Depositional Environment and Organic Matter Enrichment of Early Cambrian Niutitang Black Shales in the Upper Yangtze Region, China

Natural gas generation is the result of organic matter degradation under the effects of biodegradation and thermal degradation. Early Cambrian black shales in the Upper Yangtze Region are rich in organic matter and have shown great shale gas potentiality in recent years. Nevertheless, the enrichment...

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Main Authors: Peng Xia, Fang Hao, Jinqiang Tian, Wenxi Zhou, Yong Fu, Chuan Guo, Zhen Yang, Kunjie Li, Ke Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/13/4551
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author Peng Xia
Fang Hao
Jinqiang Tian
Wenxi Zhou
Yong Fu
Chuan Guo
Zhen Yang
Kunjie Li
Ke Wang
author_facet Peng Xia
Fang Hao
Jinqiang Tian
Wenxi Zhou
Yong Fu
Chuan Guo
Zhen Yang
Kunjie Li
Ke Wang
author_sort Peng Xia
collection DOAJ
description Natural gas generation is the result of organic matter degradation under the effects of biodegradation and thermal degradation. Early Cambrian black shales in the Upper Yangtze Region are rich in organic matter and have shown great shale gas potentiality in recent years. Nevertheless, the enrichment mechanism and distribution of organic matter in these black shales between different sedimentary settings, such as intra-platform basin, slope, and deep basin, are still poorly understood. In this paper, based mainly on elemental geochemistry, a comprehensive study of the marine redox conditions, primary productivity, sedimentation rate, terrigenous input, hydrothermal activity, and water mass restrictions was conducted on the Early Cambrian Niutitang black shale in the Upper Yangtze Region. Our data showed that an intra-platform basin received a higher terrigenous input and that it deposited under more restricted conditions than the slope and deep basin settings. The primary productivity in the slope and deep basin settings was higher than that in the intra-platform basin setting. In the intra-platform basin, the productivity increased from its inner part to its margin. For the slope and deep basin settings, the high paleoproductivity generated large amounts of organic matter and its preservation was synergistically affected by the redox conditions. In contrast to the slope and deep basin, the preservation of organic matter in the inner part of the intra-platform basin was mainly controlled by redox conditions because the paleoproductivity in it was much lower than in the slope and deep basin settings. The intra-platform basin margin was the most favorable area for accumulating organic matter.
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spelling doaj.art-0d59f7588a5b46b6b99bffc1690aa2292023-11-23T19:53:41ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732022-06-011513455110.3390/en15134551Depositional Environment and Organic Matter Enrichment of Early Cambrian Niutitang Black Shales in the Upper Yangtze Region, ChinaPeng Xia0Fang Hao1Jinqiang Tian2Wenxi Zhou3Yong Fu4Chuan Guo5Zhen Yang6Kunjie Li7Ke Wang8Resource and Environmental Engineering College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaSchool of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, ChinaSchool of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, ChinaResource and Environmental Engineering College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaResource and Environmental Engineering College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaResource and Environmental Engineering College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaResource and Environmental Engineering College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaHuaxin Gas Group Company Limited, Taiyuan 030026, ChinaResource and Environmental Engineering College, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, ChinaNatural gas generation is the result of organic matter degradation under the effects of biodegradation and thermal degradation. Early Cambrian black shales in the Upper Yangtze Region are rich in organic matter and have shown great shale gas potentiality in recent years. Nevertheless, the enrichment mechanism and distribution of organic matter in these black shales between different sedimentary settings, such as intra-platform basin, slope, and deep basin, are still poorly understood. In this paper, based mainly on elemental geochemistry, a comprehensive study of the marine redox conditions, primary productivity, sedimentation rate, terrigenous input, hydrothermal activity, and water mass restrictions was conducted on the Early Cambrian Niutitang black shale in the Upper Yangtze Region. Our data showed that an intra-platform basin received a higher terrigenous input and that it deposited under more restricted conditions than the slope and deep basin settings. The primary productivity in the slope and deep basin settings was higher than that in the intra-platform basin setting. In the intra-platform basin, the productivity increased from its inner part to its margin. For the slope and deep basin settings, the high paleoproductivity generated large amounts of organic matter and its preservation was synergistically affected by the redox conditions. In contrast to the slope and deep basin, the preservation of organic matter in the inner part of the intra-platform basin was mainly controlled by redox conditions because the paleoproductivity in it was much lower than in the slope and deep basin settings. The intra-platform basin margin was the most favorable area for accumulating organic matter.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/13/4551Early Cambrianpaleoenvironmentblack shaleshale gasSouthern China
spellingShingle Peng Xia
Fang Hao
Jinqiang Tian
Wenxi Zhou
Yong Fu
Chuan Guo
Zhen Yang
Kunjie Li
Ke Wang
Depositional Environment and Organic Matter Enrichment of Early Cambrian Niutitang Black Shales in the Upper Yangtze Region, China
Energies
Early Cambrian
paleoenvironment
black shale
shale gas
Southern China
title Depositional Environment and Organic Matter Enrichment of Early Cambrian Niutitang Black Shales in the Upper Yangtze Region, China
title_full Depositional Environment and Organic Matter Enrichment of Early Cambrian Niutitang Black Shales in the Upper Yangtze Region, China
title_fullStr Depositional Environment and Organic Matter Enrichment of Early Cambrian Niutitang Black Shales in the Upper Yangtze Region, China
title_full_unstemmed Depositional Environment and Organic Matter Enrichment of Early Cambrian Niutitang Black Shales in the Upper Yangtze Region, China
title_short Depositional Environment and Organic Matter Enrichment of Early Cambrian Niutitang Black Shales in the Upper Yangtze Region, China
title_sort depositional environment and organic matter enrichment of early cambrian niutitang black shales in the upper yangtze region china
topic Early Cambrian
paleoenvironment
black shale
shale gas
Southern China
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/13/4551
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