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Porosimetry Measurement of Shale Fabric and Its Relationship to Illite/Smectite Diagenesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

James J. Howard
James J. Howard*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, P.O. Box 6666, New Haven, CT 06511
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Abstract

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The extent of illite/smectite (I/S) reactions is linked with quantitative measurements of shale fabric in a suite of samples from a lower Frio Formation well. Greater illitization of the I/S clays is found in laminated shales that possess a larger pore surface area/pore volume (SA/V) of 3.21 × 106 cm−1 than the adjacent massive shale lithofacies with a SA/V of 1.97 × 106 cm−1. Mean pore diameter in both shale lithologies is 0.0145 micrometers, though in the laminated shale distributions are skewed towards more smaller-sized pores. While no direct permeability measurements were made, estimates of permeability that are based on simple physical models using SA/V suggest that lower permeabilities are associated with laminated shales. The trend of greater illitization at higher SA/V values is contrary to expectations that reaction extent is enhanced by greater permeabilities, such as created by silt laminations in shale. The limitations of estimated permeabilities emphasize that porosimetry measurements of shale fabric are useful for estimating the access of material to all reaction sites, and do not just describe the effect of a few large pores that dominate permeability. Greater reaction extent in the laminated shales is associated with the accessibility of fluids to more pore space than in the massive shales.

Keywords

Illite/SmectiteShale fabricMercury porosimetry
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 39 , Issue 4 , August 1991 , pp. 355 - 361
Copyright
Copyright © 1991, The Clay Minerals Society

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