A 3D empirical model of standard compaction curve for Thailand shales: Porosity in function of burial depth and geological time

Abstract

Shale rock formed from small clay particles, and shale compaction is an essential factor to estimate shale reserves. The classical Athy’s model has been used to obtain the shale compaction curve to describe the relationship between porosity and depth, an essential input data for basin modelling. But recent studies revealed that burial time, among other factors, should be considered and that geological age is another important factor in some regions. This is because geological and lithological histories are crucially different among geological ages. This study employed the newest data of Thailand shales and confirmed that different geological ages (Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic ages) require different shale compaction curves by estimating numerical geological time with the relationship of velocity and depth in each geological age. We obtained empirical models of the shale compaction curve of each geological age by multi-linear regression. The standard curve of shale compaction with the relationship among porosity, depth, and time, proposed in a previous study, was also re-affirmed with the newly obtained models.