Upper Permian (Zechstein) microbialites: Supratidal through deep subtidal deposition, source rock, and reservoir potential

Słowakiewicz, Mirosław; Tucker, Maurice E.; Pancost, Richard D.; Perri, Edoardo; Mawson, Mike

doi:10.1306/06181312179

Cited by 40 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…This study is designed to provide a better understanding of the environmental conditions that existed in this region during the Early Devonian. The potential of microbialites sequences to be source rock or reservoirs has been noted in different parts of the world, including the Ara Formation (Oman), Niagaran reefs (Michigan basin), Nisku reefs (Canada), Santos Basin (Brazil) and Roker Formation (England) (Słowakiewicz et al ., ). Considering the importance of the Jauf Formation for Palaeozoic petroleum systems in the central and northern parts of Saudi Arabia, this study is also intended to contribute to the understanding of the heterogeneity of lithofacies and its future implications for reservoir potential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Facies mosaic and diagenetic patterns of the early Devonian (Late Pragian–Early Emsian) microbialite‐dominated carbonate sequences, Qasr Member, Jauf Formation, Saudi Arabia

2015

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The Al-Jawf area of northern Saudi Arabia provides spectacular outcrops of Early Devonian carbonate bioherms in the Wadi Murayr and Dumat Al-Jandal areas. These carbonate bioherms belong to the Qasr Member of the Late Pragian-Early Emsian Jauf Formation (~405 Ma) and are surrounded by a bioclastic carbonate succession. The Qasr Member is the first major carbonate unit of the Palaeozoic succession in Saudi Arabia that mainly consists of microbialite carbonates and metazoan reefs exhibiting distinct mound features. These bioherm complexes and their associated carbonate facies are pervasively dolomitized. Stratigraphic, petrographic and geochemical analyses were conducted to determine the facies distribution and interpret their depositional and diagenetic processes. A total of 11 facies are identified from a range of depositional environments within a carbonate platform system, ranging from tidal flats, lagoon, shoal, patch reefs to reef front. The main diagenetic processes are carbonate cementation and dolomitization. Dolomitization occurred as both fabric preserved (mostly in grain-dominated facies) and fabric destructive (mud-dominated facies). The microbialites and coralline sponges facies show poor reservoir with visual porosity less than 5%, but this succession may have a potential to serve as a good source for the underlying and overlying facies. Ooid and peloidal grainstone facies show fair to good visual porosity that locally exceeds 10% with intergranular porosity as the dominant type. However, in the most studied samples, vuggy and intraparticle porosities are observed as the dominant type.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Facies mosaic and diagenetic patterns of the early Devonian (Late Pragian–Early Emsian) microbialite‐dominated carbonate sequences, Qasr Member, Jauf Formation, Saudi Arabia

2015

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“…The preserved TOC values therefore suggest that the relatively more productive palaeogeographic zones were confined to platform interiors and slopes. These correlate with the abundance of microbialites deposited within these platform zones where the TOC o mean values were distinctly higher; for example, in stromatolites and thrombolites TOC is typically c. 0.4 wt% and in the biolaminated mudstone may even reach 2 wt% (Słowakiewicz et al 2013).…”

Section: Toc Distribution and Organic Matter Maturitymentioning

confidence: 78%

“…A more realistic average TOC value for the Ca2 oolite shoal lithofacies is ,0.15 wt% (e.g. Kotarba et al 2003;Słowakiewicz et al 2013;Ga˛siewicz, this volume, in press); it therefore appears unlikely that hydrocarbons were generated from organic matter originally occurring in the carbonate platform oolite shoal zones. The preserved TOC values therefore suggest that the relatively more productive palaeogeographic zones were confined to platform interiors and slopes.…”

Section: Toc Distribution and Organic Matter Maturitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeoclimatic imprint, distribution and genesis of Zechstein Main Dolomite (Upper Permian) petroleum source rocks in Poland: Sedimentological and geochemical rationales

Słowakiewicz

Gąsiewicz

2013

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Arid palaeoclimatic conditions and marine current circulation influenced organic matter productivity and its distribution and preservation in the Upper Permian (Zechstein) Main Dolomite (Ca2) source rocks in Poland. The gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons occurring within the Main Dolomite show distinctive geochemical characteristics which distinguish them from those derived from Carboniferous or other Permian strata and indicate that the main type of organic matter from which they were derived was of microbial origin. It is suggested here that the majority of the Ca2 hydrocarbons come from in situ organic matter (intraformational deposits). The lagoonal and slope zones are enriched in total organic carbon (TOC) compared to both the oolite shoal and basinal facies. These sedimentary settings were dominated by various biolaminated microbialite facies. The basinal areas, previously believed to be the location of the main source rocks for hydrocarbons found in the Main Dolomite, appear to have little source rock potential. Geochemical and geological features such as high organic productivity in lagoonal and slope zones of the Main Dolomite indicate that at least some of the hydrocarbons may have been generated from in situ deposited and degraded organic matter. This conclusion may improve prediction of the occurrence of hydrocarbon deposits in the Ca2.

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“…Song et al, 2014), the Middle Proterozoic Wumishan Formation in the Renqiu Oilfield (Mei, Gao, Meng, & Liu, 2008), and the Ediacaran Dengying Formation in the Sichuan Basin (L. Li, Tan, et al, 2013;Liu et al, 2016). The sedimentary features (Berra, Balini, Levera, Nicora, & Salamati, 2012;Della Porta, Bahamonde, Kenter, & Verwer, 2017;Della Porta, Kenter, Bahamonde, Immenhauser, & Villa, 2003;Hips, Haas, Poros, Kele, & Budai, 2015;Warusavitharana & Parcell, 2013) and reservoir characteristics Słowakiewicz, Tucker, Pancost, Perri, & Mawson, 2013;Wahlman, Orchard, & Buijs, 2013) of microbial mounds were extensively studied in order to better clarify the controls on high-quality reservoir property.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Song et al, ), the Middle Proterozoic Wumishan Formation in the Renqiu Oilfield (Mei, Gao, Meng, & Liu, ), and the Ediacaran Dengying Formation in the Sichuan Basin (L. Li, Tan, et al, ; Liu et al, ). The sedimentary features (Berra, Balini, Levera, Nicora, & Salamati, ; Della Porta, Bahamonde, Kenter, & Verwer, ; Della Porta, Kenter, Bahamonde, Immenhauser, & Villa, ; Hips, Haas, Poros, Kele, & Budai, ; Warusavitharana & Parcell, ) and reservoir characteristics (Lipinski, Franseen, & Goldstein, ; Słowakiewicz, Tucker, Pancost, Perri, & Mawson, ; Wahlman, Orchard, & Buijs, ) of microbial mounds were extensively studied in order to better clarify the controls on high‐quality reservoir property. Despite the extensive studies on sedimentary features and reservoir characteristics, however, no consensus has been reached on the distribution and controlling factors of reservoirs formed in microbial mounds (Al Haddad & Mancini, ; Goldstein, Franseen, & Lipinski, ; Sarg, Suriamin, TÌnavsuu‐Milkeviciene, & Humphrey, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sequence stratigraphy and facies architecture of a mound‐shoal‐dominated dolomite reservoir in the late Ediacaran Dengying Formation, central Sichuan Basin, SW China

Wei

Yang

et al. 2018

Geological Journal

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The late Ediacaran Dengying Formation is one of the oldest carbonate microbial mound and shoal reservoirs in the world. This formation has recently attained widespread attention with the significant discovery of a huge volume of natural gas in the central part of the Sichuan Basin, South China. To fully understand the depositional processes and impacts on the reservoir, a comprehensive study of the sequence stratigraphy and facies architecture as well as reservoir analysis was undertaken by integrating analysis of seismic, well-logging, and core data. The D4 member consists of nine types of lithofacies representing distinguished depositional environments.These types of lithofacies can be grouped into five types of lithofacies associations, which are platform-margin shoal, mound-shoal complex, microbial mound, lagoon, and tidal flat. The platform margin was dominated by shoal and mound-shoal complexes, whereas the platform interior contained microbial mounds, lagoon, and tidal flat facies. We constructed a high-frequency sequence stratigraphy framework and identified two third-order sequences (SQ1 and SQ2) in the Dengying Formation and five fourth-order sequences (SQ2-1 to SQ2-5) in the fourth member of the Dengying Formation (the D4 member). In the D4 member, the thickness of the mound-shoal complex increases from the bottom to the top. The reservoir spaces in this Formation generally have low porosity and low permeability and include dissolution vugs and caves, and intercrystalline vugs and pores. Three types of reservoirs are identified, which are early-stage karst mound-shoal reservoirs, late-stage karst superimposed reservoirs, and other factors impacted reservoirs. Microbial mound and shoal facies are the material basis for a favourable reservoir, with the key factor for the improvement of reservoir quality being early-stage meteoric-water dissolution related to fourth-order sequence boundaries. The tectonic unconformity that was formed at the end of the Sinian Stage dominates the development and distribution of the most beneficial reservoir beds. Organic acid, hydrothermal fluid, and tectonic fracturing processes modified the reservoir beds in advance. Results from our investigation enable us to propose a model for the depositional evolution and reservoir formation in the D4 member of the Dengying Formation.

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Upper Permian (Zechstein) microbialites: Supratidal through deep subtidal deposition, source rock, and reservoir potential

Cited by 40 publications

References 26 publications

Facies mosaic and diagenetic patterns of the early Devonian (Late Pragian–Early Emsian) microbialite‐dominated carbonate sequences, Qasr Member, Jauf Formation, Saudi Arabia

Facies mosaic and diagenetic patterns of the early Devonian (Late Pragian–Early Emsian) microbialite‐dominated carbonate sequences, Qasr Member, Jauf Formation, Saudi Arabia

Palaeoclimatic imprint, distribution and genesis of Zechstein Main Dolomite (Upper Permian) petroleum source rocks in Poland: Sedimentological and geochemical rationales

Sequence stratigraphy and facies architecture of a mound‐shoal‐dominated dolomite reservoir in the late Ediacaran Dengying Formation, central Sichuan Basin, SW China

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