Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-wxhwt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-12T17:41:00.893Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Experimental Determination of the Rates of Precipitation of Authigenic Illite and Kaolinite in the Presence of Aqueous Oxalate and Comparison to the K/Ar Ages of Authigenic Illite in Reservoir Sandstones

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2024

J. S. Small
J. S. Small*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The importance of precipitation rate as an effective control on illite and kaolanite formation during diagenesis has been examined by measuring precipitation rates, from Al fluid concentration, in a Dickson fluid-sampling vessel at 160°-250° and 500 bars (50 MPa). These experiments are considered to be analogues of the precipitation of clays in sandstones from porewaters containing dissolved carboxylic acids, which have a transient stability and may influence aluminosilicate solubility. Precipitated illite had a lath-shaped morphology and its composition was consistent with authigenic illite in sandstones. Kaolinite formed tabular rather than vermicular shaped crystals. Kaolinite precipitation rate was two orders of magnitude faster than illite precipitation and was rate-limited by the decomposition of oxalate; kaolinite formation should be equilibrium-controlled at virtually all stages of burial. Extrapolation of illite precipitation rate to burial temperatures indicates that the first appearance of illite in a burial sequence may be kinetically controlled. A model of illite precipitation based on these experimental results has been used to predict the time required to precipitate illite during burial of a sandstone, taking into account temperature changes during burial. For northern North Sea examples, a predicted illitization threshold of -60°C occurring at 60–80 Ma corresponds to the observed initiation of authigenic illite precipitation. Times of around 2–5 Ma would be required to reach a 98% approach to equilibrium at this threshold. The main phase of illite precipitation in the northern North Sea basin is a later, hydrologically controlled event (30-50 Ma). Equilibrium would be approached in around 0.1 Ma during this phase, which is consistent with the narrow illite K/Ar age range (1-5 Ma) recorded for some sequences.

Keywords

IlliteKaolinitePrecipitation rateOxalateK/ArSandstonesNorth Sea
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 41 , Issue 2 , April 1993 , pp. 191 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © 1993, The Clay Minerals Society

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

Aja, S. U., Rosenberg, P. E. and Kittrick, J. A., 1991 Illite equilibria in solutions: I. Phase relationships in the system K2O-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O between 25 and 250°C Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 55 1353 – 1364 10.1016/0016-7037(91)90313-T.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Antweiler, R. C. and Drever, J. I., 1983 The weathering of a Late Tertiary volcanic ash: The importance of organic solutes Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 47 623 – 629 10.1016/0016-7037(83)90283-1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bailey, S. W., Brindley, G. W. and Brown, G., 1980 Order-disorder in clay mineral structures Crystal Structures of Clay Minerals and Their X-ray Identification London Mineralogical Society.Google Scholar
Boles, J. R., Kharaka, Y. K. and Maest, A. S., 1992 Evidence for oil-derived organic acids in reservoirs Proceedings of the 7 th International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction Rotterdam A. A. Balkema 311 – 314.Google Scholar
Brindley, G. W., Brindley, G. W. and Brown, G., 1980 Structure of layer silicates Crystal Structures of Clay Minerals and Their X-ray Identification London Mineralogical Society 10.1180/mono-5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burley, S. D. and Flisch, M., 1989 K-Ar geochronology and the timing of detrital I/S clay illitization and authigenic illite precipitation in the Piper and Tartan Fields, Outer Moray Firth, UK North Sea Clay Miner. 24 285 – 316 10.1180/claymin.1989.024.2.11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chermak, J. A. and Rimstidt, J. D., 1990 The hydrothermal transformation rate of kaolinite to muscovite/illite Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 54 2979 – 2990 10.1016/0016-7037(90)90115-2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cliff, G. and Lorimer, G. W., 1975 The quantitative analysis of thin specimens Journal of Microscopy 103 203 – 207 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1975.tb03895.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cocker, J. D., Clauer, N., Tsui, T.-F. and Swarbrick, R. E., 1988 A diagenetic model for the Northwest Hutton field Clay Diagenesis in Hydrocarbon Reservoirs and Shales 5.Google Scholar
Crossey, L. J., 1991 Thermal degradation of aqueous oxalate species Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 55 1515 – 1527 10.1016/0016-7037(91)90124-N.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dove, P. M. and Crerar, D. A., 1990 Kinetics of quartz dissolution in electrolyte solutions using a hydrothermal mixed flow reactor Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 54 955 – 969 10.1016/0016-7037(90)90431-J.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giles, M. R., 1987 Mass transfer and problems of secondary porosity creation in deeply buried hydrocarbon reservoirs Marine and Petroleum Geology 4 188 – 204 10.1016/0264-8172(87)90044-4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eberl, D. D. and Hower, J., 1976 Kinetics of illite formation GSA Bull. 87 1326 – 1330 10.1130/0016-7606(1976)87<1326:KOIF>2.0.CO;2.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehrenberg, S. N., Storr, M., Henning, K.-H. and Adolphi, P., 1991 Kaolinite-dickite transition in the Garn Formation, Haltenbanken Proceedings of the 7 th Euroclay Conference, Dresden 1991 Greifswald European Clay Groups Association 522.Google Scholar
Glasmann, J. R., Clark, R. A., Larter, S., Briedis, N. A. and Lundegard, P. D., 1989 Diagenesis and hydrocarbon accumulation, Brent sandstone (Jurassic), Bergen High area, North Sea AAPG Bulletin 73 1341 – 1360.Google Scholar
Glasmann, J. R., Lundegard, P. D., Clark, R. A., Penny, B. K. and Collins, I. D., 1989 Geochemical evidence for the history of diagenesis and fluid migration: Brent Sandstone, Heather Field, North Sea Clay Miner. 24 255 – 284 10.1180/claymin.1989.024.2.10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, D. L. and Henderson, C. M. B., 1968 The preparation of silicate compositions by a gelling method Mineralogical Magazine 36 832 – 838 10.1180/minmag.1968.036.282.11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, P. J., Kelley, S. and Fallick, A. E., 1989 K-Ar dating of illite in hydrocarbon reservoirs Clay Miner. 24 215 – 231 10.1180/claymin.1989.024.2.08.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hogg, A J C Fallick, A. E. and Pearson, M. J., 1991 Mapping diagenetic fluid flow within a reservoir-K/Ar dating in the Alwyn area, UK North Sea Program and Abstracts for Clay Minerals Society 28th Annual Meeting 74.Google Scholar
Howard, J. J. and Roy, D. M., 1983 Development of layer charge and kinetics of experimental smectite alteration Clays & Clay Minerals 33 81 – 88 10.1346/CCMN.1985.0330201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hower, J., Eslinger, E., Hower, M. E. and Perry, E. A., 1976 Mechanism of burial metamorphism of argillaceous sediments— 1. Mineralogical and chemical evidence GSA Bull. 87 725 – 737 10.1130/0016-7606(1976)87<725:MOBMOA>2.0.CO;2.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, W. H. and Keller, W. D., 1970 Dissolution of rock-forming silicate minerals in organic acids: Simulated weathering of fresh mineral surfaces Amer. Mineral. 55 2076 – 2094.Google Scholar
Huang, W. L., Bishop, A. M. and Brown, R. W., 1986 The effect of fluid/rock ratio on feldspar dissolution and illite formation under reservoir conditions Clay Miner. 21 585 – 602 10.1180/claymin.1986.021.4.10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, W. L., Longo, J. M. and Pevear, D. R., 1991 An experimental derived kinetic model for smectite-to-illite conversion and its use as geothermometer Program and Abstracts for Clay Minerals Society 28th Annual Meeting 76.Google Scholar
Huertas, F. J., Huertas, F., Linares, J., Storr, M., Henning, K.-H. and Adolphi, P., 1991 Activation energy of hydrothermal synthesis of kaolinite: in Proceedings of the 7th Euroclay Conference Dresden 1991 Greifswald European Clay Groups Association 533 – 537.Google Scholar
Inoue, A., 1983 Potassium fixation by clay minerals during hydrothermal treatment Clays & Clay Minerals 31 81 – 91 10.1346/CCMN.1983.0310201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lasaga, A. C., 1984 Chemical kinetics of water-rock interactions J. of Geophysical Research 89 4009 – 4025 10.1029/JB089iB06p04009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, M., Aronson, J. L. and Savin, S. M., 1989 Timing and conditions of Permian Rotliegende Sandstone diagenesis, southern North Sea: K/Ar and oxygen isotopic data AAPG Bull. 73 195 – 215.Google Scholar
Macchi, L., 1987 A review of sandstone illite cements and aspects of their significance to hydrocarbon exploration and development Geol. J. 22 333 – 345 10.1002/gj.3350220406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macchi, L., Curtis, C. D., Levison, A., Woodward, K. and Hughes, C. R., 1990 Chemistry, morphology and distribution of illites from Morecambe Gas Field, Irish Sea, offshore United Kingdom AAPG Bull. 74 296 – 308.Google Scholar
MacGowan, D. B. and Surdam, R. C., 1988 Difunctional carboxylic acid anions in oil-field waters Organic Geochem. 12 245 – 259 10.1016/0146-6380(88)90262-8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagy, K. L., Blum, A. E. and Lasaga, A. C., 1991 Dissolution and precipitation kinetics of kaolinite at 80°C and pH 3: The dependence on solution saturation state Amer. J. of Sci. 291 649 – 686 10.2475/ajs.291.7.649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rimstidt, J. D. and Barnes, H. L., 1980 The kinetics of silica-water reactions Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 44 1683 – 1699 10.1016/0016-7037(80)90220-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberson, H. E. and Lahann, R. W., 1981 Smectite to illite conversion rates: Effects of solution chemistry Clays & Clay Minerals 29 129 – 135 10.1346/CCMN.1981.0290207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sass, B. M., Rosenberg, P. E. and Kittrick, J. A., 1987 The stability of illite/smectite during diagenesis: An experimental study Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 51 2103 – 2115 10.1016/0016-7037(87)90259-6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scotchman, I. C., Johnes, L. H. and Miller, R. S., 1989 Clay diagenesis and oil migration in Brent Group sandstones of NW Hutton Field, UK North Sea Clay Miner. 24 339 – 374 10.1180/claymin.1989.024.2.13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seyfried, W. E., Janecky, D. R., Berndt, H. E., Ulmer, G. C. and Barnes, H. L., 1987 Rocking autoclaves for hydrothermal experiments II. The flexible reaction-cell system Hydrothermal Experimental Techniques New York John Wiley 216 – 239.Google Scholar
Small, J. S., Kharaka, Y. K. and Maest, A. S., 1992 Clay precipitation from oxalate-bearing solutions Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Water-Rock Interaction Rotterdam A.A. Balkema 345 – 348.Google Scholar
Small, J. S., Parnell, J., Ruffell, A. and Moles, N., 1993 An experimental study of the thermal and redox stability of dicarboxylic acid anions and their aluminium complexing behaviour Proceedings of Geofluids 93, Torquay, England, 1993 London Geological Society 420 – 422.Google Scholar
Small, J. S., Hamilton, D. L. and Habesch, S., 1992 Experimental simulation of clay precipitation in reservoir sandstones 1: Techniques and examples J. Sed. Petrol. 62 508 – 519 10.2110/jsr.62.520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Small, J. S., Hamilton, D. L. and Habesch, S., 1992 Experimental simulation of clay precipitation in reservoir sandstones 2: Mechanism of illite formation and controls on morphology J. Sed. Petrol. 62 520 – 529 10.2110/jsr.62.520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Small, J. S., Manning, D. A. C., Manning, D A C Hall, P. L. and Hughes, C. R., 1993 Laboratory reproduction of morphological variation in petroleum reservoir clays: Monitoring of fluid composition during illite precipitation Geochemistry of Clay Pore Fluid Interactions London Mineralogical Society/Chapman and Hall 181 – 212.Google Scholar
Surdam, R. C., Boese, S. W., Crossey, L. J., McDonald, D. A. and Surdam, R. C., 1984 The chemistry of secondary porosity Clastic Diagenesis 127 – 149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Surdam, R. C., Crossey, L. J., Hagen, E. S. and Heasler, H. P., 1989 Organic-inorganic interactions and sandstone diagenesis AAPG Bull. 73 1 – 23.Google Scholar
Warren, E. A. and Curtis, C. D., 1989 The chemical composition of authigenic illite within two sandstone reservoirs as analysed by ATEM Clay Miner. 24 137 – 156 10.1180/claymin.1989.024.2.03.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitney, G., 1990 Role of water in the smectite-to-illite reaction Clays & Clay Minerals 38 343 – 350 10.1346/CCMN.1990.0380402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitney, G. and Northrop, H. R., 1988 Experimental investigation of the smectite to illite reaction: Dual reaction mechanisms and oxygen-isotope systematics Amer. Mineral. 73 77 – 90.Google Scholar
Wood, J. R. and Hewlett, T. A., 1982 Fluid convection and mass transfer in porous sandstones—A theoretical model Geochim. et Cosmochim. Acta 46 1707 – 1713 10.1016/0016-7037(82)90111-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar