Compressibility of porous rocks: Part II. New relationships

Pore volume compressibility is one of the physical properties of a reservoir that must be specified in many reservoir-engineering calculations. The main objective of this work is to provide new general formulas for pore volume compressibility versus porosity on the basis of measured compressibilities of some limestone and sandstone rocks in a wide range of porosity values and of varied type; the measurements were performed on Hungarian reservoir rock samples. The obtained laboratory results were compared with the published correlations of consolidated limestone samples as well with values for friable and strongly consolidated sandstones. The validity of using compressibility data from the literature was investigated. The measured data showed poor agreement with the published correlations. The first approach to find better and more accurate rock compressibility correlations consisted of combing all the data available from the literature, using the same formula of Horne’s type. However, this attempt did not give satisfying fitting results. In the next step, by using twelve different fitting formulas, and other comprehensive nonlinear fitting regression programs, new rock compressibility correlations for limestone and sandstone rocks, with better goodness of fit, were developed. These new correlations can be generalized and used for most of oil and gas reservoirs.     

岩石孔隙结构的地震信号特征

岩石孔隙结构是控制砂岩和碳酸盐岩的地震波速度和渗透率的重要参数之一。如果两种类似的岩石其孔隙度一定,而渗透率不同,那么它们的声波速度相差2km/s,而渗透率两者则可能相差近6个数量级,即从0.01mD到20mO。在本文中我们总结了由一个广义孔隙弹性理论简化的一个双参数弹性速度模型，以描述孔隙结构对弹性波的影响。由于矿物和储层的流体是给定的,我们用孔隙度和骨架的柔性(挠性)因子来确定速度模型,这个模型可以用于地震反演和储层表征,已改善孔隙度和储量的计算骨架柔性因子可用于岩石结构(PST)类型的定量分类,并可以利用叠前、叠后的两种地震资料将其与孔隙的连通性和渗透率联系起来。本项研究同时也有助于说明为什么振幅与偏移距(AVO)分析用于流体检测在某些情况下失败。这是由于孔隙结构对地震波的影响能够掩盖所有流体效应，特别是在碳酸岩中。     

Acoustic emission of quasi-isotropic rock samples initiated by temperature gradients

The influence of temperature gradients and heating rate on crack formation in quasi-isotropic samples of marble and sandstone is studied using acoustic emission records. The behavior of velocities and attenuation of elastic waves in the samples is also examined. The crystallographic textures of marble and sandstone are measured by the neutron diffraction method, and it is shown that temperature gradients of up to 52°C/cm do not lead to a change in the textures. It is established that the temperature dependence of acoustic activity in the sandstone samples strongly depends on the internal heating rate. The maximum acoustic activity of the sandstone samples was observed at maximum temperature gradients in the samples. The temperature dependence of acoustic activity in marble differs significantly from that in sandstone. Maximums of acoustic activity in the marble samples are observed at temperatures of 30–60 and higher than 200°C. A decrease in acoustic activity was recorded in the interval between these temperatures. Such behavior suggests a predominant role of the surface structure and the concentration of surface defects in the process of crack formation in marble. During cooling, all samples demonstrate similar behavior: maximum acoustic activity is observed at the switching-off of the heating element and the emission activities of different samples are comparable in intensity.     

碳酸盐岩跨频段岩石物理测量与理论建模——不同孔隙结构对碳酸盐岩频散与衰减的影响研究

碳酸盐岩孔隙结构类型复杂多样,当地震波经过含有不同孔隙结构的流体饱和岩石后往往会产生不同的波频散和衰减特征,这使得根据波的不同响应特征来推断碳酸盐岩的孔隙结构类型,甚至孔隙流体性质信息成为可能.本文针对白云岩、灰岩以及人工碳酸盐岩样品开展了跨频段（超声+低频）实验测量和理论建模,探索碳酸盐岩的孔隙结构类型和孔隙流体对模量频散和衰减的影响机制.首先根据铸体薄片、扫描电镜的图像对碳酸盐岩样品进行了孔隙结构类型分析,并将样品主要分为裂缝型、裂缝-孔隙型、孔洞型三类,然后测量了相应样品完全饱和流体后在不同围压下的模量频散与衰减.在完全饱和甘油并处于低围压时,裂缝型与孔洞型样品均出现一个衰减峰,分别位于1 Hz与100 Hz附近,而裂缝-孔隙型样品则具有两个衰减峰,一个在1 Hz附近,另一个在100 Hz附近.裂缝型样品（裂缝主导）的衰减峰相比孔洞型样品（中等刚度孔隙主导）对应的衰减峰在低围压下幅度更大,且对围压变化更敏感.在测量数据的基础上,建立了考虑纵横比分布的软孔隙和中等刚度孔隙的喷射流模型,认为该模型能一定程度上解释裂缝型、裂缝-孔隙型、孔洞型三种类型碳酸盐岩在测量频带的频散.以上研究加深了对不同孔隙类型主导的碳酸盐岩储层地震响应特征的认识,对储层预测工作的进一步精细化具有重要意义.     

Characteristics and accumulation mechanisms of the Dongfang 13-1 high temperature and overpressured gas field in the Yinggehai Basin,the South China Sea

The Dongfang 13-1 is located in the diapiric structure belt of the Yinggehai Basin. The formation pressure of its main gas reservoir in the Miocene Huangliu Formation is up to 54.6 MPa(pressure coefficient=1.91) and the temperature is as high as 143°C(geothermal gradient 4.36°C/100 m), indicating that it is a typical high-temperature and overpressured gas reservoir. The natural gas is interpreted to be coal-type gas derived from the Miocene mature source rocks containing type II2-III kerogens as evidenced by high dryness index of up to 0.98 and heavy carbon isotopes, i.e., the δ13C1 ranging from -30.76‰ to -37.52‰ and δ13C2 ranging from -25.02‰ to -25.62‰. The high temperature and overpressured Miocene petroleum system is related mainly to diapir in the Yinggehai Basin and contains more pore water in the overpressured reservoirs due to undercompaction process. The experimental and calculated results show that the solubility of natural gas in formation water is as high as 10.5 m3/m3 under the temperature and pressure conditions of the Sanya Formation, indicating that at least part of the gas may migrate in the form of water-soluble phase. Meanwhile, the abundant gas source in the Basin makes it possible for the rapid saturation of natural gas in formation water and exsolution of soluble gas. Therefore, the main elements controlling formation of the Dongfang 13-1 gas pool include that(1) the diapir activities and accompanying changes in temperature and pressure accelerate the water-soluble gas exsolution and release a lot of free gas;(2) submarine fan fine sandstone in the Huangliu Formation provides good gas-water segregation and accumulation space; and(3) the overlying overpressured mud rocks act as effective caps. The accumulation mechanism reveals that the high temperatural and high pressure structure belt near the diapir structures has a good potential for large and medium-sized gas field exploration.     

泥质含量及其分布形式对岩电关系影响的数字岩心仿真(英文)

由于泥质所造成的附加导电现象,泥质含量及其分布形式对电阻率增大系数I和含水饱和度Sw关系具有重要影响,由于岩石物理实验中岩心孔隙结构及其组分构成、分布的微观不可调性,因而泥质分布形式所造成的影响很难通过岩心实验来单独研究。基于数字岩心的格子气自动机方法是一种有效的微观数值模拟方法,本研究利用储层岩心薄片的骨架颗粒尺寸信息资料建立数字岩心模型,结合格子气自动机技术对数字岩心不同饱和流体情况下电的传输特性进行数值模拟研究,揭示了不同泥质含量和泥质分布形式对孔隙介质导电特性非阿尔奇现象产生的影响,建立饱和度指数和泥质含量之间的关系模型,其良好的吻合性表明该方法在岩石物理研究中是一种十分有效的研究方法,而新模型适于在非阿尔奇储层进行准确的饱和度评价。     

利用热声发射技术测量岩石最高古温度的探索

根据岩石的热Kaiser效应,岩石能够记忆地质历史中经历过的最高温度.本次实验使用自行研制的岩石热声发射仪,利用人工加热的砂岩和灰岩样品证实了沉积岩存在热Kaiser效应,并探讨了根据热Kaiser效应测量沉积岩经历的最高温度的准确性.通过对塔里木盆地的系列埋深(2800~5300 m)的砂岩和泥岩样品及川西地区灰岩样...     

Effect of atmospheric pressure and temperature on entrapped gas content in peat

Entrapped biogenic gas in peat can greatly affect peatland biogeochemical and hydrological processes by altering volumetric water content, peat buoyancy, and ‘saturated’ hydraulic conductivity, and by generating over‐pressure zones. These over‐pressure zones further affect hydraulic gradients which influence water and nutrient flow direction and rate. The dynamics of entrapped gas are of global interest because the loss of this gas to the atmosphere via ebullition (bubbling) is likely the dominant transport mechanism of methane (CH₄) to the atmosphere from peatlands, which are the largest natural terrestrial source per annum of atmospheric CH₄. We investigated the relationship between atmospheric pressure and temperature on volumetric gas content (VGC) and CH₄ ebullition using a laboratory peat core incubation experiment. Peat cores were incubated at three temperatures (one core at 4 °C, three cores at 11 °C, and one core at 20 °C) in sealed PVC cylinders, instrumented to measure VGC, pore‐water CH₄ concentrations, and ebullition (volume and CH₄ concentrations). Ebullition events primarily occurred (71% of the time) during periods of falling atmospheric pressure. The duration of the drop in atmospheric pressure had a larger control on ebullition volume than the magnitude of the drop. VGC in the 20 °C core increased from the onset of the experiment and reached a fluctuating but time‐averaged constant level between experiment day 30 and 115. The change in VGC was low for the 11 °C cores for the initial period of the experiment but showed large increases when the growth chamber temperature increased to 20 °C due to a malfunction. The core maintained at 4 °C showed only a small increase in entrapped gas content throughout the experiment. The 20 °C core showed the largest increase in VGC. The increases in VGC occurred despite pore‐water concentrations of CH₄ being below the equilibrium solubility level. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Poroelastic Description of Permeability Evolution

Pore pressure changes in a geothermal reservoir, as a result of injection and/or production of water, result in changes of stress acting on the reservoir rock and, consequently, changes in the mechanical and transport properties of the rock. Bulk modulus and permeability were measured at different pressures and temperatures. An outcropping equivalent of Rotliegend reservoir rock in the North German Basin (Flechtinger sandstone) was used to perform hydrostatic tests and steady state fluid flow tests. Permeability measurements were conducted while cycling confining pressure; the dependence of permeability on stress was determined at a constant downstream pressure of 1 MPa. Also, temperature was increased stepwise from 30 to 140 °C and crack porosity was calculated at different temperatures. Although changes in the volumes of cracks are not significant, the cracks control fluid flow pathways and, consequently, the permeability of the rock. A new model was derived which relates microstructure of porosity, the stress–strain curve, and permeability. Porosity change was described by the first derivative of the stress–strain curve. Permeability evolution was ascribed to crack closure and was related to the second derivative of the stress–strain curve. The porosity and permeability of Flechtinger sandstone were reduced by increasing the effective pressure and decreased after each pressure cycle.     

Influence of pore pressure on velocity in low-porosity sandstone: Implications for time-lapse feasibility and pore-pressure study

As seismic data quality improves, time‐lapse seismic data is increasingly being called upon to interpret and predict changes during reservoir development and production. Since pressure change is a major component of reservoir change during production, a thorough understanding of the influence of pore pressure on seismic velocity is critical. Laboratory measurements show that differential pressure (overburden minus fluid pressure) does not adequately determine the actual reservoir conditions. Changes in fluid pressure are found to have an additional effect on the physical properties of rocks. The effective‐stress coefficient n is used to quantify the effect of pore pressure compared to confining pressure on rock properties. However, the current practice in time‐lapse feasibility studies, reservoir‐pressure inversion and pore‐pressure prediction is to assume that n= 1. Laboratory measurements, reported in both this and previous research show that n can be significantly less than unity for low‐porosity rocks and that it varies with porosity, rock texture and wave type. We report the results of ultrasonic experiments to estimate n for low‐porosity sandstones with and without microcracks. Our results show that, for P‐waves, n is as low as 0.4 at a differential pressure of 20 MPa (about 3000 psi) for a low‐porosity sandstone. Thus, in pore‐pressure inversion, an assumption of n= 1 would lead to a 150% underestimation of the pore pressure. Comparison of the effective‐stress coefficient for fractured and unfractured samples suggests that the presence of microfractures increases the sensitivity of P‐wave velocity to pore pressure, and therefore the effective‐stress coefficient. Our results show that the effective‐stress coefficient decreases with the differential pressure, with a higher differential pressure resulting in a lower effective‐stress coefficient. While the effective‐stress coefficient for P‐wave velocity can be significantly less than unity, it is close to one for S‐waves.     

Compressional- and shear-wave velocities as a function of confining stress in dry sandstones

A laboratory study was carried out to investigate the influence of confining stress on compressional- and shear-wave velocities for a set of rock samples from gas-producing sandstone reservoirs in the Cooper Basin, South Australia. The suite of samples consists of 22 consolidated sublitharenites with helium porosity ranging from 2.6% to 16.6%. We used a pulse-echo technique to measure compressional- and shear-wave velocities on dry samples (cylindrical 4.6 × 2 cm) at room temperature and at elevated confining stress (≤ 60 MPa). Compressional- and shear-wave velocities in samples increase non-linearly with confining stress. A regression equation of the form V = A ? Be^?DP gives a good fit to the measured velocities with improved prediction of velocities at high confining stresses compared with equations suggested by other studies. The predicted microcrack-closure stresses of the samples show values ranging from 70 MPa to 95 MPa and insignificant correlation with porosity, permeability or clay content. There is a positive correlation between change in velocity with core porosity and permeability, but this association is weak and diminishes with increasing confining stress. Experimental results show that pore geometry, grain-contact type, and distribution and location of clay particles may be more significant than total porosity and clay content in describing the stress sensitivity of sandstones at in situ reservoir effective stress. The stress dependence of Cooper Basin sandstones is very large compared with data from other studies. The implication of our study for hydrocarbon exploration is that where the in situ reservoir effective stress is much less than the microcrack-closure stress of the reservoir rocks, the variation of reservoir effective stress could cause significant changes in velocity of the reservoir rocks. The velocity changes induced by effective stress in highly stress-sensitive rocks can be detected at sonic-log and probably surface-seismic frequencies.     

Impact of Poroelastic Response of Sandstones on Geothermal Power Production

During geothermal power production using a borehole doublet consisting of a production and injection well, the reservoir conditions such as permeability k, porosity φ and Skempton coefficient B at the geothermal research site Gross Schoenebeck/Germany will change. Besides a temperature decrease at the injection well and a change of the chemical equilibrium, also the pore pressure p _p will vary in a range of approximately 44 MPa ± 10 MPa in our reservoir at ?3850 to ?4258 m depth. This leads to a poroelastic response of the reservoir rocks depending on effective pressure p _eff (difference between mean stress and pore pressure), resulting in a change in permeability k, porosity φ and the poroelastic parameter Skempton coefficient B. Hence, we investigated the effective pressure dependency of Flechtinger sandstone, an outcropping equivalent of the reservoir rock via laboratory experiments. The permeability decreased by 21% at an effective pressure range from 3 to 30 MPa, the porosity decreased by 11% (p _eff = 6 to 65 MPa) and the Skempton coefficient decreased by 24% (p _eff = 4 to 25 MPa). We will show which mechanisms lead to the change of the mentioned hydraulic and poroelastic parameters and the influence of these changes on the productivity of the reservoir. The most significant changes occur at low effective pressures until 15 to 20 MPa. For our in situ reservoir conditions p _eff = 43 MPa a change of 10 MPa effective pressure will result in a change in matrix permeability of less than 4% and in matrix porosity of less than 2%. Besides natural fracture systems, fault zones and induced hydraulic fractures, the rock matrix its only one part of geothermal systems. All components can be influenced by pressure, temperature and chemical reactions. Therefore, the determined small poroelastic response of rock matrix does not significantly influence the sustainability of the geothermal reservoir.     

Reservoir parameter classification of a Miocene formation using a fractal approach to well logging,porosimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance

A methodology for rock classification is presented that considers lithology and reservoir parameters on the basis of a combined fractal analysis of well logs and mercury porosimetry results with nuclear magnetic resonance outcomes. A sandy‐shaly thinly‐bedded Miocene gas bearing formation in the Carpathian Foredeep is investigated. Fractal correlation dimensions D₂ calculated for standard logs are used to distinguish sandstone as the most homogeneous lithological group with the highest porosity. The fractal analysis also confirmed observations of gas accumulations in sandstone, shaly sandstone and sandy claystone as rocks of high porosity. The results of two laboratory methods are combined to improve reservoir properties assessment and evaluate movable media in pore space; this technique was based on the similarity of mercury porosimetry results plotted as cumulative intrusion volume versus pressure or pore diameter and also the curves of cumulative porosity and transverse relaxation time distributions using nuclear magnetic resonance. Close values of porosity from logs, recorded in situ and in laboratory measurements, provide the link between fractal analysis and porosimetry and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements.     

Effect of supercritical CO2 on carbonates: Savonnières sample case study

CO₂ geosequestration is an efficient way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Carbonate rock formations are one of the possible targets for CO₂ sequestration due to their relative abundance and ability to serve as a natural trapping reservoir. The injected supercritical CO₂ can change properties of the reservoir rocks such as porosity, permeability, tortuosity, and specific surface area due to dissolution and precipitation processes. This, in turn, affects the reservoir characteristics, i.e., their elastic properties, storage capacity, stability, etc. The tremendous progresses made recently in both microcomputed X‐ray tomography and high‐performance computing make numerical simulation of physical processes on actual rock microstructures feasible. However, carbonate rocks with their extremely complex microstructure and the presence of microporosity that is below the resolution of microcomputed X‐ray tomography scanners require novel, quite specific image processing and numerical simulation approaches. In the current work, we studied the effects of supercritical CO₂ injection on microstructure and elastic properties of a Savonnières limestone. We used microtomographic images of two Savonnières samples, i.e., one in its natural state and one after injection and residence of supercritical CO₂. A statistical analysis of the microtomographic images showed that the injection of supercritical CO₂ led to an increase in porosity and changes of the microstructure, i.e., increase of the average volume of individual pores and decrease in the total number of pores. The CO₂ injection/residence also led to an increase in the mean radii of pore throats, an increase in the length of pore network segments, and made the orientation distribution of mesopores more isotropic. Numerical simulations showed that elastic moduli for the sample subjected to supercritical CO₂ injection/residence are lower than those for the intact sample.     

Mechanism for calcite dissolution and its contribution to development of reservoir porosity and permeability in the Kela 2 gas field,Tarim Basin,China

This study is undertaken to understand how calcite precipitation and dissolution contributes to depth-related changes in porosity and permeability of gas-bearing sandstone reservoirs in the Kela 2 gas field of the Tarim Basin, Northwestern China. Sandstone samples and pore water samples are col-lected from well KL201 in the Tarim Basin. Vertical profiles of porosity, permeability, pore water chem-istry, and the relative volume abundance of calcite/dolomite are constructed from 3600 to 4000 m below the ground surface within major oil and gas reservoir rocks. Porosity and permeability values are in-versely correlated with the calcite abundance, indicating that calcite dissolution and precipitation may be controlling porosity and permeability of the reservoir rocks. Pore water chemistry exhibits a sys-tematic variation from the Na2SO4 type at the shallow depth (3600-3630 m), to the NaHCO3 type at the intermediate depth (3630―3695 m),and to the CaCl2 type at the greater depth (3728―3938 m). The geochemical factors that control the calcite solubility include pH, temperature, pressure, Ca2 concen-tration, the total inorganic carbon concentration (ΣCO2), and the type of pore water. Thermodynamic phase equilibrium and mass conservation laws are applied to calculate the calcite saturation state as a function of a few key parameters. The model calculation illustrates that the calcite solubility is strongly dependent on the chemical composition of pore water, mainly the concentration difference between the total dissolved inorganic carbon and dissolved calcium concentration (i.e., [ΣCO2] -[Ca2 ]). In the Na2SO4 water at the shallow depth, this index is close to 0, pore water is near the calcite solubility. Calcite does not dissolve or precipitate in significant quantities. In the NaHCO3 water at the intermedi-ate depth, this index is greater than 0, and pore water is supersaturated with respect to calcite. Massive calcite precipitation was observed at this depth interval and this intensive cementation is responsible for decreased porosity and permeability. In the CaCl2 water at the greater depth, pore water is un-der-saturated with respect to calcite, resulting in dissolution of calcite cements, as consistent with microscopic dissolution features of the samples from this depth interval. Calcite dissolution results in formation of high secondary porosity and permeability, and is responsible for the superior quality of the reservoir rocks at this depth interval. These results illustrate the importance of pore water chemis-try in controlling carbonate precipitation/dissolution, which in turn controls porosity and permeability of oil and gas reservoir rocks in major sedimentary basins.     

高渗水合物储层的孔隙可压缩性反演

孔隙可压缩性与水合物储层物性相关.由于海域天然气水合物埋藏较浅,沉积物尚未成岩,海底水合物储层处于固结和完全未固结之间的状态,通过岩石物理推导证明,这两种状态下体积模量之差仅与孔隙可压缩性相关,因此孔隙可压缩性反应了岩石颗粒从悬浮态到正常压实的成岩进程,它可能与储层束缚水饱和度及渗透率密切相关.本文利用多口典型井数据分析了孔隙可压缩性与渗透率的关系,结果表明在海底浅层沉积物中渗透率越高,孔隙可压缩性越小,孔隙可压缩性对高渗储层的判识能力明显强于其他参数.然后,本文建立了两种状态下叠前地震反射特征的差异与岩石孔隙可压缩性的联系,提出双状态叠前反演方法,综合利用叠前地震数据以及测井资料反演得到了岩石孔隙可压缩性.实际应用效果表明,孔隙可压缩性较好的预测了高渗透率地层,气烟囱、粗粒的高含砂层等含气流体疏导通道渗透率较高,同时为水合物形成提供有利条件.     

Relation between seismic source parameters and mechanical properties of rocks: A case study

This study attempts to determine the relation between source parameters and mechanical properties of the rock matrix in which the microseismic events occur. For this purpose, accurate geological, mechanical and seismological data were acquired on a gas field experiencing induced seismicity due to its reservoir pressure drop. More than 30 deep boreholes (depth greater than 4 km) are concentrated in a 10×10×5 km volume, providing core samples for both geological and mechanical assessment. In this study, we focus on induced seismic events recorded by the local seismic network, over a three-year-long period. Characteristics of the seismic sources were obtained using spectral analysis and a dynamic model of failure. Results point out correlation between physical parameters of the seismic sources and the geomechanical properties of the rocks involved. Maximal static stress drops are found to be associated with the mechanical strength of the geological strata where the rupture occurs. The fracture size, using a circular model of failure, is also found to be dependent on the geomechanical setting. It is found that the size of the seismic fractures is dependent on the layer thickness and the prefracturation of the medium, both factors influencing the extension of preexisting discontinuities. The parameters of the seismic sources also show important changes when the gas reservoir is reached. The reservoir unit experienced a 45 MPa pore fluid pressure drop over a period of 20 years.     

Experimental verification of the fracture density and shear‐wave splitting relationship using synthetic silica cemented sandstones with a controlled fracture geometry

We present laboratory ultrasonic measurements of shear‐wave splitting from two synthetic silica cemented sandstones. The manufacturing process, which enabled silica cementation of quartz sand grains, was found to produce realistic sandstones of average porosity 29.7 ± 0.5% and average permeability 29.4 ± 11.3 mD. One sample was made with a regular distribution of aligned, penny‐shaped voids to simulate meso‐scale fractures in reservoir rocks, while the other was left blank. Ultrasonic shear waves were measured with a propagation direction of 90° to the coincident bedding plane and fracture normal. In the water saturated blank sample, shear‐wave splitting, the percentage velocity difference between the fast and slow shear waves, of <0.5% was measured due to the bedding planes (or layering) introduced during sample preparation. In the fractured sample, shear‐wave splitting (corrected for layering anisotropy) of 2.72 ± 0.58% for water, 2.80 ± 0.58% for air and 3.21 ± 0.58% for glycerin saturation at a net pressure of 40 MPa was measured. Analysis of X‐ray CT scan images was used to determine a fracture density of 0.0298 ± 0.077 in the fractured sample. This supports theoretical predictions that shear‐wave splitting (SWS) can be used as a good estimate for fracture density in porous rocks (i.e., SWS = 100ε_f, where ε_f is fracture density) regardless of pore fluid type, for wave propagation at 90° to the fracture normal.     

Frictional Properties and Microstructure of Calcite-Rich Fault Gouges Sheared at Sub-Seismic Sliding Velocities

We report an experimental and microstructural study of the frictional properties of simulated fault gouges prepared from natural limestone (96 % CaCO₃) and pure calcite. Our experiments consisted of direct shear tests performed, under dry and wet conditions, at an effective normal stress of 50 MPa, at 18–150 °C and sliding velocities of 0.1–10 μm/s. Wet experiments used a pore water pressure of 10 MPa. Wet gouges typically showed a lower steady-state frictional strength (μ = 0.6) than dry gouges (μ = 0.7–0.8), particularly in the case of the pure calcite samples. All runs showed a transition from stable velocity strengthening to (potentially) unstable velocity weakening slip above 80–100 °C. All recovered samples showed patchy, mirror-like surfaces marking boundary shear planes. Optical study of sections cut normal to the shear plane and parallel to the shear direction showed both boundary and inclined shear bands, characterized by extreme grain comminution and a crystallographic preferred orientation. Cross-sections of boundary shears, cut normal to the shear direction using focused ion beam—SEM, from pure calcite gouges sheared at 18 and 150 °C, revealed dense arrays of rounded, ~0.3 μm-sized particles in the shear band core. Transmission electron microscopy showed that these particles consist of 5–20 nm sized calcite nanocrystals. All samples showed evidence for cataclasis and crystal plasticity. Comparing our results with previous models for gouge friction, we suggest that frictional behaviour was controlled by competition between crystal plastic and granular flow processes active in the shear bands, with water facilitating pressure solution, subcritical cracking and intergranular lubrication. Our data have important implications for the depth of the seismogenic zone in tectonically active limestone terrains. Contrary to recent claims, our data also demonstrate that nanocrystalline mirror-like slip surfaces in calcite(-rich) faults are not necessarily indicative of seismic slip rates.