Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T22:04:51.961Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mineralogy from Geochemical Well Logging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

Michael M. Herron
Michael M. Herron*
Affiliation:
Schlumberger-Doll Research, Old Quarry Road, Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Multivariate statistical analyses of geochemical, mineralogical, and cation-exchange capacity (CEC) data from a Venezuelan oil well were used to construct a model which relates elemental concentrations to mineral abundances. An r-mode factor analysis showed that most of the variance could be accounted for by four independent factors and that these factors were related to individual mineral components: kaolinite, illite, K-feldspar, and heavy minerals. Concentrations of Al, Fe, and K in core samples were used to estimate the abundances of kaolinite, illite, K-feldspar, and, by subtraction from unity, quartz. Concentrations of these elements were also measured remotely in the well by geochemical logging tools and were used to estimate these mineral abundances on a continuous basis as a function of depth. The CEC was estimated from a linear combination of the derived kaolinite and illite abundances. The formation's thermal neutron capture cross section estimated from the log-derived mineralogy and a porosity log agreed well with the measured data. Concentrations of V, among other trace elements, were modeled as linear combinations of the clay mineral abundances. The measured core V agreed with the derived values in shales and water-bearing sands, but exceeded the clay-derived values in samples containing heavy oil. The excess V was used to estimate the V content and API Gravity of the oil. The log-derived clay mineralogy was used to help distinguish nonmarine from transitional depositional environments. Kaolinite was the dominant clay in nonmarine deposits, whereas transitional sediments contained more illite.

Keywords

Elemental analysisMiteKaoliniteMineralogical analysisMultivariate analysisNeutron capture cross sectionWell logging
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , April 1986 , pp. 204 - 213
Copyright
Copyright © 1986, The Clay Minerals Society

References

Adams, J. A. S., Osmond, J. K. and Rogers, J. J. W., 1959 The geochemistry of thorium and uranium Phys. Chem. Earth 3 298–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adams, J. A. S. and Weaver, C. E., 1958 Thorium-to-uranium ratios as indicators of sedimentary processes: example of concept of geochemical facies Bull. Amer. Assoc. Pet. Geol. 42 387–430.Google Scholar
Brindley, G. W., 1986 Relation between Structural Disorder and Other Characteristics of Kaolinites and Dickites Clays and Clay Minerals 34 3 239–249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cody, R. D., 1971 Adsorption and the reliability of trace elements as environmental indicators for shales J. Sediment. Petrol. 41 461–471.Google Scholar
Davis, J. C., 1973 Statistics and Data Analysis in Geology New York Wiley 473–533.Google Scholar
Decarreau, A., 1985 Partitioning of divalent transition elements between octahedral sheets of trioctahedral smectites and water Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 49 1537–1544.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Everett, R., Herron, M. and Pirie, G., 1983 Log responses and core evaluation case study technique: field and laboratory procedures Soc. Prof. Well Log Analysts Ann. Meet. Alberta Calgary.Google Scholar
Gold, C. M., Cavell, P. A. and Smith, D. G. W., 1983 Clay minerals in mixtures: sample preparation, analysis, and statistical interpretation Clays & Clay Minerals 31 191–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grim, R. E., 1968 Clay Mineralogy New York McGraw-Hill 185–233.Google Scholar
Hinckley, D. N. and Bradley, W. F., 1963 Variability in “crystallinity” values among the kaolin deposits of the coastal plain of Georgia and South Carolina Clays and Clay Minerals, Proc. 11th Natl. Conf., Ottawa, Ontario, 1963 New York Pergamon Press 229–235.Google Scholar
Hodgson, M. and Dudeney, A. W. L., 1984 Estimation of clay proportions in mixtures by X-ray diffraction and computerized chemical mass balance Clays & Clay Minerals 32 19–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Imbrie, J. and Poldervaart, A., 1959 Mineral compositions calculated from chemical analyses of sedimentary rocks J. Sediment. Petrol. 29 588–595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kapo, G., Chilingarian, G. V. and Yen, T. F., 1978 Vanadium: key to Venezuelan fossil hydrocarbons Bitumen, Asphalts, and Tar Sands Amsterdam Elsevier 213–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lonnie, T. P., 1982 Mineralogic and chemical comparison of marine, nonmarine, and transitional clay beds on south shore of Long Island, New York J. Sediment. Petrol. 52 529–536.Google Scholar
Mestdagh, M. M., Vielvoye, L. and Herbillon, A. J., 1980 Iron in kaolinite: II. The relationship between kaolinite crystallinity and iron content Clay Miner. 15 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miesch, A. T., 1962 Computing mineral compositions of sedimentary rocks from chemical analyses J. Sediment. Petrol. 32 217–225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murali, A. V., Parthasarathy, R., Mahadevan, T. M. and SankarDas, M., 1983 Trace element characteristics, REE patterns and partition coefficients of zircons from different geological environments—a case study on Indian zircons Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 47 2047–2052.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parham, W. E., Heller, L. and Weiss, A., 1966 Lateral variations of clay mineral assemblages in modern and ancient sediments Proc. Int. Clay Conf., Jerusalem, 1966, Vol. 1 Jerusalem Israel Prog. Sci. Transi. 135–145.Google Scholar
Pearson, M. J., 1978 Quantitative clay mineralogical analyses from the bulk chemistry of sedimentary rocks Clays & Clay Minerals 26 423–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pirie, G. and Everett, R., 1984 Depositional environments and invasion profiling in heavy oil sands, eastern Venezuela: a case study Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 68 516 (abstract).Google Scholar
Potter, P. E., Maynard, J. B. and Pryor, W. A., 1980 Sed-imentology of Shale New York Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rankama, K. and Sahama, T. G., 1950 Geochemistry Chicago University of Chicago Press 557–569.Google Scholar
Ridge, M. J., 1983 A combustion method for measuring the cation exchange capacity of clay materials Log Analyst 24 6–11.Google Scholar
Tardy, Y., 1975 Element partition ratios in some sedimentary environments Sci. Geol. Bull. 28 59–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turekian, K. K. and Wedepohl, K. H., 1961 Distribution of the elements in some major units of the earth’s crust Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 72 175–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waxman, M. H. and Smits, L. J. M., 1968 Electrical conductivities in oil-bearing shaly sands Soc. Prof. Eng. J. 243 107–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weaver, C. E. and Pollard, L. D., 1975 The Chemistry of Clay Minerals Amsterdam Elsevier.Google Scholar