The 3D facies architecture and petrophysical properties of hyaloclastite delta deposits: An integrated photogrammetry and petrophysical study from southern Iceland

Abstract

Hyaloclastites develop where lava interacts with water resulting in deposits that have a unique and often complex range of petrophysical properties. A combination of eruptive style and emplacement environment dictates the size, geometry and distribution of different hyaloclastite facies and their associated primary physical properties such as porosity, permeability and velocity. To date, links between the 3D facies variability within these systems and their petrophysical properties remain poorly understood. Hjörleifshöfði in southern Iceland presents an exceptional outcrop exposure of an emergent hyaloclastite sequence >1 km wide by >200 m high and enables an investigation of the distribution of the hyaloclastite deposits at seismic scale. Within this study we present a photogrammetry-based 3D model from part of this recent hyaloclastite delta and incorporate previous work by Watton et al. (Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 2013, 250, 19) to undertake detailed facies interpretation and quantification. Laboratory petrophysical analyses were performed 1082 | EAGE GREENFIELD Et aL. Highlights • 3-D photogrammetric reconstruction enables convenient quantitative outcrop analysis. • Young hyaloclastites are prone to mechanical failure, lowering permeability. • Complicated lateral variabilities are caused by significant slumping and reworking. • High fluid flow potential in hyaloclastites at shallow depths prior to diagenesis. • Chemical diagenesis and compaction during burial reduce reservoir properties.

Formation of the crater suevite sequence from the Chicxulub peak ring: A petrographic, geochemical, and sedimentological characterization

“…Based on the paleomagnetic data, in combination with the petrographic characteristics stated above, we suggest that the non-graded suevite unit was emplaced following processes similar to those of a primary hyaloclastite breccia deposit (Watton et al, 2013). Hyaloclastite deposits are normally known from submarine or subglacial volcanoes when magma interacts with water and are characterized by a poorly sorted, groundmass-supported unit enriched in quenched glassy fragments (Greenfield et al, 2020), which is the case for the non-graded suevite unit (Fig. 11).…”

Petrophysical Property Modifications by Alteration in a Volcanic Sequence at IODP Site U1513, Naturaliste Plateau

“…Non‐scientific drilling rarely recovers cores from altered volcanic rocks due to cost and technical difficulty, thus alteration mineralogy is derived from cuttings in coordination with wireline log data. Subsequently, quantifying alteration and its correlation with petrophysical properties has faced obstacles in similar studies (e.g., Broglia & Moos, 1988; Delius et al., 2003; Greenfield et al., 2020; Helm‐Clark et al., 2004; Jerram et al., 2019; Planke, 1994; Pola et al., 2014). Our study builds on recent studies that have begun establishing the quantitative correlations between petrophysical properties and alteration (e.g., Delayre et al., 2020; Lévy et al., 2018; Rossetti et al., 2019; Scott et al., 2019).…”

The Rosebank Field, NE Atlantic: Volcanic characterisation of an inter‐lava hydrocarbon discovery

“…In the simplest case, the model can be populated with properties averaged from the borehole lithofacies summaries; however, with an abundance of regional analogue wells (e.g. Nelson et al., 2009; Andersen et al, 2009), expanding availability of relevant 3D outcrop analogue models (Famelli et al., 2021; Greenfield et al., 2020) and laboratory petrophysical data for relevant volcanic facies ranges (Angkasa et al., 2017; Bartetzko et al., 2005; Planke, 1994), the potential for advanced sensitivity modelling not only for different geological model scenarios but also for variable property ranges, is extensive.…”