Nationwide oil and gas geochemical exploration program in China

A new nationwide oil and gas exploration program (NOGEP) was planned. Currently ongoing oil and gas geochemical mapping pilot studies are being conducted in the Songliao Basin. Demonstration basins in pilot studies mainly include Songliao Basin, Sichuan Basin, Tarim Basin, and the Qiangtang Basin. A nationwide oil and gas geochemical exploration that will start in 2016 using two sampling densities of 1/25 km2 and 1/100 km2 were considered. Oil and gas geochemical indicators include acid-released hydrocarbon, headspace gas, soil microorganisms, altered carbonates of soil, fluorescence, soil heat-released mercury, iodine and stable carbon isotopes of methane. In the nationwide oil and gas geochemical program, oil and gas basins with areas greater than 1 × 104 km2 will be covered rapidly at a low sampling density to provide an evaluation of oil and gas potential at basin and region scales. Abnormalities indicative of oil and gas will be screened utilizing geological, seismic, and other data, allowing exploration targets to be selected for discovering large- and medium-sized oil and gas fields.