Differences in Shale Oil and Gas Reservoirs across Various Sedimentary Environments: Theories and Applications

Book excerpt: The remarkable success of shale oil and gas production in North America has sparked worldwide interest in its significance. Notably, substantial shale oil and gas reserves have been discovered in China’s Cambrian and Ordovician-Silurian shales, which serve as the primary sources of production. Across the Asian continent, other shale plays exist, with several countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan actively pursuing development plans to identify additional resources. Globally, exploration and development of shale oil and gas in marine-continental transitional and terrestrial formations have resulted in significant breakthroughs, leading to the development of a host of geological theories and technologies for shale oil and gas extraction. With the availability of sophisticated exploration, drilling, logging, and advanced analysis and testing tools, in-depth investigation can be conducted on various aspects of shale formations, including the organic matter enrichment mechanism, sedimentation sequence, reservoir formation, oil and gas generation, drilling, and development. Additionally, the coexistence of similarities and differences in the characteristics of shale reservoirs formed in different sedimentary environments will undoubtedly impact the exploration and development of shale oil and gas.