Deformation and Alteration of Shale Smear, Black Diamond Mine, California

<a href="https://embed.stanford.edu/iframe/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpurl.stanford.edu%2Fzt308ph9642" class="su-underline">Show Content</a>

Abstract/Contents

Abstract: Entrainment of shale along faults or shale smear represents a significant mechanism providing fault seal in hydrocarbon reservoirs. This ongoing project is designed to asses the combined structural and diagenetic effects on permeability reduction of shale smear with the objective of establishing predictive tools for fault seal behavior as a function of the depositional, structural, and diagenetic evolution of petroliferous basins. For a shale smear exposed in an underground mine, preliminary mercury injection analyses indicate a reduction in shale smear permeability by 1-2 orders of magnitude compared to reference samples of undeformed shale taken 2 m away from the fault. Permeability reduction in shale smear correlates with a distinct fabric reorganization which is attributed to the combination of mechanical clay-particle reorientation and possible diagenetic clay neoformation. An observed reduction in smectite content and a corresponding increase in kaolinite component of shale smear is indicative of interaction of organic-rich shale with infiltrated meteoric fluids and suggests that water-mineral reactions are an integral component of shale smear formation. Continued investigations are proposed to refine sampling at this underground site for a quantitative assessment of compositional and rock physical heterogeneity and to extend sampling to faults in different depositional and burial diagenetic environments.

Type of resource	text
Date created	August 1, 2001

Author	Eichhubl, Peter

Subject	shale smear in a mine shaft
Subject	Black Diamond Mine California
Subject	architecture of a normal fault with shale fault rock
Subject	properties of shaly fault rock
Subject	sealing of a normal fault with shale smear
Subject	fault seal
Subject	The Stanford Shale Smear Project
Genre	Article

Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/zt308ph9642

Use and reproduction: User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).

Preferred Citation: Eichhubl, Peter. (2001). Deformation and alteration of shale smear, Black Diamond Mine, California. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/zt308ph9642

The Stanford Shale Smear Project

Loading usage metrics...