Quantitative seismic prediction of shale gas sweet spots in marine-continental transitional facies: a case study of the Shanxi Formation in the Daning—Jixian Block, Ordos Basin

Yong WU, XuXu WANG, YongZhou LI, Lu ZHOU, ShuXin LI, WeiLin ZHANG

Prog Geophy ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4) : 1743-1759.

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Prog Geophy ›› 2026, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4) : 1743-1759. DOI: 10.6038/pg2026JJ0364

Quantitative seismic prediction of shale gas sweet spots in marine-continental transitional facies: a case study of the Shanxi Formation in the Daning—Jixian Block, Ordos Basin

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Abstract

Shale gas resources in marine-continental transitional facies are abundant, and exploration practices have shown that they possess promising prospects for exploration and development. However, complex geological conditions of shale strata in marine-continental transitional facies—such as complicated lithologic combinations, rapid lateral variations, and significant differences in gas content—have restricted the efficient and large-scale development of shale gas. Thus, there is an urgent need to carry out work on shale gas sweet spot prediction and parameter evaluation for target area selection. Taking the typical marine-continental transitional facies shale gas in the Shan23 sub-member of the Shanxi Formation in the Daning—Jixian Block on the eastern margin Ordos Basin as an example, this study first selects the key evaluation parameters for shale gas sweet spots and conducts logging quantitative characterization of each parameter. On the basis of petrophysical analysis, it applies pre-stack simultaneous inversion and facies-controlled waveform indication simulation seismic prediction methods to realize the spatial prediction of key evaluation parameters, and uses the fuzzy optimization evaluation method to achieve the quantitative prediction of shale gas sweet spots. Results show that: based on the basic geological characteristics of shale strata in transitional facies, key evaluation parameters for shale gas sweet spots were selected, including shale thickness, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), porosity, total gas content, and brittleness index. On the basis of the effective seismic prediction of each parameter, a classified evaluation system for sweet spots was established through fuzzy optimization evaluation, and three types of shale gas sweet spots were identified. Overall, the sweet spots in the lower section are superior to those in the upper section. Combined with the results of production testing, the reliability of the sweet spots prediction results was verified. The research method provides a significant reference for the exploration and development of marine-continental transitional facies shale gas in the study area and other areas under similar geological conditions.

Key words

Eastern margin of Ordos Basin / Shanxi Formation / Seismic prediction of sweet spots / Marine-continental transitional facies / Shale gas

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Yong WU , XuXu WANG , YongZhou LI , et al . Quantitative seismic prediction of shale gas sweet spots in marine-continental transitional facies: a case study of the Shanxi Formation in the Daning—Jixian Block, Ordos Basin[J]. Progress in Geophysics. 2026, 41(4): 1743-1759 https://doi.org/10.6038/pg2026JJ0364

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