Identifying and Dating the Destruction of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Using Secondary Chemical Remanent Magnetization. Issue 20 (28th October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Yong; Muxworthy, Adrian R.; Jia, Dong; Wei, Guoqi; Xia, Bin; Wen, Bin; Wang, Maomao; Liu, Weiliang; Brzozowski, Matthew J.
• Is Part Of: Geophysical research letters. Volume 46:Issue 20(2019)
• Page Start: 11100
• Page End: 11108
• Publication Date: 2019-10-28
• Subjects: Chemical remagnetization -- Hydrocarbon destruction -- Majiang reservoir -- Tectonic events -- Orogenic fluids; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Planets -- Periodicals; Lunar geology -- Periodicals; 550
• DOI: 10.1029/2019GL084812
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0094-8276

Abstract

Abstract: Destructive processes are thought to be common in pre‐Cenozoic oil‐gas reservoirs. The timing, mechanism, and even identification of these processes, however, are difficult to clearly characterize, which obscures the evolution of such systems and the assessment of oil and gas reserves. Here, we reveal a new link between secondary chemical remanent magnetization acquisition and tectonically driven destruction of hydrocarbon reservoirs, which can be used to date the destructive processes and identify their tectonic controls. We performed a detailed paleomagnetic analysis of rocks from a typical destroyed reservoir (Majiang reservoir, China) and combined these data with scanning electronic microscope imaging and strontium isotope, total organic carbon, and clay analysis. We found that the Late Triassic syntilting secondary chemical remanent magnetizations of source and reservoir rocks resulted from the destructive processes driven by the Indosinian orogeny. We therefore argue that palaeomagnetic methods can be used to constrain destructive events within hydrocarbon reservoirs worldwide. Key Points: Integrated magnetic, geochemical, and petrographic study of a typical destroyed hydrocarbon reservoir was conducted A new link between remagnetization and destruction of hydrocarbon reservoir has been revealed Caution is warranted in the interpretation of paleomagnetic dates for hydrocarbon systems