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Paleostress reconstructions and stress regimes in the Nanchuan region of Sichuan Basin, South China: implications for hydrocarbon exploration

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Abstract

The Longmaxi shales are the major hydrocarbon source rocks for Sichuan Basin and adjacent regions in China. Tectonic stress field is important in controling the migration and accumulation of shale gas. In the present study, natural fractures in the Nanchuan region of Sichuan Basin were extensively studied and analyzed with the Rotational Optimization Method (ROM) to reconstruct paleostress fields and their transformation processes. The dominant strikes of natural fractures were in the NW-SE, NE-SW, NWW-SEE and NEE-SWW directions with high-angle oblique or vertical (70~90°) dip angles. Paleostress reconstructions indicated that the Late Yanshanian and Late Himalayan stress fields controlled the tectonics in the Nanchuan region. The orientation of the maximum principal stress (σ1) during the Late Yanshanian and Late Himalayan period was ~NW-SE and ~NE-SW trending, respectively. In addition, the majority of stress regimes during the two tectonic stages were strike-slip regimes (SS). Remote effects of the westward subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate activated the Xuefengshan tectonic zone and generated the Late Yanshanian paleostress field. Later, the change in the stress field was due to the variation of tectonic activity intensity in the Xuefengshan and Dabashan tectonic zones. The paleotectonic stress fields and their transformation processes comprehensively influenced the migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons in the Nanchuan region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

    Wei Ju, Jilin Wang, Huihuang Fang, Yunpeng Gong & Shanjin Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Coalbed Methane Resources and Reservoir Formation Process, Ministry of Education, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221008, China

    Wei Ju & Jilin Wang

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  1. Wei Ju
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  2. Jilin Wang
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Correspondence to Jilin Wang.

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Ju, W., Wang, J., Fang, H. et al. Paleostress reconstructions and stress regimes in the Nanchuan region of Sichuan Basin, South China: implications for hydrocarbon exploration. Geosci J 21, 553–564 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-016-0066-1

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