Diagenesis and Reservoir Evolution Model of the Ediacaran Dengying Formation in the Sichuan Basin: Evidence from Laser Ablation U-Pb Dating and In Situ Isotope Analysis

The microbial dolomite of the Ediacaran Dengying Fm., Sichuan Basin, SW China is endowed with abundant oil and gas resources. A complex diagenetic history greatly complicates the development of such microbial dolomite reservoirs, and has severely restrained hydrocarbon exploration. This study focused on key field profiles in Eastern Sichuan and aimed to decipher the origin and evolution of dolomites, using novel techniques, including elemental mapping, laser ablation U-Pb dating as well as carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope analyses. Additionally, we compared the diagenesis and reservoir development model for the Dengying microbial dolomites of the Central Sichuan to other areas, with the aim to provide practical guidance for oil and gas exploration across the entire Sichuan Basin. Our results have shown that the Ediacaran microbial dolomite in Eastern Sichuan experienced four stages of diagenetic modification–specifically: (1) syn-sedimentary dolomitization; (2) penecontemporaneous cementation of fibrous dolomite cement; (3) bladed dolomite and brown-dark very fine crystalline dolomite cementation during the Ordovician; and (4) fine crystalline dolomite and medium-coarse crystalline dolomite cementation during the Silurian-Devonian. Petrology and geochemistry data imply that each diagenetic phase of dolomitization was mainly sourced from marine-dominated fluids. The influence of tectonically related fluids was rarely noted. Significantly, U-Pb ages of these dolomites reveal that the history of dolomite infill to pores within the Eastern Sichuan Basin clearly post-dated that in the Central Sichuan region, resulting in high porosities (6%–11%) that favored hydrocarbon accumulation. This study suggests that the platform margin at the eastern edge of the Xuanhan-Kaijiang paleo-uplift is favorable as the next key exploration target for microbial dolomites in the Sichuan Basin.