Quartz types, genesis and their geological significance within the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in north-western Hunan, China

doi:10.1007/s11707-022-0998-x

Front. Earth Sci.

2023, Vol. 17

Issue (2) : 455-469 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-022-0998-x

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Quartz types, genesis and their geological significance within the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in north-western Hunan, China

Ke ZHANG^1,^2,³, Shuheng TANG^1,^2,³(

), Zhaodong XI^1,^2,³, Yapei YE^1,^2,³

¹. School of Energy Resource, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
². Key Laboratory of Marine Reservoir Evolution and Hydrocarbon Enrichment Mechanism, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100083, China
³. Key Laboratory of Strategy Evaluation for Shale Gas, Ministry of Land and Resources, Beijing 100083, China

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Abstract

Quartz is an important mineral component in the Late Ordovician – Early Silurian Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation with various forms and sources and has a significant impact on the properties of shale gas reservoirs. In this study, geochemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation, and rock mechanics testing were performed on shale samples from the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in north-western Hunan, South China. Quartz is classified into four types based on morphological features and cathodoluminescence (CL) images under SEM – terrigenous detrital quartz, quartz overgrowths, biogenic skeletal quartz and microquartz. The quartz in Upper Longmaxi Formation is predominantly of terrigenous origin and contains a small amount of quartz formed by clay transformation. The quartz in the Wufeng-Lower Longmaxi Formation is predominantly biogenic. The biogenic quartz has a direct effect on organic matter (OM) abundance, pore structure and brittleness. It is indicated by the positive correlation with TOC content and biogenic Ba content that biogenic quartz-rich strata have high paleoproductivity. The rigid frameworks formed by biogenic quartz during the early diagenesis stage facilitated the preservation of the primary pores. The interparticle pores of biogenic quartz are the space for OM preservation and migration, creating conditions for the development of OM pores. Additionally, the calculated brittleness index (BI) shows a positive correlation with biogenic quartz content, indicating that layers rich in biogenic quartz are more conducive to fracture. Therefore, the Wufeng-Lower Longmaxi Formation has higher OM content, porosity and represents a more favorable exploration and development target.

Keywords quartz silica source porosity organic matter rock mechanics

Corresponding Author(s): Shuheng TANG

Online First Date: 17 March 2023 Issue Date: 04 August 2023

Cite this article:

Ke ZHANG,Shuheng TANG,Zhaodong XI, et al. Quartz types, genesis and their geological significance within the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in north-western Hunan, China[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2023, 17(2): 455-469.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-022-0998-x
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2023/V17/I2/455

Fig.1 (a) Paleogeographic map of the Yangtze area during Early Silurian time highlighting the lithofacies distribution and the position of well Y. (b) Lithostratigraphic column of the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation in well Y (modified from Xu et al., 2004).

Tab.1 Results of various parameters of Wufeng-Longmaxi shale

Fig.2 SEM and CL images of terrigenous detrital quartz (D-Qtz) and quartz overgrowths. (a) Terrigenous detrital quartz is characterized by angular and subangular shapes. (b) Terrigenous detrital quartz is defined by a strong luminous color in the CL image. (c) Terrigenous detrital quartz and quartz overgrowths crystallizing around it. (d) Quartz overgrowths do not display luminescence in the CL image, therefore the boundary between quartz overgrowths and terrigenous detrital quartz is clearly visible.

Fig.3 SEM and CL images of biogenic skeletal quartz and microquartz. (a) Biogenic skeletal quartz. (b) Radiolarian skeleton under SEM-CL showing silica-filled interior. (c) Authigenic microquartz scattered in clay matrix in unpolished samples. (d) Microquartz cements (Qtz-cements).

Fig.4 Different types of pores associated with quartz under SEM. (a) Intraparticle pores formed by the dissolution of terrigenous detrital quartz (D-Qtz) in unpolished samples. (b) Interparticle pores located between clay matrix-dispersed microquartz (C-Qtz) in unpolished samples. (c) Interparticle pores positioned between microquartz cements (Qtz-cements). (d) Micro-fractures in microquartz grains and shrinkage micro-fractures located between microquartz and OM.

Fig.5 Si-Al correlation diagram for the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation shales (modified from Rowe et al., 2008).

Fig.6 Correlation diagram between Zr and SiO₂.

Fig.7 Al-Fe-Mn ternary diagram of the shale samples from the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation. The gray area indicates non-hydrothermal genesis, while the green area indicates hydrothermal genesis. All samples fall into the non-hydrothermal area (modified from Adachi et al., 1986; Yamamoto, 1987).

Fig.8 Mineral composition (wt%) of the shale samples from the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation based on XRD. Clay minerals and quartz are the main minerals.

Fig.9 Variation plot of relevant parameters versus depth for the shale samples of the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation and the calculated values of different quartz sources.

Fig.10 SEM images of OM and quartz crystals: (a) a significant amount of OM filled the pores formed by the microquartz cements, and the OM pores created by the OM remained well preserved; (b) OM particles developed an OM network through interparticle pores.

Fig.11 SEM images of OM pores: (a) OM pores in unpolished samples; (b) OM pores in samples polished by the argon ion method.

Fig.12 Correlation plot between the brittleness index (BI) and (a) terrigenous SiO₂, (b) biogenic SiO₂.

Fig.13 Depositional and diagnesis model of the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation shales.

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