Effects of Regional Differences in Shale Floor Interval on the Petrophysical Properties and Shale Gas Prospects of the Overmature Niutitang Shale, Middle-Upper Yangtz Block

The lower Cambrian Niutitang/Qiongzhusi shale gas in the Middle-Upper Yangtz Block had been regarded as a very promising unconventional natural gas resource due to its high total organic carbon, great thickness, and large areal distribution. However, no commercial shale gas fields have yet been reported. From the northwest to the southeast there are considerable differences in the sedimentary environments, lithology, and erosive nature of the underlying interval (the floor interval) of the Niutitang shale. However, systematic research on whether and how these regional differences influence shale petrophysical properties and shale gas preservation in the Niutitang shale is lacking. A comparison of Niutitang shale reservoirs as influenced by different sedimentary and tectonic backgrounds is necessary. Samples were selected from both the overmature Niutitang shales and the floor interval. These samples cover the late Ediacaran and early Cambrian, with sedimentary environments varying from carbonate platform and carbonate platform marginal zone facies to continental shelf/slope. Previously published data on the lower Cambrian samples from Kaiyang (carbonate platform), Youyang (carbonate platform marginal zone) and Cen’gong (continental shelf/slope) sections were integrated and compared. The results indicate that the petrophysical properties of the floor interval can affect not only the preservation conditions (sealing capacity) of the shale gas, but also the petrophysical properties (pore volume, porosity, specific surface area and permeability) and methane content of the Niutitang shale. From the carbonate platform face to the continental shelf/slope the sealing capacity of the floor interval gradually improves because the latter gradually passes from high permeability dolostone (the Dengying Formation) to low permeability dense chert (the Liuchapo Formation). In addition, in contrast with several unconformities that occur in the carbonate platform face in the northern Guizhou depression, no unconformity contact occurs between the Niutitang shale and the floor interval on the continental shelf/slope developed in eastern Chongqing Province and northwestern Hunan Province. Such regional differences in floor interval could lead to significant differences in hydrocarbon expulsion behaviour and the development of organic pores within the Niutitang shale. Therefore, shale gas prospects in the Niutitang shales deposited on the continental shelf/slope should be significantly better than those of shales deposited on the carbonate platform face.