Petrology, Mineralogy, and Geochemical Characterization of Paleogene Oil Shales of the Youganwo Formation in the Maoming Basin, Southern China: Implication for Source Rock Evaluation, Provenance, Paleoweathering and Maturity

Fei Hu, Qingtao Meng (), Zhaojun Liu, Chuan Xu and Xun Zhang
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Fei Hu: College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China
Qingtao Meng: College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China
Zhaojun Liu: College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China
Chuan Xu: College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China
Xun Zhang: College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: Oil shale is a crucial unconventional energy source to supplement conventional oil and gas. The oil shale in the Maoming Basin of China has excellent resource potential. In this study, through systematic geochemical testing, the industrial quality and geochemical characteristics of oil shale are revealed, and the hydrocarbon generation potential of oil shale, the parent rock type, and the tectonic setting of the source area are discussed. It is comprehensively assessed that Maoming oil shale has a medium-oil yield (avg. 6.71%) with high ash content (avg. 76.1%), a high calorific value (avg. 7.16 M J/kg), and ultra-low sulfur (avg. 0.54%). The mineralogical compositions primarily consist of clay minerals and quartz, and barely pyrite. Maoming oil shale is in an immature evolution stage, with high TOC and I-II 1 kerogen type, and could be considered an excellent hydrocarbon source rock. The chemical index of alteration (CIA), the index of chemical variability (ICV), and the Th/U ratio indicate that the Maoming oil shale parent rock area is strongly weathered. Multitudinous geochemical diagrams also show that the oil shale was mainly derived from Late Cretaceous felsic volcanic rock and the granite zone, and the tectonic setting was a continental island arc environment related to the active continental margin. This is consistent with the tectonic history of southern China in the Late Cretaceous.

Keywords: Maoming Basin; oil shale; industrial quality; hydrocarbon potential; parent rock type; tectonic setting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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