Petroleum prospects of marine sequences in South China

The comprehensive study of the tectonics-sequence stratigraphic-petroleum system shows that five sets of major regional and some local source rocks were developed in the tectonic evolution of South China, including the Lower Cambrian and Lower Silurian in the Caledonian cycle, the Middle Permian and Upper Permian in the Hercynian cycle, and the Lower Triassic in the Indo-Sinian cycle. Due to the inhomogeneous maturity of source rocks in this area, gas exploration would mainly be carried out in the Lower Paleozoic areas, while oil and gas exploration would be in the Upper Paleozoic ones. The reformation from the Indo-Sinian cycle to the Himalayan cycle exerted decisive influence on the hydrocarbon accumulation in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic basin and marine sequences in southern China. The petroleum systems formed in the medium-late period of the superimposed basins are of the greatest potential. The distribution of primary and secondary oil-gas pools was mainly affected by favorable sedimentary facies, ancient uplift and slope. The comprehensive evaluation concluded that the focuses for petroleum exploration in the marine sequences of southern China will be in the superimposed basins along the margin of Yangtze landmass, the Subei-southern South Yellow Sea basin and the marine sequences preserved under the over-thrust nappe along the northern margin of the Jiangnan uplift.