Journal of Fundamentals of Renewable Energy and Applications
Open Access

Abstract

Analysis of the Distribution of Onshore Sedimentary Basins and Hydrocarbon Potential in China

Zhenglong Jiang, Yajun Li, Yunfei Zhang and Kangning Xu

Based on 20 years of onshore exploration in China, we compiled onshore sedimentary basin maps and oil and gas horizontal distributions for the major basins in China and analyzed the characteristics of basin distribution and hydrocarbon potential, which can be summarized in the following four points. (1) More than 400 basins have developed in China’s onshore region. The development of large-scale basins is based on paleo-platforms (plates) or the microplate geological background. (2) The Tianshan-Xingmeng orogen and basin cluster along the North China/eastern Yangtze Platform host the majority of China’s onshore oil reserves (66.64%). (3) The three major craton basins, Tarim, North China and Yangtze, host 70.19% of the total onshore natural gas reserves. (4) China’s onshore oil reserves are concentrated in layers originating from the Cenozoic and Mesozoic, and the natural gas reserves are primarily distributed in layers originating from the Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Upper Paleozoic.