Fractures are important for shale-gas reservoirs with low matrix porosity because they increase the effective reservoir space and migration pathways for shale gas, thus favouring an increased volume of free gas and the adsorption of gases in shale reservoirs, and they increase the specific surface area of gas-bearing shales which improves the adsorption capacity. We discuss the characteristics and dominant factors of fracture development in a continental organic matter-rich shale reservoir bed in the Yanchang Formation based on observations and descriptions of fracture systems in outcrops, drilling cores, cast-thin sections and polished sections of black shale from the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the SE Ordos Basin; detailed characteristics and parameters of fractures; analyses and tests of corresponding fracture segment samples; and the identification of fracture segments with normal logging. The results indicate that the mineral composition of the continental organic-matter-rich shale in the Yanchang Formation is clearly characterized by a low brittle mineral content and high clay mineral content relative to marine shale in the United States and China and Mesozoic continental shale in other basins. The total content of brittle minerals, such as quartz and feldspar, is c. 41%, with quartz and feldspar accounting for 22% and 19% respectively, and mainly occurring as plagioclase with small amounts of carbonate rocks. The total content of clay minerals is high at up to 52%, and mainly occurs as a mixed layer of illite-smectite (I/S) which accounts for more than 58% of the total clay mineral content. The Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation developed two groups of fracture (joint) systems: a NW–SE-trending system and near-E–W-trending system. Multiple types of fractures are observed, and they are mainly horizontal bedding seams and low-dip-angle structural fractures. Micro-fractures are primarily observed in or along organic matter bands. Shale fractures were mainly formed during Late Jurassic – late Early Cretaceous time under superimposed stress caused by regional WNW–ESE-trending horizontal compressive stress and deep burial effects. The extent of fracture development was mainly influenced by multiple factors (tectonic factors and non-tectonic factors) such as the lithology, rock mechanical properties, organic matter abundance and brittle mineral composition and content. Specifically, higher sand content has been observed to correspond to more rapid lithological changes and more extensive fracture development. In addition, higher organic matter content has been observed to correspond to greater fracture development, and higher quartz, feldspar and mixed-layer I/S contents have been observed to correspond to more extensive micro-fracture development. These results are consistent with the measured mechanical properties of the shale and silty shale, the observations of fractures in cores and thin-sections from more than 20 shale-gas drilling wells, and the registered anomalies from gas logging.

Lower order faults (LOFs) are characterized by small‐scale, strong concealment and difficult to identify in seismic data, which affects the accuracy of LOF interpretation. Due to the quality of the seismic data in the M35 fault block of the Gaoyou sag, Subei basin, the direction of the LOFs cannot be accurately identified, leading to the unclear relationship between the injection and production wells in the local oil fields and affecting the development of the remaining oil. In this paper, the formation mechanism of LOFs in the M35 fault block is determined from analysis of the fault activity and tectonic evolution, and a finite element geomechanical model is established to simulate the paleostress field during the formation of the LOFs. Based on the relationship between the areal density of LOFs and the stress parameters, the regions of LOF development are predicted by the minimum principal stress, the maximum and minimum principal stress difference (Δσ), normal stress (σ_n), and the strain energy density; the shear stresses are used to predict the dip direction of the LOFs. Through the coordinate system transformation of the principal stress directions, the strikes of the LOFs are quantitatively predicted. Finally, the reliability of the prediction results is verified by the latest structural map of the M35 fault block. The method proposed in this paper can be widely applied to the quantitative prediction of multiple parameters of LOFs in complex fault blocks.

Organic-rich marine shale in South China has great potential for gas generation, and the pore structure has a considerable influence on the enrichment of shale gas. The nanoscale pore characteristics and fractal characteristics of the Niutitang shales in the Fenggang block were studied by means of methane adsorption and low-pressure nitrogen adsorption experiments, porosity and permeability tests, X-ray diffraction analyses, organic geochemical analyses, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The fractal geometry of the pore structure was assessed, and the factors influencing the pore structure were determined. We used a fractal Frenkel–Halsey–Hill-based method to obtain the fractal dimensions D1 and D2 by nitrogen adsorption at relative pressures of 0–0.5 and 0.5–1, respectively. The relationships between the shale pore structure parameters and the fractal dimensions, the mineral composition, the total organic carbon content, and the pore structure parameters of shale are discussed. In addition, the significance of D1 and D2 and the implications of the fractal dimension for the adsorption capacity of shale are investigated. The results show that the two fractal dimensions are positively correlated with total organic carbon content and specific surface area, negatively correlated with quartz content and average pore diameter, but have a weak relationship with clay mineral content and total pore volume. The Niutitang shale samples are dominated by mesopores, and the pore structure is complicated. The results presented here indicate that fractal analyses represent an effective method of characterizing the complexity of pore structure.