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Diagenesis of mudrocks and concretions from the London Clay Formation in the London Basin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2018

J. M. Huggett
J. M. Huggett*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, SW7 2BP, UK
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Abstract

The suite of London Clay mudrock samples may be sub-divided into three lithofacies: laminated silty claystone, partially bioturbated silty claystone, and partially bioturbated claystone. Mineralogically the mudrocks show little bulk variation, but considerable differences in the suites of trace cements which characterize each sample. The concretions also show a range of cement types, even within a single concretion. Preservation of uncompacted burrows and minus cement porosities (MCP) indicate that the concretions formed during early diagenesis. These data have been used to constrain the timing of authigenic mineral formation in both the mudrocks and concretions. Petrographic study of the concretions has revealed that there are significant errors involved in the use of MCP for estimation of depth of formation, which make it of qualitative rather than quantitative use. Stable isotope and chemical data suggest concretion formation occurred towards the base of the sulphate reduction zone and in the methane oxidation zone.

Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , October 1994 , pp. 693 - 707
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1994

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