Discovery of the Shenglihe -Changsheshan oil shale belt in the Qiangtang basin, northern Tibet, China and its significance

Recently, a new oil shale and gypsum salt belt was discovered in the Changshe Mountain area, northern Tibet, china. This belt, combined with previous oil shale belt found in the Shengli River area, represents a large marine oil shale resource in China. Detailed geologic survey and study indicates that oil shales from these areas are characterized by mature organic matters with high organic carbon content (4.31%~16.89%) and moderate tar content (3.5%～16.3%). The discovery of oil shale and gypsum salt belt adds a new hydrocarbon type in the Qiangtang basin as well as proposes new evidences for assessing petroleum geological conditions in this basin.