Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-29T04:12:21.930Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Shale Diagenesis in the Bergen High Area, North Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

J. Reed Glasmann ,
Steve Larter ,
Nowell A. Briedis  and
Paul D. Lundegard
J. Reed Glasmann
Affiliation:
Unocal Science and Technology Division, 376 South Valencia Boulevard, Brea, California 92621
Steve Larter
Affiliation:
Unocal Science and Technology Division, 376 South Valencia Boulevard, Brea, California 92621
Nowell A. Briedis
Affiliation:
Unocal Science and Technology Division, 376 South Valencia Boulevard, Brea, California 92621
Paul D. Lundegard
Affiliation:
Unocal Science and Technology Division, 376 South Valencia Boulevard, Brea, California 92621
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Illite diagenesis in Tertiary and Mesozoic shales in the Bergen High area, northern North Sea, was studied using mineralogic, isotopic, and computerized thermal modeling techniques. The Tertiary shales are dominated by smectite, with lesser amounts of illite, kaolinite, and chlorite. At present burial temperatures of >70°C smectite is absent, and the shales contain abundant lath-shaped illite which yields a mixed-layer illite/smectite (I/S) X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) pattern. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicates that the illite laths increase in abundance and thickness with increasing depth; XRD patterns indicate a progressive increase in the illite component of the I/S. The deepest samples were found to contain long-range ordered (R=3) I/S, which showed platy particle morphology with the TEM. K-Ar ages of most of the <0.1-μm-size illite separates imply that illitization was a relatively brief event affecting a thick sequence of sediments during late Cretaceous to early Paleocene time (65–87 Ma); however, measured ages were affected by trace levels of detrital Ar contamination and do not represent the true age of diagenesis.

Several methods of quantifying Ar contamination were used to correct measured ages to obtain a reasonable estimate of the true age of diagenesis. The corrected ages are imprecise due to uncertainties in quantifying the levels of sample contamination, but generally suggest a Paleogene (38–66 Ma) period of illitization. In contrast, simple kinetic models of smectite-illitization suggest much younger ages of diagenesis (0–40 Ma at the Veslefrikk field; 0–60 Ma at the Huldra field). The timing of the diagenesis and the morphologic aspects of the authigenic illite suggest that illite precipitated before late Tertiary compaction and resulted in a decrease in fluid permeability. Low trapping efficiency of early Tertiary sediments, vertical escape of warm fluid from the Brent sandstone, and high heat flow may have promoted illite diagenesis in the shales prior to deep late-Tertiary burial.

Keywords

DiagenesisIlliteIllite/smectiteK-Ar agesShaleTransmission electron microscopy
Type
Research Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , April 1989 , pp. 97 - 112
Copyright
Copyright © 1989, The Clay Minerals Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ahn, J. A. and Peacor, D. R., 1986 Transmission and analytical electron microscopy of the smectite-to-illite transition Clays & Clay Minerals 34 165 – 179.Google Scholar
Aronson, J. L. and Lee, M., 1986 K/Ar systematics of bentonite and shale in a contact metamorphic zone, Cerrillos, New Mexico Clays & Clay Minerals 34 483 – 487.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aronson, J. L. and Hower, J., 1976 Mechanism of burial metamorphism of argillaceous sediment: 2. Radiogenic argon evidence Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 68 673 – 683.Google Scholar
Bethke, C. M. and Altaner, S. P., 1986 Layer-by-layer mechanism of smectite illitization and application to a new rate law Clays & Clay Minerals 34 136 – 145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bethke, C. M., Vergo, N. and Altaner, S. P., 1986 Pathways of smectite illitization Clays & Clay Minerals 34 125 – 135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blanche, J. B. and Whitaker, J H McD, 1978 Diagenesis of part of the Brent Sand Formation (Middle Jurassic) of the northern North Sea basin J. Geol. Soc. London 135 73 – 82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clauer, N., 1981 Stronium and argon isotopes in naturally weathered biotites, muscovites, and feldspars Chem. Geol. 31 325 – 334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dahl, B., Speers, G. C., Dore, A. G., Eggen, S. S., Home, P. C., Marne, R. and Thomas, B. M., 1985 Organic geochemistry of the Oseberg Field (I) Petroleum Geochemistry in Exploration of the Norwegian Shelf London Norwegian Petroleum Society, Graham & Trotman Ltd. 185 – 195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DICKSON, J. A. D., 1965 A Modified Staining Technique for Carbonates in Thin Section Nature 205 4971 587 – 587.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dypvik, H., 1983 Clay mineral transformations in Tertiary and Mesozoic sediments from North Sea Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 67 160 – 165.Google Scholar
Eberl, D., 1978 Reaction series for dioctahedral smectites Clays & Clay Minerals 26 327 – 340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eberl, D. and Hower, J., 1976 Kinetics of illite formation Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 87 1326 – 1330.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, W. C. and Aronson, J. L., 1987 Alleghanian episode of K-bentonite illitization in the southern Appalachian basin Geology 15 735 – 739.Google Scholar
Elliott, W. C., Aronson, J. L. and Gautier, D. L. (1986) Bentonite illitization and thermal history, Denver basin, U.S.A.: Terra Cognita 6, 108.Google Scholar
Falvey, D. A. and Middleton, M. F., 1981 Passive continental margins: Evidence for a pre-breakup deep crustal metamorphic subsidence mechanism Oceanologica Acta 4 103 – 114.Google Scholar
Field, J. D., Dore, A. G., Eggen, S. S., Home, P. C., Marne, R. and Thomas, B. M., 1985 Organic geochemistry in exploration of the northern North Sea Petroleum Geochemistry in Exploration of the Norwegian Shelf London Norwegian Petroleum Society, Graham & Trotman Ltd. 39 – 57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedman, G. M. and Carver, R. E., 1971 Staining Procedures in Sedimentary Petrology New York Wiley 511 – 531.Google Scholar
Glasmann, J. R., 1987 Comments on “The evolution of illite to muscovite: mineralogical and isotopic data from the Glarus Alps, Switzerland”e Contrit. Mineral. Petrol. 96 72 – 74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glasmann, J. R., 1987 Argon diffusion in illite during diagenesis: How good is the K/Ar clock? 60.Google Scholar
Glasmann, J. R., Clark, R. A., Larter, S., Briedis, N. A. and Lundegard, P. D., 1989 Diagenesis in the Bergen High area, North Sea: Relationships to hydrocarbon maturation and fluid flow, Brent Sandstone Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. .Google Scholar
Glasmann, J. R., 1989 Geochemical Evidence for the History of Diagenesis and Fluid Migration: Brent Sandstone, Heather Field, North Sea Clay Minerals 24 2 255 – 284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glasmann, J. R. and Simonson, G. H., 1985 Alteration of basalt in soils of western Oregon Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 49 262 – 272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goff, J. C., 1983 Hydrocarbon generation and migration from Jurassic source rocks in the E. Shetland basin and Viking graben of the northern North Sea J. Geol. Soc. London 140 445 – 474.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, P. J., Fallick, A. E., Macintyre, R. M., Elliott, S., Brooks, J. and Glennie, K., 1987 Isotopic tracing of the provenance and diagenesis of Lower Brent Group sands, North Sea Petroleum Geology of Northwest Europe London Graham & Trotman Ltd. 939 – 949.Google Scholar
Hancock, N. J. and Taylor, A. M., 1978 Clay mineral diagenesis and oil migration in the Middle Jurassic Brent Sand Formation J. Geol. Soc. London 135 69 – 72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haszeldine, R. S., Samson, I. M. and Cornford, C., 1984 Quartz diagenesis and convective fluid movement: Beatrice Oilfield, UK North Sea Clay Miner. 19 391 – 402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, J. and Hower, J., 1979 Clay mineral assemblages as low grade metamorphic geothermometers: Applications to the thrust faulted disturbed belt of Montana, U.S.A. Aspects of Diagenesis 26 55 – 79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, J., Hower, J. and Aronson, J. L., 1976 Radiometric dating of time of thrusting in the disturbed belt of Montana Geology 4 16 – 20.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hower, J., Hurley, P. M., Pinson, W. H. and Fairbairn, H. W., 1963 The dependence of K-Ar age on the mineralogy of various particle size ranges in a shale Geochim. Cos-mochim. Acta 27 405 – 410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunziker, J. C., Frey, M., Clauer, N., Dallmeyer, R. D., Fried-richsen, H., Flehmig, W., Hochstrasser, K., Roggwiler, H. and Schwander, H., 1986 The evolution of illite to mus-covite: Mineralogical and isotopic data from the Glarus Alps, Switzerland Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 92 157 – 180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inoue, A., Kohyama, N., Kitagawa, R. and Watanabe, T., 1987 Chemical and morphological evidence for the conversion of smectite to illite Clays & Clay Minerals 35 111 – 120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jennings, S. and Thompson, G. R., 1986 Diagenesis of Plio-Pleistocene sediments of the Colorado River Delta, southern California J. Sed. Petrol. 56 89 – 98.Google Scholar
Jourdan, A., Thomas, M., Brevart, O., Robson, P., Sommer, F., Sullivan, M., Brooks, J. and Glennie, K., 1987 Diagenesis as the control of the Brent Sandstone reservoir properties in the greater Al-wyn area (East Shetland basin) Petroleum Geology of Northwest Europe London Graham & Trotman Ltd. 951 – 961.Google Scholar
Lee, M., 1984 Diagenesis of the Permian Rotliegendes Sandstone, North Sea: K/Ar, 180/160, and petrographic evidence Cleveland, Ohio Case Western Reserve University.Google Scholar
Liewig, N., Clauer, N. and Sommer, F., 1987 Rb-Sr and K-Ar dating of clay diagenesis in Jurassic sandstone oil reservoir, North Sea Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 71 1467 – 1474.Google Scholar
McHardy, W.J. Wilson, M.J. and Tait, J.M., 1982 Electron microscope and X-ray diffraction studies of filamentous illitic clay from sandstones of the Magnus Field Clay Miner. 17 23 – 39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenzie, D., 1978 Some remarks on the development of sedimentary basins Earth Planetary Sci. Letters 40 25 – 32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Middleton, M. F. and Falvey, D. A., 1983 Maturation modeling in Otway Basin, Australia Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 67 271 – 279.Google Scholar
Morton, J. P., 1985 Rb-Sr evidence for punctuated illite/smectite diagenesis in the Oligocene Frio Formation, Texas Gulf Coast Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 96 114 – 122.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nadeau, P. H., 1985 The physical dimensions of fundamental clay particles Clay Miner. 20 499 – 514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nadeau, P. H. and Bain, D. C., 1986 Composition of some smectites and diagenetic illitic clays and implications for their origin Clays & Clay Minerals 34 455 – 464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nadeau, P. H., Wilson, M. J., McHardy, W. J. and Tait, J. M., 1984 Interparticle diffraction: A new concept for interstratified clays Clay Miner. 19 757 – 769.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, M. J., Watkins, D., Small, J. S., Mortland, M. M. and Farmer, V. C., 1982 Clay diagenesis and organic maturation in northern North Sea sediments Proc. Int. Clay Conf, Oxford, 1978 Amsterdam Elsevier 665 – 675.Google Scholar
Perry, E. A. Jr., 1974 Diagenesis and the K/Ar dating of shales and clay minerals Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 85 827 – 830.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramseyer, K. and Boles, J. R., 1986 Mixed-layer illite/ smectite minerals in Tertiary sandstones and shales, San Joaquin Basin, California Clays & Clay Minerals 34 115 – 124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, R. C., Brindley, G. W. and Brown, G., 1980 Interstratified clay minerals Crystal Structures of Clay Minerals and Their X-ray Identification London Mineralogical Society 249 – 304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ritter, U., 1985 The influence of time and temperature on vitrinite reflectance Organic Geochem. 6 473 – 480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Royden, L., Sclater, J. G. and Von Herzen, R. P., 1980 Continental margin subsidence and heat flow: Important parameters in formation of petroleum hydrocarbons A mer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 64 173 – 187.Google Scholar
Sclater, J. G. and Christie, P. A. F., 1980 Continental stretching: An explanation of the post-Mid-Cretaceous subsidence of the Central North Sea basin J. Geophys. Research 85 3711 – 3739.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Srodon, J., Morgan, D. J., Eslinger, E. V., Eberl, D. and Karlinger, M. R., 1986 Chemistry of illite/smectite and end-member illite Clays & Clay Minerals 34 369 – 378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steiger, R. H. and Jager, E., 1977 Subcommission on geo-chronology: Convention on the use of decay constants in geo- and cosmochronology Earth Planetary Sci. Letters 36 359 – 362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Theisen, A. A. and Harward, M. E., 1962 A paste method for preparation of slides for clay mineral identification by X-ray diffraction Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 26 90 – 91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, B. M., Moller-Pedersen, P., Whitaker, M. F., Shaw, N. D., Dore, A. G., Eggen, S. S., Home, P. C., Marne, R. and Thomas, B. M., 1985 Organic facies and hydrocarbon distributions in the Norwegian North Sea Petroleum Geochemistry in Exploration of the Norwegian Shelf London Norwegian Petroleum Society, Graham & Trotman Ltds. 3 – 26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, M., 1986 Diagenetic sequences and K/Ar dating in Jurassic sandstones, central Viking graben: Effects on reservoir properties Clay Miner. 21 695 – 710.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Velde, B., Suzuki, T. and Nicot, E., 1986 Pressure-temperature-composition of illite/smectite mixed-layer minerals: Niger delta mudstones and other examples Clays & Clay Minerals 34 435 – 441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waples, D. W., 1980 Time and temperature in petroleum formation: Application of Lopatin’s method to petroleum exploration Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull. 64 916 – 926.Google Scholar
Yau, Y. C., Peacor, D. R. and McDowell, S. D., 1987 Smectite-to-illite reactions in Salton Sea shales: A transmission and analytical electron microscope study J. Sed. Petrol. 57 335 – 342.Google Scholar
Yau, Y. C., Peacor, D. R., Essene, E. J., Lee, J. H., Kuo, L. C. and Cosca, M. A., 1987 Hydrothermal treatment of smectite, illite, and basalt to 460°C: Comparison of natural with hydrothermally formed clay minerals Clays & Clay Minerals 35 241 – 250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar