Key issues and development direction of petroleum geology research of source rock strata in China

After more than 20 years of technological advancements, the novel field of oil and gas production from source rock strata, which comprise tight and shale oil and gas reservoirs, has become the major contributor to the increase in unconventional oil and gas reserves in China. Accordingly, this field has gradually entered a new stage of revolutionary development. The oil and gas production in China from source rock strata will achieve sustainable development in the future. Different types of source rock strata present distinct challenges and require diverse development paths. Based on the geological conditions of source rock strata in China, this study focuses on identifying the “sweet areas” among hydrocarbon accumulations. It specifically analyzes the key development issues of tight oil, tight gas, shale oil, shale gas, and coal-bed methane, while proposing potential solutions and identifying the possible directions for future development. This study aims to provide a reference for scientists concerned with the development of unconventional oil and gas reserves in China. Cited as :  Li, J., Yang, Z., Wu, S., Pan, S. Key issues and development direction of petroleum geology research on source rock strata in China. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2021, 5(2): 121-126, doi: 10.46690/ager.2021.02.02