Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-m9pkr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-10T13:24:15.743Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Clay diagenesis in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, onshore UK, and its relation to organic maturation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

Iain C. Scotchman
Iain C. Scotchman*
Affiliation:
Dept. of Geology, Beaumont Building, University of Sheffield, Brookhill, Sheffield
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Conversion of randomly ordered illite-smectite to ordered illite-smectite in the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation from the North Sea has been recorded in the literature as occurring within the ‘oil window’ and has been suggested as an indicator of oil source rock maturity. Studies of authigenic clay minerals in the fine fraction (>0.5 µm) of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation mudstones from fourteen locations along the UK onshore outcrop between Dorset and North Yorkshire show that they comprise mainly ordered illite-smectites. The onshore Kimmeridge Clay section is organically immature, suggesting that the illite-smectite ordering reaction cannot be extrapolated between basins as an inorganic indicator of ‘oil window’ levels of maturity. These results also have important implications in source rock hydrocarbon expulsion and migration models which involve shale dewatering as a flushing agent. However, dewatering of shales may aid migration as it could cause fracturing of the shale bands separating the organic-rich layers within the source rock, prior to hydrocarbon generation.

Keywords

clay diagenesisKimmeridge Clay Formationillitesmectiteorganic maturation
Type
Mineralogy and petroleum genesis
Information
Mineralogical Magazine , Volume 51 , Issue 362 , October 1987 , pp. 535 - 551
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

1

Present address: Amoco (UK) Exploration Co, Amoco House, 1 Stephen Street, London W1P 2AU

References

Almon, W.R., Fullerton, L.B. and Davies, D.K. (1976)J. Sediment Petrol. 46, 89-96.Google Scholar
Arkell, W.J. (1947) Geology of the Country around Weymouth, Swanage, Corfe and Lulworth. Mem. Geol. Surv. Great Britain.Google Scholar
Aronson, J.L., and Hower, J. (1976) Bull. Geol. Soc. Am. 87, 738-44.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnard, P.C. and Cooper, B.S. (1981) In Petroleum Geology of the Continental Shelf of N.W. Europe (Illing, L.V. and Hobson, G.D., eds.), Heyden & Son, 169-75.Google Scholar
Barnard, P.C. and Cooper, B.S. (1983) In Petroleum Geochemistry and Exploration of Europe (Brooks, T.J., ed.), Spec. Publ. Geol. Soc. 12, Blackwell Scientific, London, 19–23.Google Scholar
Bjorlykke, K., Dypvik, H. and Finstad, K.G. (1975) In Proceedings of Jurassic Northern North Sea Symposium 1975 (Finstad, K.G. and Selley, R.C., eds.), Norsk Petroleumsforening JNNSS/12,1-20.Google Scholar
Bloomer, J.R., Kuckes, A.F., Oxburgh, E.R. and Richardson, S.W. (1982) In The Winterborne Kingston Borehole, Dorset, England (Rhys, G.H., Lott, G.K. andCalver, M.A., eds.), Rep. Inst. Geol. Sci. No. 81/3,176-83.Google Scholar
Brown, G. (1980) I. Crystal Structures of Clay Minerals and their X-Ray Identification (G. W. Brindley and G. Brown, eds.), Mineralogical Society, 361-410.Google Scholar
Bruce, C.H. (1984) Am. Assoc. Petrol. GeoL Bull. 68, 673-83.Google Scholar
Bucke, D.P. and Mankin, C.J. (1971) J. Sediment. Petrol. 41, 971-81.Google Scholar
Burst, J.F. (1969) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 53, 73-93.Google Scholar
Burtner, R.L. and Warner, M.A. (1983) Ibid. 67,434- 5.Google Scholar
Carstens, H. and Finstad, K.G. (1981) In Petroleum Geology of the Continental Shelf of N. W. Europe (Illing, L.V. andHobson, G.D., eds.), Heyden & Son, 151-61.Google Scholar
Carstens, H. and Karlsson, W. (1980) The Compaction Enigma of North Sea Tertiary Clays and Claystones—-A Petrological Study of two Wells in the Central and Northern North Sea. Saga A/S Report.Google Scholar
Castano, J.R. and Sparks, D.M. (1974) Interpretation of vitrinite reflectance measurements in sedimentary rocks and determination of burial history using vitrinite reflectance and authigenic minerals. Geol. Soc. Am., Special Paper 153, 31-52.Google Scholar
Chadwick, R.A. (1985) In Atlas of Onshore Sedimentary Basins in England and Wales: Post-Carboniferous Tectonics and Stratigraphy (Whittaker, A., ed.), Blackie, London, 49-51.Google Scholar
Colter, V.S. and Harvard, D.J. (1981) In Petroleum Geology of the Continental Shelf of North West Europe (Illing, L.V., Hobson, G.D., eds.), Heyden & Son, 494-503.Google Scholar
Cox, B.M. and Gallois, R.W. (1981) The Stratigraphy of the Kimmeridge Clay of the Dorset Type Area and its Correlation with some other Kimmeridgian Sequences. Rep. Inst. Geol. Sci. 80/4.Google Scholar
Curtis, C.D. (1983a) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 67, 380-4.Google Scholar
Curtis, C.D. (1983b) In Petroleum Geochemistry and Exploration of Europe (Brooks, J., ed.), Spec. Publ. Geol. Soc. Lond. No. 12. Blackwell Scientific, London, 113-25.Google Scholar
Dore, A.G., Vollset, J. and Hamar, G.P. (1985) In Petroleum Geochemistry In Exploration of the Norwegian Shelf (Thomas, B.M. et al., eds.), Graham & Trotman, London, 27-38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dypvik, H. (1983) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 67, 160-5.Google Scholar
Dypvik, H. (1984) Geol. Mag. 121, 489-504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dypvik, H., Rueslatten, H.G. and Throndsen, T. (1979) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 63, 2222-6.Google Scholar
Ebukanson, E.J. and Kinghorn, R.R. F. (1985) J. Petrol. Geol. 8, 435-62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrimond, P., Comet, P., Eglinton, G., Evershed, R.P., Hall, M.A., Park, D.W. and Wardroper, A.M. K. (1984) Mar. Pet. Geol. 1, 340-54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foscolos, A.E. and Powell, T.G. (1979) In Int. Clay Conf. Proc. 1978 (Mortland, M.M. and Farmer, V.C., eds.), Elsevier Developments in Sedimentology 27, 261-70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foscolos, A.E. and Powell, T.G. (1980) In Facts and Principles of World Petroleum Occurrence (Miall, A.D., ed.), Can. Soc. Petrol. Geol. Memoir 6, 153-72.Google Scholar
Foster, W.R. and Custard, H.C. (1983) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 67, 462.Google Scholar
Fuller, J.G. C. M. (1975) In Proceedings of Jurassic Northern North Sea Symposium 1975 (Finstad, K.G. and Selley, R.C., eds.), Norsk Petroleumsforening JNNSS/ll,1-18.Google Scholar
Gallois, R.W. (1973) Bull. Geol. Surv. G.B. No. 44, 63-75.Google Scholar
Gallois, R.W. (1976a) In IGS Boreholes 1975. Rep. Inst. Geol. Sci. 76/10, 22-24.Google Scholar
Gallois, R.W. (1976b) Natur. 259, 473-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallois, R.W. (1978) A Pilot study of Oil Shale Occurrences in the Kimmeridge Clay. Rep. Inst. Geol. Sci. 78/13.Google Scholar
Gallois, R.W. (1979a) Geological Investigations for the Wash Water Storage Scheme. Ibid. 78/19.Google Scholar
Gallois, R.W. (1979b) Oil Shale Resources in Great Britain. Inst. Geol. Sci. Open File Report. 2 Vols.Google Scholar
Gallois, R.W. (1979c) Bull. Geol. Soc. Norfol. 31, 45-68.Google Scholar
Gallois, R.W. and Cox, B.M. (1976) Proc. Yorks. Geol. Soc. 41, 13-26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibbs, R.J. (1977)J. Sediment. Petrol. 47, 237-43. Gorsline, D.S. (1985) Ibid. 55,935-7.Google Scholar
Hallam, A. (1958) The Concept of Jurassic Axes of Uplift. Sci. Prog. No. 183,441-449.Google Scholar
Hallam, A. (1984) Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 12, 205-43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hallam, A. and Sellwood, B.W. (1976) J. Geol. 84, 301-21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hancock, N.J. and Taylor, A.M. (1978) J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 135, 69-72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heling, D. (1974) Sedimentol. 21, 463-72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hemingway, J.E. and Riddler, G.P. (1982) Trans. lnst Min Metall. B91, 175-86.Google Scholar
Heroux, Y., Chagnon, A. andBertrand, R. (1979) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 63, 2128-44.Google Scholar
Howard, J.J. (1980) Ibid. 64,725.Google Scholar
Hower, J., Eslinger, E., Hower, M.E. and Perry, E. (1976) Bull. Geol. Soc. Am. 87, 725-37.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jennings, S. and Thompson, G.R. (1986) J. Sediment. Petrol. 56, 89-98.Google Scholar
Johns, W.D., Grim, R.E. and Bradley, W.F. (1954) Ibid. 24,242-51.Google Scholar
Keller, W.D. (1964) Processes of Origin and Alteration of Clay Minerals. In Soil and Clay Mineralogy. Univ. of North Carolina Press.Google Scholar
Lewan, M.D. (1985) Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A315, 123-34.Google Scholar
Mackenzie, F.T., Schoonmaker, J. and Chang, H. (1983) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 67, 508.Google Scholar
Marie, J.P. P. (1975) In Petroleum and the Continental Shelf of North West Europe. 1. Geology (Woodland, A.W., ed.), Applied Science Publishers, Barking, 205-10.Google Scholar
McCubbin, D.G. and Patton, J.W. (1981) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 65, 956.Google Scholar
McHardy, W.J., Wilson, M.J. and Tait, J.M. (1982) Clay Mineral. 17, 23-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merriman, R.J. and Jeans, C.V. (1979) In Oil Shale Resources in Great Britain (Gallois R.W.), Appendix Inst. Geol. Sci. Open File Rpt. C1-9.Google Scholar
Merriman, R.J. and Jeans, C.V. and Strong, G.E. (1979) I. Geological Investigation for the Wash Water Storage Scheme (Gallois, R.W.), Appendix C. Rep. Inst. Geol. Sci. 78/19, 72-4.Google Scholar
Monnier, F. (1982) J. Earth Sci. 19, 328-42.Google Scholar
Morton, J.P. (1985a) Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 96, 114-22.Google Scholar
Morton, J.P. (1985b) Ibid. 96,1043-9.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, A. (1974) Proc. Yorks. Geol. Soc. 40, 181-90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, M.J.,Watkins, D. and Small, J.S. (1982) In Int. Clay. Conf., Bologna & Pavia, 1981 (Van Olphen,H. andVeniale,F.,eds.),Elsevier. Developments in Sedimentology 35, 665-75.Google Scholar
Pearson, M.J., Watkins, D., Pittion, J.L., Caston, D. and Small, J.S. (1983) In Petroleum Geochemistry and Exploration of Europe (Brooks, J., ed.), Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ. 12, Blackwell, Oxford, 161-73.Google Scholar
Penn, I.E., Cox, B.M. and Gallois, R.W. (1986) J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 143, 381-410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perrin, R.M. S. (1971) The Clay Mineralogy of British Sediments. Mineral. Soc., London, 247 ppGoogle Scholar
Perry, E.A. (1974) Bull. Geol. Soc. Am. 85, 827-30.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, E.A. and Hower, J. (1970) Clays Clay Minerals 18, 165-77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, E.A. and Hower, J. (1972) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 56, 2013-21.Google Scholar
Pevear, D.R. (1983) Ibid. 67, 533.Google Scholar
PoweU, T.G., Foscolos, A.E., Gunther, P.R. and Snowdon, L.R. (1978) Geochim. Cosmochim. Act. 42, 1181-97.Google Scholar
Powers, M.C. (1967) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 51, 1240-54.Google Scholar
Price, L.C. and Barker, C.E. (1985) J. Petrol. Geol. 8, 59-84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramseyer, K. and Boles, J.R. (1986) Clays Clay Mineral. 34, 115-24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reeder, M.L. and Scotchman, I.C. (1985) Oil and GasJ. 83, 12, 137-44.Google Scholar
Reynolds, R.C. and Hower, J. (1970) Clays Clay Mineral. 18, 25-36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richardson, S.W. and Oxburgh, E.R. (1978) J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 135, 323-37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schultz, L.G. (1964) Quantitative interpretation of mineralogical composition from X-ray and chemical data for the Pierre Shale. U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 391-C, 31 ppCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scotchman, I.C. (1984) Diagenesis of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation. Unpubl. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Sheffield.Google Scholar
Sellwood, B.W., Scott, J. and Lunn, G. (1986) Proc. Geol. Assoc. 97, 259-89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smart, G. and Clayton, T. (1985) Clay Mineral. 20, 455-66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Staub, J.R. and Cohen, A.D. (1978) J. Sediment. Petrol. 48, 203-10.Google Scholar
Tank, R.W. (1964) Geol. Mag. 101, 535-40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tyson, R.V., Wilson, R.C. L. and Downie, C. (1979) Natur. 277, 377-80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Moort, J.E. (1971) Clays Clay Minerals . 19, 1-20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Velde, B. (1985) Mineral Mag. 49, 387-92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Velde, B. and Nicot, E. (1985) J. Sediment. Petrol. 55, 541-7.Google Scholar
Waples, D.W. (1980) Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 64, 916-26.Google Scholar
Weaver, C.E. (1978) Ibid. 62, 571.Google Scholar
Whittaker, A. (1985) Atlas of Onshore Sedimentary Basins in England and Wales: Post Carboniferous Tectonics and Stratigraphy. Blackie.Google Scholar
Whittaker, A., Holliday, D.W. and Penn, I.E. (1985) Geophysical Logs in British Stratigraph. Geol. Soc. Lond. Spec. Rpt. No. 18.Google Scholar
Williams, P.F. V. and Douglas, A.G. (1979) In Advances in Organic Geochemistry 1979 (Douglas, G. and Maxwell, J.R.,eds.), 531-45.Google Scholar
Williams, P.F. V. and Douglas, A.G. (1981) In Organic Maturation Studies and Fossil Fuel Exploration. (Brooks, J., ed.), Academic Press, London, 255-69.Google Scholar
Williams, P.F. V. and Douglas, A.G. (1983) In Advances in Organic Geochemistry 1981 (Bjoroy, M., ed.), Wiley, 568-75.Google Scholar
Ziegler, P.A. (1982) Geological Atlas of Western and Central Europe. Shell Internationale Petroleum Maatschappij B.V., The Hague.Google Scholar