Call for papers: Global enrichment mechanisms of shale oil and gas: processes, models and applications

Applied Earth Science is curating a special issue examining shale oil and gas, advancing global insights into resource formation and development

Submission Deadline: 30th September 2026

Background and Significance

With the growing strategic importance of unconventional hydrocarbons on a global scale, shale oil and gas resources, which characterised by their low porosity, low permeability, and complex geological settings, and have become a central focus of exploration and development efforts worldwide. In recent years, countries such as China have accelerated the shift from resource assessment to scaled, high-quality production. For example, in 2024 alone, China reported record-breaking outputs of 5.38 million tonnes of shale oil and 27.2 billion cubic meters of shale gas. High productivity has been consistently maintained in key basins such as the Sichuan, Ordos, and Songliao basins, demonstrating significant advances in shale petroleum geology and reservoir stimulation technologies.

Globally, diverse geological settings—from the deep marine shale gas systems of the Sichuan Basin in China and the Marcellus Shale in the United States, to the lacustrine shale oil systems of the Songliao Basin in China and the hybrid plays of Canada's Montney Formation—highlight distinct, region-specific enrichment patterns. Advances in technologies including multistage hydraulic fracturing in long lateral wells, advanced geosteering, integrated seismic–geochemical prediction, and intelligent fracturing monitoring have validated the technical and economic viability of developing deep (>3500 m) and ultra-deep shale reservoirs. Furthermore, the integration of digital, intelligent, and low-carbon approaches across the shale development lifecycle supports the global transition toward a secure, efficient, and sustainable energy system.

Despite these achievements, several scientific and technical challenges persist. There remains considerable variability in productivity, even within the same basin or shale interval, suggesting that the mechanisms governing high versus low productivity are not yet fully understood. In deep shale systems, the coupled geo-engineering processes under high stress, temperature, and pressure conditions, such as the evolution of fracture–pore networks and fluid flow behavior, still lack systematic models. Additionally, the dual goals of enhancing recovery efficiency and achieving a low-carbon transition require innovative, smart, and cost-effective development systems that can simultaneously increase per-well productivity and reduce environmental impacts.

Shale enrichment results from the multi-factor interplay of depositional systems, tectonic evolution, hydrocarbon generation–migration–preservation dynamics, natural fracture networks, petrophysical properties, and shale–adjacent-layer interactions. Understanding these multi-scale, multi-stage enrichment mechanisms is essential for mitigating exploration risks, improving resource assessment accuracy, and guiding efficient and sustainable development of shale resources worldwide.

Applied Earth Science, the journal of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), published by Sage in association with the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), invites submissions for a forthcoming special issue that adopts a global perspective to investigate the enrichment mechanisms of shale oil and gas. By integrating geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and engineering data, it aims to explore the formation, preservation, and development potential of shale resources across different regions. This issue will provide an international academic platform to foster convergence among theoretical advances, methodological innovations, and engineering practices in shale resource development.

Scope

We welcome original research articles, reviews, methodological papers, and case studies. Topics include but are not limited to:

• Shale oil and gas enrichment processes and models: integrated depositional–tectonic–organic–reservoir mechanisms.
• Comparative studies of enrichment across key basins.
• Organic matter enrichment, hydrocarbon generation and evolution, and generation–migration–preservation systems.
• Petrophysics, pore/fracture architecture, fluid pathways, and their controls on enrichment.
• Micro-scale pore–mineral–organic interactions and occurrence states.
• Structural controls, including tectonic fractures, on shale hydrocarbon enrichment.
• Shale–adjacent-layer (source–reservoir–seal system) interactions and enrichment effects.
• Exploration/evaluation technologies and multi-data fusion (e.g., seismic imaging, micro-logging, geochemistry, machine learning).
• Sweet-spot identification, enrichment zoning, and exploration strategies.
• Coupling between engineering development and reservoir behavior.
• Evaluation of other unconventional reservoirs in China (tight sandstone, carbonates, gas hydrates, etc.).

We cordially invite scholars in geology, petroleum engineering, and unconventional resources to contribute. By assembling frontier research and best practices, this special issue aims to advance theoretical innovation, methodological breakthroughs, and exploration and development applications, thereby supporting the responsible development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources.

Editors

Dr. Hu Li, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering

Email: lihu860628@126.com; lihu@suse.edu.cn 

Dr. Jingshou Liu, China University of Geosciences

Email: liujingshou@cug.edu.cn 

Submission Instructions

Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with Applied Earth Science's author guidelines and submitted via the journal’s online submission system. During submission, select the Special Issue title: “Global Enrichment Mechanisms” Indicate in the cover letter how the manuscript fits the Special Issue scope.