Nearly 70 years after shale oil was first investigated, 'self-souring' has come to be widely regarded as a fundamental characteristic of shale oil. Recently, as exploration of shale oil has deepened, the concept of micro-migration—a process linking hydrocarbon generation, expulsion, and enrichment—has been discovered and confirmed. However, the pronounced heterogeneity within shale makes it challenging to focus on more than just quantitative analyses of micro-migration. Consequently, quantitative evaluations and understanding the mechanisms of oil micro-migration within shaly strata remain difficult. Shale oil micro-migration has emerged as a critical scientific concern in petroleum geology, encompassing the identification, evaluation, and understanding of driving and resisting forces, as well as phase behaviors. Addressing these issues will undoubtedly enhance our understanding of differential enrichment models in shale oil and improve the efficiency of its exploration and development.

This Research Topic aims to present geological evidence, experimental data, and theoretical insights regarding the direction, distance, identification, evaluation, driving forces, resisting forces, and phase behaviors of oil micro-migration in shaly strata. Based on geological analysis, statistical analysis, physical simulation, and numerical simulation, the focus of this topic is to showcase and synthesize innovative theories and technological advancements in shale oil micro-migration and their implications.

This Research Topic encourages authors to submit original and novel studies to improve our understanding of shale oil micro-migration and its effect on shale oil differential enrichment. We welcome both original research and review papers. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Geological and geochemical characterization of the shale oil system;
• New technological advances in characterizing shale oil micro-migration;
• Shale oil micro-migration quantity evaluation;
• Shale oil micro-migration forces;
• Shale oil micro-migration phase behavior;
• Nano confinement effects on shale oil micro-migration;
• Shale oil differential enrichment models.

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Shale Oil Micro-Migration and Its Effect on Shale Oil Differential Enrichment