Stylolite-controlled diagenesis of a mudstone carbonate reservoir: A case study from the Zechstein_2_Carbonate (Central European Basin, NW Germany)

Humphrey, Elliot; Gomez‐Rivas, Enrique; Koehn, Daniel; Bons, Paul D.; Neilson, Joyce; Martín‐Martín, Juan Diego; Schoenherr, Johannes

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2019.05.040

Cited by 31 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…7). The presence of stylolites acting as barriers to calcitization fluids has also been reported from studies of mudstones of the Zechstein Ca2 Stassfurt carbonate of the Southern Permian Basin (NW Germany) (Koehn et al, 2016;Schoenherr et al, 2018;Humphrey et al, 2019). Although the extent and distribution of dolomite recrystallization and calcitization products are difficult to quantify, the Benicàssim case study demonstrates that stylolites can constrain these diagenetic reactions acting as barriers for the fluids that caused them.…”

Section: Stylolites As Dolomite Recrystallization and Calcitization Reaction Bafflesmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…Moreover, their growth can lead to a significant reduction of the overall porosity and permeability of the host rock because the dissolved mineral can re-precipitate nearby in the form of cement thus controlling flow pathways for fluids that can induce further diagenetic reactions (Fabricius and Borre, 2007;Vandeginste and John, 2013). However, other studies have shown how fluids can flow across stylolites (e.g., Neilson and Oxtoby, 2008;Morad et al, 2018), especially at their flanks and tips (Carozzi and von Bergen, 1987;van Geet et al, 2001;Koehn et al, 2016;Humphrey et al, 2019). Stylolites can also be filled with cements, suggesting that fluids can be advected through them under certain conditions and precipitate minerals (Paganoni et al, 2016;Martín-Martín et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These scenarios assume that the diagenetic fluid can transport enough solutes to the reaction site, by advection-diffusion, and that the reaction will occur if the fluid reactivity and environmental conditions are appropriate. Finally, another hitherto not considered key aspect is that stylolites in nature often appear arranged in networks rather than in isolation (e.g., Ben-Itzhak et al, 2014;Humphrey et al, 2019;Humphrey et al, 2020). Therefore, one should collectively evaluate how individual stylolites may impact fluid flow, transport and reactions, and what the role of networks of stylolites is on these processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stylolites and stylolite networks as primary controls on the geometry and distribution of carbonate diagenetic alterations

Gomez‐Rivas¹,

Martín‐Martín²,

Bons³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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There is an ongoing debate on whether stylolites act as barriers or conduits for fluids, or even play no role in terms of fluid transport. This problem can be tackled by examining the spatial and temporal relationships between stylolites and other diagenetic products at multiple scales. Using the well-known Lower Cretaceous Benicàssim case study (Maestrat Basin, E Spain), we provide new field and petrographic observations of how bedding-parallel stylolites can influence different diagenetic processes during the geological evolution of a basin. The results reveal that stylolites can serve as baffles or inhibitors for different carbonate diagenetic reactions, and act as fronts for dolomitization, dolomite recrystallization and calcitization processes. Anastomosing stylolites, which pre-date burial dolomitization, likely acted as a collective baffle for dolomitization fluids in the study area, resulting in stratabound replacement geometries at the metre-to-kilometre scale. The dolomitization front weaves up and down following consecutive anastomosing stylolites, which are typical of mud-dominated facies that characterize limestone-dolostone transition zones. Contrarily, dolostone bodies tend to correspond to grain-dominated facies characterized by parallel (non-anastomosing) stylolites. The same stylolites subsequently acted as fluid flow conduits and barriers again when the burial and stress conditions changed. Stylolites within dolostones close to faults are found corroded and filled with saddle dolomite riming the stylolite pore, and high-temperature blocky calcite cements filling the remaining porosity. The fluids responsible for these reactions were likely released from below at high pressure, causing hydraulic brecciation, and were channelised through stylolites, which acted as fluid conduits. Stylolites are also found acting as baffles for subsequent calcitization reactions and occasionally appear filled with iron oxides released by calcitization. This example demonstrates how the same type of stylolites can act as barriers/inhibitors and/or conduits for different types of diagenetic reactions through time, and how important it is to consider their collective role when they form networks.

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Section: Stylolites As Dolomite Recrystallization and Calcitization Reaction Bafflesmentioning

confidence: 62%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stylolites and stylolite networks as primary controls on the geometry and distribution of carbonate diagenetic alterations

Gomez‐Rivas¹,

Martín‐Martín²,

Bons³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…The total stylolite length per sampling window (SLwn) is affected by the size of the sampling window and therefore is not representative of the actual horizontal length of stylolite networks, but it is useful for normalising intersection density for each sampling window in order to compare densities between lithofacies. Stylolites in each photograph were classified based on morphology using definitions by Koehn et al (2016), where stylolites are classified as rectangular layer type, seismogram pinning type, suture and sharp-peak type, and wave-like type (for an overview of stylolite morphologies see Koehn et al, 2016 andHumphrey et al, 2019). Stylolite types were counted per window and totalled to obtain the relative frequencies of stylolite types per lithofacies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative analysis of stylolite networks in different platform carbonate facies

Humphrey

Gomez‐Rivas

Neilson

et al. 2020

Marine and Petroleum Geology

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Stylolites are rough surfaces that form by pressure solution, and present variable geometries and spatial distributions. Despite being ubiquitous in carbonate rocks and potentially influencing fluid flow, it is not yet clear how the type and distribution of stylolite networks relate to lithofacies. This study investigates Lower Cretaceous platform carbonates in the Benicàssim area (Maestrat Basin, Spain) to statistically characterize stylolite morphology and stylolite network distributions in a selection of typical shallow-marine carbonate lithofacies, from mudstones to grainstones. Bedding-parallel stylolite networks were sampled in the field to quantify stylolite spacing, wavelength, amplitude, intersection morphology and connectivity. Grain size, sorting and composition were found to be the key lithological variables responsible for the development of rough anastomosing stylolite networks. Poorlyconnected stylolites with large vertical spacings were found to be dominant in grainsupported lithofacies, where grains are fine and well sorted. Anastomosing stylolite networks appear well developed in mud-supported lithofacies with poorly-sorted clasts that are both heterogenous in size and composition. Mud-supported facies feature stylolites that are closely spaced, have high amplitudes and intersection densities, and predominantly present suture and sharp-peak type morphologies. Larger grains and poor sorting favour the formation of stylolites with small vertical spacings, low wavelengths and high amplitudes. This statistical analysis approach requires only limited information, such as that from drill core, and can be used to characterise stylolite morphology and distributions in subsurface carbonate reservoirs.

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“…Qing & Mountjoy, , ; Whitaker et al ., ) because, unlike other diagenetic processes such as cementation or dissolution, the effects of dolomitization are easy to visualize in many cases on outcrops and in drill core due to the colour and texture change associated with the mineral change (e.g. Humphrey et al ., ). Outcrop studies on dolomitization are thus essential for understanding how diagenesis impacts reservoir quality, and to unravel the key controls on diagenetic fluid flow producing rock alterations (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Fault‐controlled dolostone geometries in a transgressive–regressive sequence stratigraphic framework

et al. 2020

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This study investigates the geometries of fault‐controlled dolostone geobodies and their structural and sequence stratigraphic controls, which provide new insights for the prediction and production of fault‐controlled dolomitized hydrocarbon reservoirs. A very thick succession (>1600 m) of Aptian–Albian shallow‐marine carbonates of the Benassal Formation that crop out in the Benicàssim area (Maestrat Basin, eastern Spain) is partly replaced by dolomite, resulting in dolostone geometries ranging from massive patches to stratabound bodies. Detailed mapping, systematic logging and correlation were carried out to characterize the structural, sedimentary and sequence stratigraphic framework of the area and to constrain the principal controls on the full‐range of dolostone geometries. The results show that carbonate sediments accumulated in a half graben stacked in three transgressive–regressive sequences. Large‐scale massive dolostone patches (with up to kilometre extension) formed near large‐scale faults indicating that they acted as entry points for warm dolomitizing fluids into the basin. These dolostone patches laterally pass to large stratabound bodies that extend for long distances (at least 7 km) away from feeding faults, forming a continuum. The presence of a regional unconformity and a clastic fine‐grain low‐permeability unit (Escucha Formation) on top of the Benassal Formation likely constrained the dolomitization fluids to an up to 580 m thick interval below the base of the Escucha Formation. Thus, only limestones within this interval, corresponding to the two uppermost transgressive–regressive sequences, were dolomitized. There is a clear relationship between the stratigraphic framework and the preferred replaced beds. Dolomitization preferentially affected sediments deposited in inner to middle ramp settings with predominant wackestone to packstone textures. Such facies are laterally most abundant in the east of the study area (i.e. basinward) and vertically in layers around the maximum flooding zone of the top sequence, which is preferentially affected by dolomitization.

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Stylolite-controlled diagenesis of a mudstone carbonate reservoir: A case study from the Zechstein_2_Carbonate (Central European Basin, NW Germany)

Cited by 31 publications

References 69 publications

Stylolites and stylolite networks as primary controls on the geometry and distribution of carbonate diagenetic alterations

Stylolites and stylolite networks as primary controls on the geometry and distribution of carbonate diagenetic alterations

Quantitative analysis of stylolite networks in different platform carbonate facies

Fault‐controlled dolostone geometries in a transgressive–regressive sequence stratigraphic framework

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