New study reveals potential for increased petroleum exploration in China's foreland basins.
Foreland basins in central and western China are important for finding oil. There are four types of these basins: presenile, reconstructed, regenerated, and superimposed. Each type has different rocks that hold oil, rocks that hold water, and rocks that stop oil from leaking. The temperature of the rocks changes over time in these basins. The movement of the land in the past affects how hot the rocks get in some basins.