Shale gas exploration in the Shixi block, Guizhou, faces significant challenges due to complex geological structures and normal pressure. To reduce exploration risk, we propose an integrated “Four-in-One” evaluation workflow that combines geological sweet spots, engineering feasibility, preservation conditions, and paleogeomorphology. The workflow features a ‘cap-constraint’ velocity model to reduce structural uncertainty and a tiered multi-scale discontinuity detection strategy for low-SNR seismic data. Application of this workflow in the Shixi block delineated two Class I favorable zones (42.61 km2) with estimated resources of 8.33 billion cubic meters. Drilling results from 56 horizontal wells validate the accuracy of our prediction model, confirming that preservation condition is the primary controlling factor for gas accumulation in this normally pressured setting. This study provides a practical reference for shale gas assessment in structurally complex, normally pressured regions.
Tang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.