Fault characterization and its significance on hydrocarbon migration and accumulation of western Tazhong Uplift, Tarim Basin: Insight from seismic, geochemistry, fluid inclusion and in situ U-Pb dating

Understanding the mechanisms of deep hydrocarbon accumulation is of paramount importance in the field of petroleum geology. Studying deep hydrocarbon accumulation mechanisms contributes to the development of effective reservoir management strategies and efficient extraction techniques. In this study, fluid inclusion observation, homogenization temperatures, in situ calcite U-Pb dating, geochemical analyses and seismic data were applied to investigate the hydrocarbon charging history of the western Tazhong Uplift, and the migration pathways were further analyzed to establish the history of oil and gas accumulation in the study area. The results reveal three distinct episodes of oil and gas charging processes in the western Tazhong Uplift. The first episode, determined by in situ calcite U-Pb dating bearing primary oil inclusions, occurred during the late Caledonian to early Hercynian orogeny. This episode is characterized by yellowish fluoresce color oil inclusions. The second episode involved a complex variation of the thermal maturity of oil. Mature oil, with oil inclusions preferentially fluorescing yellow-green color, was charged into the reservoirs near the Tazhong No.1 fault. Subsequently, the high mature oil characterized by blue-fluorescing oil inclusions was charged. At the same time, the mature oil migrated vertically into the reservoir away from the Tazhong No.1 fault along the strike slip faults. The third charging process is dominant by high mature oil in the Southwest of the western Tazhong Uplift, whereas the gas intrusion occurred in the area near the Shuntuoguole Low Uplift. Furthermore, the strike slip faults and reverse faults were distinguished based on the seismic profiles and coherence diagram. The intersections of strike slip faults and Tazhong No.1 fault developing more fractures served as oil and gas charging points. The oil production revealed that the strike slip faults acted as important hydrocarbon migration pathways. This study provides valuable insights into the processes of hydrocarbon accumulation and offers further evidence for deep oil exploration in the region.