies overprinting metamorphism in the north Sulu terrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that a great deal of fluid was released during subduction of oceanic crust, resulting in arc magmatism, quartz veining and metamorphic mineralization of syn-subduction. In contrast, the process of continental subduction is characterized by the relative lack of fluid and thus no arc magmatism has been found so far. During exhumation of deep-subducted continental crust, nevertheless, significant amounts of aqueous fluid became available from the decomposition of hydrous minerals, the decrepitation of primary fluid inclusions, and the exsolution of structural hydroxyls. This kind of metamorphic fluid has recently attracted widespread interests and thus been one of the most important targets in deciphering the geological processes concerning metamorphism, magmatism and mineralization in collisional orogens. A large number of studies involving stable isotopes, fluid inclusions and petrological phase relationships have been accomplished in past a few years with respect to the mobility and amount of metamorphic fluid in UHP metamorphic rocks from the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt. The results demonstrate that the fluid activity during the exhumation of deep-subducted continental crust has the following effects: (1) amphibolite-facies retrogression due to pervasive fluid flow; (2) formation of HP quartz veins within eclogites due to channelized fluid flow; and (3) partial melting of overlying crustal rocks due to focused fluid flow, producing syn-exhumation magmatism within the orogenic belt. In particular, the aqueous fluid released by decompression exsolution of hydroxyl from UHP minerals is characterized by Iow salinity and is capable of resulting in pervasive and channellized flow. Therefore, the intensive study of fluid activity during exhumation of UHP metamorphic rocks can not only provide insight into geodynamic processes that occurred in continental collisional belts, but also shed light on understanding of crust-mantle recycling and relevant magmatism in subduction zone setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]