Development of fractures in carbonate rocks under the influence of strike-slip faults in Bachu area, Xinjiang, China

The development of fractures under the influence of strike-slip faults is an important aspect of quantitative study on structural fractures in the carbonate rock area, and it is important for reserve prediction of fractured carbonate oil & gas reservoir. Based on the statistical analysis of the relationship between the fracture density and the distance of measuring spots away from strike-slip faults, the fracture density can be controlled by two types of strike-slip faults (i.e., Piqiang tense-shearing strike-slip fault and Xiker compressive-torsional strike-slip fault). The exponential relationship between the two parameters is discovered in this research, which is that the fracture density decreases exponentially with the increase of the distance. Thus the zone called "facture zone controlled by faults" is developed, in which the fracture density decrease rapidly. The other zone is called "fracture zone controlled by region" that the fracture density varies slightly. The ratio of the zone width to fault throw of the tense-shearing fault is different from the compressive-torsional fault. The former is only one tenth of the latter. It shows that the compressive-torsional strike-slip fault is more beneficial to the structural fracture development than the tense-shearing fault.