Characteristics of faults and their implications for oil and gas enrichment in the Liaoxi Depression,Bohai Bay Basin,eastern China

The faults that developed in the Liaoxi Depression can be classified into three types according to their extent and connectivity with the source and reservoir rocks (i.e. type I faults, type II faults and type III faults). These faults played different roles in controlling the basin geomorphology; the formation and evolution of the source rocks, reservoir rocks, cap rocks and traps; and the migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons in the Liaoxi Depression. Extending from the basement to the Neogene strata, type I faults, which are the largest in the basin, mainly controlled the development and basin-scale geomorphology; type II faults mainly controlled the sub-tectonic zones; and type III faults mainly controlled the formation and evolution of the traps. The movements of type I and type II faults during the hydrocarbon expulsion period were closely related to oil and gas migration. The rates of fault activity varied among the different sags of the Liaoxi Depression. Type I faults in both the northern and southern sags appear to have moved considerably during the hydrocarbon generation and expulsion stages, which strongly promoted hydrocarbon migration, whereas weakly active type I faults in the central sag made limited contributions to hydrocarbon migration. The sealing behaviour of the faults controlled the hydrocarbon migration directions and locations, and the good lateral sealing ability of the type I faults in the northern and southern sags confined the accumulation of hydrocarbons within the sags independently. However, the type I faults in the central sag partially opened laterally, which increased the likelihood of hydrocarbon migration from the sag centre to the uplift and reduced the likelihood of hydrocarbon accumulation within the sag centre. Therefore, the oil- and gas-enrichment patterns in the Liaoxi Depression are closely related to the characteristics of the faults, with traps near types I and II faults showing an increased likelihood of oil- and gas-field formation, as observed with the JZ9-3, LD4-2 and LD5-2 wells, and traps located in the sags remote from types I and II faults showing a reduced likelihood of oil and gas accumulation.