Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T05:02:18.969Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Clay minerals in shales of the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in the Eastern Sichuan Basin, China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Geng Yi-Kai ,
Jin Zhen-Kui ,
Zhao Jian-Hua ,
Wen Xin ,
Zhang Zhen-Peng  and
Wang Yang
Geng Yi-Kai
Affiliation:
College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Jin Zhen-Kui*
Affiliation:
College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Zhao Jian-Hua
Affiliation:
College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing), Beijing 102249, China State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, Beijing 100083, China
Wen Xin
Affiliation:
College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Zhang Zhen-Peng
Affiliation:
No. 2 Oil Production Plant, Daqing Oilfield Company, Daqing, Heilongjiang 163257, China
Wang Yang
Affiliation:
No. 2 Oil Production Plant, Daqing Oilfield Company, Daqing, Heilongjiang 163257, China
*
*E-mail: 85147477@qq.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The present study examines the characteristics of clay minerals in shale gas reservoirs and their influence on reservoir properties based on X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. These analyses were combined with optical microscopy observations and core and well-log data to investigate the genesis, distribution characteristics, main controlling factors and pore features of clay minerals of the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in the East Sichuan area, China. The clay mineral assemblage consists of illite + mixed-layer illite-smectite (I-S) + chlorite. This assemblage includes three sources of clay minerals: detrital, authigenic and diagenetic minerals. The lower section of the Longmaxi Formation in the Jiaoshiba area has sealing ability which resulted in abnormal high pressures during hydrocarbon generation which inhibited illitization. Therefore, an anomalous transformation sequence is present in which the mixed-layer I-S content increases with depth. This anomalous transformation sequence can be used to infer the existence of abnormal high pressures. The detrital components of the formation also affect the clay-minerals content indirectly, especially the abundance of K-feldspar. The transformation of mixed-layer I-S to illite is limited due to the limited availability of K+, which determines the extent of transformation. Three types of pores were observed in the shale reservoir rocks of the Longmaxi Formation: interparticle (interP) pores, intraparticle (intraP) pores and organic-matter pores. The clay-mineral content controls the development of intraP pores, which are dominated by pores within clay particles. For a given clay mineral content, smectite and mixed-layer I-S were more conducive to the development of shale-gas reservoirs than other clay minerals.

Keywords

Abnormal high pressureclay mineralShale reservoirLongmaxi FormationEastern Sichuan BasinChina
Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 52 , Issue 2 , June 2017 , pp. 217 - 233
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2017

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.)

References

Anderson, J.L. & Rowley, M.C. (1981) Synkinematic intrusion of peraluminous and associated metaluminous granitic magmas, Whipple Mountains, California. The Canadian Mineralogist, 19, 83–101.Google Scholar
Bowker, K.A. (2007) Barnett shale gas production, Fort Worth Basin: Issues and discussion. AAPG Bulletin, 91, 523–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buryakovsky, L.A., Rashid, D.D. & Chilingar, G.V. (1995) Abnormally high formation pressure in Azerbaijan and the South Caspian Basin. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 13, 203–218.Google Scholar
Curtis, M.E., Ambrose, R.J., Sondergeld, C.H. & Rai, C.S. (2010) Structural characterization of gas shales on the micro- and nano-scales. SPEPaper 137693 in: Canadian Unconventional Resources and International Petroleum Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.Google Scholar
Daoudi, L., Ouajhin, B. & Rocha, F. (2010) Comparative influence of burial depth on the mineral assemblage of the Agadir-Essaouira Basin (western High Atlas, Morocco). Clay Minerals, 45, 453–467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Desbois, G., Urai, J.L. & Kukla, P.A. (2009) Morphology of the pore space in claystones – Evidence from BIB/FIB ion beam sectioning and cryo-SEM observations. Earth, 4, 15–22.Google Scholar
Diaz, E., Sisk, C. & Nur, A. (2010) Quantifying and linking shale properties at a variable scale. ARMA Paper 10- 272. In: 44th U.S. Rock Mechanics Symposium and 5th U.S.-Canada Rock Mechanics Symposium, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Google Scholar
Fu, X., Qin, J. & Teng, G. (2011) Mineral components of source rocks and their petroleum significance: A case from Paleozoic marine source rocks in the Middle– Upper Yangtze region. Petroleum Exploration and Development, 38, 671–684.Google Scholar
Gao, J., He, S. & Yi, J. (2015) Discovery of high density methane inclusions in Jiaoshiba shale gas field and its significance. Oil and Gas Geology, 36, 472–480.Google Scholar
Guo, Y., Li, Z. & Li, D. (2004) Lithofacies palaeogeography of the Early Silurian in the Sichuan area. Journal of Palaeogeography, 6, 20–29.Google Scholar
Hillier, S. (1995) Sedimentation and Sedimentary Origin of Clays. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 162–219.Google Scholar
Hower, J. (1981) Shale diageneses. Pp. 66–70 in: Clays and the Resource Geologist (Longstrafte, F.J., editor). Short Course Handbook 7, Mineralogical Association of Canada.Google Scholar
Hunt, J.M. (1990) Generation and migration of petroleum from abnormal pressure fluid compartments. AAPG Bulletin, 74, 1–12.Google Scholar
Jin, N., Li, A. & Liu, H. (2007) Clay minerals in surface sediment of the northwest Parece Vela Basin: distribution and provenance. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica, 38, 504–511.Google Scholar
Jin, Y., Cai, X., Yuan, Y. & Wu, Y. (2015) Clay mineral characteristics and geological significance in Silurian Longmaxi Formation Shale, southeastern Chongqing. Coal Geology of China, 27, 21–25.Google Scholar
Kang, Y., Luo, P. & Jiao, K. (1998) Clay minerals and potential formation damage of tight gas bearing sandstone in West Sichuan. Journal of Southwest Petroleum University, 20, 1–5.Google Scholar
Khormali, F. & Abtabi, A. (2003) Origin and distribution of clay minerals in calcareous arid and semi-arid soils of Fars Province, southern Iran. Clay Minerals, 38, 511–527.Google Scholar
Koster van Groos, A.F. & Guggenheim, S. (1987) Highpressure differential thermal analysis (HP -DTA) of the dehydroxylation of Na-rich montmorillonite and Kexchanged montmorillonite. American Mineralogist, 72, 1170–1175.Google Scholar
Li, J., Yu, B. & Liu, C. (2012) Clay minerals of black shale and their effect on physical properties of shale gas reservoirs in the southeast of Chongqing: A case study from Lujiao outcrop section in Pengshui, Chongqing. Geoscience, 26, 732–740.Google Scholar
Li, Y. & Cai, J. (2014) Effect of smectite illitization on shale gas occurrence in argillaceous source rocks. Petroleum Geology and Experiment, 36, 352–358.Google Scholar
Li, Y., Fan, T. & Gao, Z. (2012) Sequence stratigraphy of Silurian Black Shale and its distribution in the southeast area of Chongqing. Natural Gas Geoscience, 23, 299–306.Google Scholar
Liang, S., Gan, F., Yan, B. & Wang, R. (2012) Relationship between composition and spectral feature of muscovite. Remote Sensing for Land & Resources, 24, 111–115.Google Scholar
Liu, R. (2015) Analyses of influences on shale reservoirs of Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation by overpressure in the Southeastern part of Sichuan Basin. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 33, 817–827.Google Scholar
Liu, S.G., Wang, S.Y., Sun, W., Ran, B. & Yang, D. (2013) Characteristics of black shale in Wufeng Formation and Longmaxi Formation in Sichuan Basin and its peripheral areas. Journal of Chengdu University of Technology, 40, 621–639.Google Scholar
Liu, Y., Di, S. & Xue, X. (1998) Clay minerals from the Lower Cretaccous to Middle Jurassic strata in the Bazhou depression, eastern Qilian folded belt. Journal of Palaeogeography, 18, 10–15.Google Scholar
Liu, Y., Yu, B. & Zhu, J. (2009) Diagenesis of Paleogene clastic reservoir in Liaohe River and its influence on reservoir properties. Modern Geology, 23, 731–738.Google Scholar
Loucks, R.G., Reed, R.M., Ruppel, S.C. & Jarvie, D.M. (2009) Morphology, genesis, and distribution of nanometer-scale pores in siliceous mudstones of the Mississippian Barnett Shale. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 79, 848–861.Google Scholar
Loucks, R.G., Reed, R.M., Ruppel, S.C. & Hommes, U. (2010) Preliminary classification of matrix pores in mudrocks. Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, 60, 435–441.Google Scholar
Loucks, R.G., Reed, R.M., Ruppel, S.C. & Hommes, U. (2012) Spectrum of pore types and networks in mudrocks and a descriptive classification for matrixrelated mudrock pores. AAPG Bulletin, 96, 1071–1098.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ma, L., Chen, H. & Gan, K. (2004) Tectonic and Marine Petroleum Geology in the South of China. Geological Publishing House, Beijing, pp. 52–98.Google Scholar
Miller, C.F., Stoddard, E.F., Bradfish, L.J. & Dollase, W.A. (1981) Composition of plutonic muscovite: Genetic implications. The Canadian Mineralogist, 19, 25–34.Google Scholar
Nadeau, P.H., Wilson, M.J., McHardy, W.J. & Tait, J.M. (1985) The conversion of smectite to illite during diagenesis: Evidence from some illitic clays from bentonites and sandstones, diagenesis and lowtemperature metamorphism. Mineralogical Magazine, 49, 393–400.Google Scholar
Passey, Q.R., Bohacs, K.M., Esch, W.L., Klimentidis, R. & Sinha, S. (2010) From oil-prone source rock to gasproducing shale reservoir: Geologic and petrophysical characterization of unconventional shale-gas reservoirs. SPE Paper 131350 in: International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Beijing, China.Google Scholar
Peltonen, C., Marcussen, Ø. & Bjørlykke, K. (2009) Clay mineral diagenesis and quartz cementation in mudstones: the effects of smectite to illite reaction on rock properties. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 26, 887–898.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, E.A. & Hower, J. (1970) Burial diagenesis in Gulf coast politic sediments. Clays and Clay Minerals, 28, 165–177.Google Scholar
Strixrude, L. & Peacor, D.R. (2002) First-principles study of illite–smectite and implications for clay mineral systems. Nature (London), 420, 165–168.Google Scholar
Su, W.B., He, L.Q., Wang, Y.B., Gong, S.Y. & Zhou, H.Y. (2002) The bentonite and high resolution composite formation at the bottom of Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation (Ordovician-Silurian), South China. Science in China (Series D), 32, 207–219.Google Scholar
Sun, Y., Yang, F. & Luo, J. (1998) Application of clay minerals in petroleum exploration in Tarim Basin. Modern Geology, 12, 269–276.Google Scholar
Wang, S. & Ouyang, Z. (1993) Study on influence of pressure in the dehydration of calcium smectite. Science Bulletin, 28, 243–246.Google Scholar
Wang, K., Orth, C.J. & Attrep, M. (1993) The great latest Ordovician extinction on the South China Plate: chemostratigraphic studies of the Ordovician-Silurian boundary interval on the Yangtze Platform Event markers in Earth history. Palaeogergraphy, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 104, 61–79.Google Scholar
Wang, X., Mou, C. & Gong, Y. (2013) Diagenetic evolution and facies of the reservoir in section 8 of Permian Shihezi Formation He8 section of Z30 block of the Sulige Gas Field. Acta Petrolei Sinica, 34, 883–895.Google Scholar
Wang, X., Mou, C. & Ge, X. (2014) Study on clay minerals in the lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in southern Sichuan Basin and its periphery. Natural Gas Geoscience, 25, 1781–1794.Google Scholar
Wu, X., Liu, C. & Ju, J. (1997) The identification method of neoformed, inherited and transformed clay minerals. Journal of Xianning Normal College: Science and Technology Edition, 17, 74–76.Google Scholar
Yu, H., Xie, J. & Wang, X. (2006) Organoclay complexes in relation to petroleum generation. Earth Science Frontiers, 13, 274–281.Google Scholar
Zeng, X., Liu, S. & Huang, W. (2011) Comparison of Silurian Longmaxi Formation shale of Sichuan Basin in China and Carboniferous Barnett Formation shale of Fort Worth Basin in United States. Geological Bulletin of China, 30, 372–384.Google Scholar
Zhang, B., Wu, J., Ling, H. & Chen, P. (2010) Petrological discrimination between primary and secondary muscovites and its geological implications: A case study of Fucheng peraluminous granite pluton in southern Jiangxi. Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica, 29, 225–234.Google Scholar
Zhang, H., Wang, Q., Ni, K. & Li, C. (2016) Six characteristics and main controlling factors of shale reservoirs in the Wufeng-Longmaxi formations, southeastern Sichuan Basin. Petroleum Geology & Experiment, 38, 320–332.Google Scholar
Zhang, Z., Hu, P. & Shen, J. (2013) Mineral compositions and organic matter occurrence modes of Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation of Sichuan Basin. Journal of China Coal Society, 38, 766–771.Google Scholar
Zhang, R. (1992)Application of scanning electronmicroscopy to study of mineral change – transformation of feldspar into clay minerals. Scientia Geological Sinica, 1, 66–70.Google Scholar
Zhao, J., Jin, Z., Jin, Z., Wen, X., Geng, Y., Yan, C. & Nie, H. (2016) Lithofacies and sedimentary environment of shale inWufeng–Longmaxi Formation, Sichuan Basin. Acta Petrolei Sinica, 37, 572–586.Google Scholar
Zhao, J., Jin, Z., Jin, Z.,Wen, X. & Geng, Y. (2017) Origin of authigenic quartz in organic-rich shales of theWufeng and Longmaxi Formations in the Sichuan Basin, South China: Implications for pore evolution. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 38, 21–38.Google Scholar
Zhao, X. & He, D. (2008) Clay mineral analysis and some problems of application in petroleum geology. Xinjiang Petroleum Geology, 29, 756–758.Google Scholar
Zhou, C., Luo, R. & Li, Z. (2005) The application of scanning electron microscopy in the study of clay minerals in clastic reservoir. Natural Gas Exploration and Development, 28, 4–8.Google Scholar