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Reconstruction of hydrocarbon generation history is essential to understanding the petroleum system. In this study, basin modeling was employed to investigate the primary source rocks in the Fushan Depression (FD), a significant oil-bearing basin situated in the South China Sea. The research findings indicate that different tectonic zones within the FD underwent distinct hydrocarbon generation stages. The step-fault zone and the central sag zone experienced one hydrocarbon generation stage at 10–0 Ma and 30–0 Ma, respectively. The slope zone, on the other hand, experienced two hydrocarbon generation stages, 40–23.5 Ma and 10–0 Ma, controlled by tectonic movements and heat flow variations. Furthermore, critical times for the process of the petroleum system have been determined based on this work and previous literature. The slope zone in the eastern FD is considered a favorable area for conventional hydrocarbon exploration due to the high maturity of source rocks promoted by volcanic heating and two significant oil charges. The central sag zone is identified as an excellent prospect for unconventional resources because of the substantial retention of hydrocarbons in in-source unconventional reservoirs long after hydrocarbon generation. These findings provide a valuable guide for further exploration.

In the study of sequence stratigraphy and litho-paleogeography, quantitative analysis, precise calculation and detailed comparison of tremendous geological data, such as field profiles, logging records and seismic curves from different areas, are the basic requirements. In order to obtain a more reliable and precise result, this paper presents a novel method that combines spatial database analysis with the single-factor mapping technology to establish sequence stratigraphical succession and to map the Ordovician litho-paleogeography of the Ordos Basin, one of the largest oil-gas bearing basins in North China Platform. By using this method, all of the related basic geological data can be quantitatively analyzed and effectively managed. Various attributes of the basic stratigraphic units and their characters, such as sequence thickness, penecontemporaneous dolostone content, shallow water parget content, and terrigenous material content, can be fully utilized statistically in facies analysis and in mapping. Based on this analysis, this paper has be exerted single-factor isopachous mapping quantitatively for each of the Ordovician sequences in the basin, and finally synthesized multiple factors to reconstruct the litho-paleogeography for each of the sequence intervals. The study shows that the proposed method is quite effective and has a much higher resolution in recognizing litho-paleogeographic subunits compared with traditional ways. For example, in one of the Middle Ordovician sequence intervals (SQ19 in the Lower Majiagou Formation) of the Ordos Basin, the authors have successfully developed a mathematical formula to divide the distribution of various facies units substantially, such as old lands, submarine uplifts, supratidal zones, intertidal zones and subtidal zones.