简介：Inorganic-richgasshales,claymineralsandorganicmatter(OM)havesignificantinfluencesontheorigin,preservation,andproductionofshalegas.Becauseofthesubstantialroleofnanoscaleporesinthegeneration,storage,andseepageofshalegas,weexaminedtheeffectsofclaymineralsandOMonnanoscaleporedistributioncharacteristicsinLowerPaleozoicshalegasreservoirs.UsingtheNiutitangandLongmaxishalesasexamples,wedeterminedtheeffectsofclaymineralsandOMonporesthroughsedimentationexperiments.Fieldemission–scanningelectronmicroscopycombinedwithlow-pressureN2adsorptionofthesamplesbeforeandaftersedimentationshowedsignificantdifferencesinporelocationandporesizedistributionbetweentheNiutitangandLongmaxishales.NanoscaleporesmostlyexistedinOMintheLongmaxishaleandinclaymineralsorOM–claycompositesintheNiutitangshale.Thedistributiondifferenceswereattributedlargelytovariabilityinthermalevolutionandtectonicdevelopmentandmightaccountforthedifferenceingas-bearingcapacitybetweentheNiutitangandLongmaxireservoirs.Inthenanoscalerange,mesoporesaccountedfor61–76%oftotalnanoscaleporevolume.ConsiderablydevelopednanoscaleporesinOMweredistributedinabroadsizerangeintheLongmaxishale,whichledtogoodporeconnectivityandgasproduction.Numerousnarrowpores(i.e.,pores\20nm)inOM–claycompositeswerefoundintheNiutitangshale,andmightaccountforthisshale’spoorporeconnectivityandlowgasproductionefficiency.Enhancingtheconnectivityofthemesopores(especiallypores\20nmandthosedevelopedinOM–claycomposites)mightbethekeytoimprovingdevelopmentoftheNiutitangshale.ThefindingsprovidenewinsightintotheformationandevolutionarymechanismofnanoscaleporesdevelopedinOMandclayminerals.