Since May 2015, field research has been conducted on the two boreholes being drilled in the Qaidam Basin in northwestern China in line with the 2015 work plan of “the Project on the Basic Geological Survey of Oil and Gas in the Qaidam Basin and its Peripheral Areas” undertaken by the Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS).

With its own scientific drilling yet to be started, the project research team has reached an agreement with the Qinghai Bureau of Coal Geology to jointly conduct field research on the two boreholes being drilled in the Qaidam Basin by the local agency. The fieldwork includes in-situ gas content analysis, anelastic strain recovery (ASR) geostress measurement, lithology logging etc.

A temporary working station for gas content analysis and geostress observation has been established. While tackling such environmental difficulties as high attitudes, big differences between day and night temperatures, as well as dry and dusty weather, the project team has persisted in real-time data recording and on-site data analysis. It is the first time to conduct the geostress measurement of anelastic strain recovery in the area.

The geological survey of oil and gas in the Qaidam Basin and its peripheral areas is being pressed ahead by the research team from the Institute of Geomechanics by using multidisciplinary approaches, closely combining “temperature field”, “pressure field”, “stress field” and “underground fluid field” with the research on accumulation process of oil and gas.