Sedimentary characteristics and paleoenvironment of shale in the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation, North Guizhou Province, and its shale gas potential

The Paleozoic Wufeng-Longmaxi shale is one of the main horizons for shale gas exploration in Sichuan Basin. Outcrop, core and thin section observations, X-ray diffraction analysis, trace element geochemistry and other methods have been used to understand the sedimentary characteristics and identify hydrocarbon source rocks in suitable sedimentary paleoenvironments in the Wufeng-Longmaxi shale in northern Guizhou Province. The thickness of the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation ranges from 20 to 200 m and it was mainly deposited on a deep-water shelf. The TOC content is high, up to 5.75%. The main non-organic minerals are detrital quartz and clay minerals, with a little plagioclase feldspar, potassium feldspar, calcite, dolomite and pyrite. There is also biogenic microcrystalline quartz. Six lithofacies have been identified: siliceous shale, clay shale, calcareous shale, silty shale, carbonaceous shale, and muddy siltstone. Using biological Ba, V/(V+Ni), TOC, V/Cr, B, Sr/Ba and other indicators, we estimate primary productivity, redox conditions and paleosalinity and show that the early stage of Wufeng-Longmaxi deposition occurred under strong anoxic conditions, high paleosalinity and yielded a high TOC content and an excellent potential shale gas source. The anoxic environment was destroyed at the late stages of Wufeng-Longmaxi deposition, the TOC content decreased, so that it is likely to be a high quality source rock. Organic pores acted as the key reservoir space in the shales, and the pores are mainly mesopose, with most pore diameters less than 20 nm. The siliceous shale has high TOC content and brittle mineral (quartz) content making it an important exploration target for shale oil and gas exploration.