Hydrocarbons in terrestrial shale are prospective unconventional resources, which have not yet been successfully produced worldwide despite strong interest. The unique microscopic characteristics of terrestrial shale and their implications for oil and gas development are demonstrated. Ultra-high-resolution imaging is performed based on a state-of-the-art focused ion beam and helium ion microscope (FIB/HIM) system. The results reveal that the nanopore structure and connectivity in terrestrial shale possess significant anisotropy and heterogeneity. Terrestrial shale presents much less micro- and mesopores than does successfully developed marine shale, which is the primary reason for the extremely low permeability in the former. Quasi-static indentation and modulus mapping based on a nanoindenter find significant modulus reduction due to water imbibition, which provides direct microscopic evidence for the ineffectiveness of hydraulic fracturing in terrestrial shale. The resources in terrestrial shale have the potential to be profitably developed. However, unfavorable factors, including high clay content, extremely low permeability, significant heterogeneity, strong anisotropy, and high water sensitivity, can lead to technical challenges for reservoir stimulation, which may be solved promisingly by waterless or water-free fracturing.

陆地页岩中的碳氢化合物是潜在的非常规资源，尽管受到了广泛关注，但尚未在全球成功生产。证实了陆相页岩的独特微观特征及其对油气开发的影响。基于最先进的聚焦离子束和氦离子显微镜（FIB / HIM）系统执行超高分辨率成像。结果表明，陆相页岩的纳米孔结构和连通性具有明显的各向异性和非均质性。与成功开发的海相页岩相比，陆相页岩的微孔和中孔要少得多，这是前者渗透率极低的主要原因。基于纳米压头的准静态压痕和模量分布图发现，由于吸水，模量显着降低，这为陆相页岩水力压裂的无效性提供了直接的微观证据。陆相页岩的资源有可能被有利地开发。但是，不利因素包括高粘土含量，极低的渗透率，明显的非均质性，强的各向异性和高的水敏感性，可能导致储层增产的技术挑战，可以通过无水或无水压裂来解决。