Prediction of favorable petroleum exploration areas based on the analysis of depression–fault transformation in the Linhe Depression, Hetao Basin, China

Prediction of favorable petroleum exploration areas based on the analysis of depression–fault transformation in the Linhe Depression, Hetao Basin, China | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Prediction of favorable petroleum exploration areas based on the analysis of depression–fault transformation in the Linhe Depression, Hetao Basin, China Zeyang Xu, Zhen Liu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6898814/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Hetao Basin is a Meso-Cenozoic petroleum basin in the Midwestern China. The Linhe Depression has yielded significant oil discoveries in recent years, which developed from the change in understanding of the basin evolution. Based on the analysis of the regional stress field, unconformity surface characteristics, structural style, and formation filling characteristics, the tectonic environments of the Linhe Depression in different periods and their lateral differences were restored. Combined with the thermal simulation of source rocks, oil-source comparison, and the determination of the charging period, the influence of structural environment changes on resource potential was discussed. The results show that the Meso-Cenozoic tectonic environment of the Linhe Depression had undergone a process of transformation from depression type to fault type, resulting in differential superposition of source rocks, oil accumulation near the source, and oil accumulation in the relatively uplifted zone. Two favorable exploration zones and one prospective exploration zone are predicted. The determination of the Linhe Depression evolution broke through the early understanding that the tectonic environment of the Hetao Basin was always as a faulted depression, redefined the distribution of the main source rocks, and provided a theoretical basis for the expansion of the exploration scope and the determination of the next exploration direction. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences/Geology Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences/Sedimentology Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences/Tectonics Hetao Basin basin evolution tectonic environment late oil accumulation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6898814","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":473236495,"identity":"afcc308c-5acc-4fa8-956d-f8f524aa4594","order_by":0,"name":"Zeyang Xu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDADfijN2EC0FskGkrUYHCBWi8GN9IePeWru2G2+kf5MmofBRnbDAeZnD/C6Z0ZCsjHPsWfJ286cMQNqSTPecIDN3ACfFn6JhGPSPGyHk82O97ABtRxO3HCAh00CnxY2icT23zz/DicbN7ODHPafsBZ+iWQ2Zt62w3YG7A0ghx0grEWy5xmz5Ny+wwkSZ84YW84xSDaeeZjNDK8Wg+PpDz+8+XbYnn9G+sMbbyrsZPuONz/DqwUEmHgYGBIbGBhYJBhAQcVMSD0QMP5gYLAHqf1AhOJRMApGwSgYgQAABL1HX0RMEcgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Xi’an Shiyou University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zeyang","middleName":"","lastName":"Xu","suffix":""},{"id":473236496,"identity":"53592655-46c7-4c03-af4e-c4c1e608676f","order_by":1,"name":"Zhen Liu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Petroleum","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhen","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-15 14:23:14","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6898814/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6898814/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102205585,"identity":"c8cda361-64fa-4e47-b3b0-587502ff6d38","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-09 11:43:04","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2122598,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MainManuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6898814/v1_covered_e3211fcc-1bd9-4dfb-af69-74e5be9ba5a2.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Prediction of favorable petroleum exploration areas based on the analysis of depression–fault transformation in the Linhe Depression, Hetao Basin, China","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Hetao Basin, basin evolution, tectonic environment, late oil accumulation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6898814/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6898814/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe Hetao Basin is a Meso-Cenozoic petroleum basin in the Midwestern China. The Linhe Depression has yielded significant oil discoveries in recent years, which developed from the change in understanding of the basin evolution. Based on the analysis of the regional stress field, unconformity surface characteristics, structural style, and formation filling characteristics, the tectonic environments of the Linhe Depression in different periods and their lateral differences were restored. Combined with the thermal simulation of source rocks, oil-source comparison, and the determination of the charging period, the influence of structural environment changes on resource potential was discussed. The results show that the Meso-Cenozoic tectonic environment of the Linhe Depression had undergone a process of transformation from depression type to fault type, resulting in differential superposition of source rocks, oil accumulation near the source, and oil accumulation in the relatively uplifted zone. Two favorable exploration zones and one prospective exploration zone are predicted. The determination of the Linhe Depression evolution broke through the early understanding that the tectonic environment of the Hetao Basin was always as a faulted depression, redefined the distribution of the main source rocks, and provided a theoretical basis for the expansion of the exploration scope and the determination of the next exploration direction.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Prediction of favorable petroleum exploration areas based on the analysis of depression–fault transformation in the Linhe Depression, Hetao Basin, China","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-19 09:03:22","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6898814/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"fabb5875-9adf-4954-85b2-95b85e4b1c19","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 19th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":50259256,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences/Geology"},{"id":50259257,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences/Sedimentology"},{"id":50259258,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences/Tectonics"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-09T11:41:25+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-19 09:03:22","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6898814","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6898814","identity":"rs-6898814","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}