Tectonic Evolution and Petroleum Systems in the Junggar Basin

Abstract  The Junggar basin is located in the northern part of Xinjiang of China. It is part of the Kazakstan plate, surrounded by the Paleozoic folded mountains: the Halaart, Zayier and Chepaizi Mountains in the northwest, the Qingelidi and Karamaili Mountains in the northeast, and the Tianshan Mountains in the south. In different evolution stages, the basin's types are different, and the stratigraphy and deposition are also different. From the Carboniferous to Tertiary the basin has in turn gone through rift basin, collision foreland basin, intraplate depression basin and regenerated foreland basin. Based on an analysis of thermal evolution history and buried history of the source rocks, three major periods of oil generation are found in the basin. According to the characteristics of source rock distribution, evolution, oil‐source correlation, structure and multi‐phase and mixed pools, the Junggar basin could be divided into 4 composite petroleum systems. Due to the variation in sedimentary facies, difference in structural patterns and development histories, the petroleum pool‐forming conditions in different areas and horizons are greatly different, so are the petroleum pool types, the accumulation mechanisms in different areas and horizons.