KEY FACTORS IN SHALE GAS ACCUMULATION

In order to identify the main controlling factors in shale gas accumulation,this paper made a review on the conditions for shale gas accumulation with the data from both at home and abroad. Stable tectonic environments provide the accommodation space for deposition of mudstone and shale and laid the material foundation for shale gas accumulation;Continuous sedimentation offers the thermodynamic condition for mudstone and shale to generate heat and hydrocarbon;Relatively weak tectonic uplifting is favorable for the preservation of shale gas. Therefore,stable tectonic environments may be the key factor to shale gas accumulation. The comparing of the buried history of the Paleozoic argillutite between Sichuan Basin and Erdos Basin with reference to the Barnett shale in the Fort Worth Basin of the US. it is inferred that conditions of shale gas accumulation in Erdos Basin maybe is better than those in Sichuan basin, and may be a better target for commercial exploration.