To realize the shift of oil and gas exploration from shallow-middle to deep strata, and from conventional to unconventional resources, and then to promote the exploration of deep oil and gas resources in the Turpan-Hami exploration area, the tectonic-lithofacies palaeogeographical evolution of Turpan-Hami basin, Santanghu basin, and Zhundong block of Junggar basin were analyzed, the characteristics and exploration potential of the petroleum systems in these basins were evaluated, the main exploration targets were determined, and the fields for strategic breakthrough were selected. In the Carboniferous-Permian period, the Turpan-Hami exploration area was a unified sedimentary basin with similar sedimentary environments and structures. In the Triassic-Jurassic period, the study area was separated into several independent foreland basins. With the tectonic-lithofacies palaeogeographical evolution, three sets of source rocks (marine-transitional facies of Carboniferous, lacustrine facies of Permian, and lacustrine-coal measure of Jurassic) were formed, contributing to three major petroleum systems. The change in exploration ideas has promoted significant progress in petroleum exploration in deep strata. Significant breakthroughs have been made in the exploration of Shiqiantan formation marine clastic oil and gas reservoirs, Permian shale oil reservoirs and conventional sandstone oil reservoirs in the Zhundong block, and the Middle-Lower Jurassic large-scale tight sandstone gas reservoirs in the Turpan-Hami basin, which enables the discovery of large-scale high-quality reserves and the orderly succession of strategic resources. Future exploration should be carried out at three levels: strategic preparation, strategic breakthrough, and strategic implementation, with a focus on 10 favorable directions.
