Hydrocarbon dominant migration direction and accumulation mode in Qijiang area, Sichuan Basin, China

The high‐quality hydrocarbon source rocks developed in the Longtan Formation of the Qijiang area and the good reservoir capacity of the overlying dolomite of the Jialingjiang Formation indicate that the area has great exploration potential. To clarify the hydrocarbon migration and accumulation characteristics of the area, the fluid potential of the Longtan Formation in the Qijiang area in the Early Jurassic was determined. The direction of the maximum negative gradient of the fluid potential indicates the direction of the primary migration of hydrocarbons, and the structural ridge theory is used to analyse the direction of the secondary migration of hydrocarbons. The results show that the fluid potential of the hydrocarbon source rocks of the Longtan Formation in the Early Jurassic is characterized by the alternate distribution of high potential zones and low‐potential zones. The central syncline, eastern syncline and western syncline are drainage zones and high potential zones, while the Shiyougou structural belt and Fo'er Ya structural belt are supply zones and low‐potential zones. The oil and gas fluids migrate from the east–west direction to the anticlinal zone for the primary migration; the structural ridge controls the secondary migration of oil and gas in the low‐potential area along the north–south direction, resulting in a zonal distribution of oil and gas traps along the structural ridge. By combining fluid potential and structural ridge characteristics to determine the dominant direction of primary and secondary hydrocarbon migration, a model of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in the Qijiang area is developed, which provides an important basis for finding hydrocarbon reservoirs.