Synergistic Evolution of Palaeoenvironment—Bionts and Hydrocarbon Generation of Permian Saline Lacustrine Source Rocks in Jimusar Sag, Junggar Basin

This study focused on Middle Permian Lucaogou Formation saline lake source rocks, utilizing a combination of biomarkers and hydrocarbon generation thermal simulation to analyze their biological compositions, depositional environments, and hydrocarbon generation potential. The Pr/Ph ratio, Ph/ n C 18 ratio, and Pr/ n C 17 ratio indicate that the Lucaogou Formation was in a reducing environment during the deposition period, and the lower part of the Lucaogou Formation (P 2 l 1 ) is more anoxic than the upper part of the Lucaogou Formation (P 2 l 2 ). The maturity index 20S (%) and ββ (%) reflect that the maturity of organic matter in the P 2 l 1 is slightly higher than that in the P 2 l 2 . The G/H index and the ETR index indicate that the stratification of the water column is better during the sedimentary period of Lucaogou Formation and the salinity of the P 2 l 1 is higher than that of the P 2 l 2 . The biomarker parameters of n C 21− / n C 22+ , CPI, S/H, and C 22 T/C 21 T reflect that the organic matter of the source rocks have a higher abundance of bacteria and algae than higher plants, and the contents of bacteria are more than that of algae. The (7- + 8-MMAs)/C max and (C 28 + C 29 − St)/St parameters indicate that cyanobacteria accounted for a certain proportion of bacteria, and the algae are mainly green algae. The co-evolution of the sedimentary environment and the biological composition reflects the control of the sedimentary paleoenvironment on biological composition. According to the relative content of cyanobacteria, green algae, and Rhodophyta, the source rocks of the upper and lower Lucaogou Formation correspond to the low-salinity type (LS-type) and the high-salinity type (HS-type), respectively. Compared with LS-type source rocks, HS-type source rocks have greater generation potential of oil and weaker gas generation potential. This study is valuable for the accurate assessment of source rocks and holds significant practical implications for the exploration of oil and gas resources.