The electrical conductivity of Posidonia black shales — from magnetotelluric exploration to rock samples

We carried out a magnetotelluric field campaign in the South–East Lower Saxony Basin, Germany, with the main goal of testing this method for imaging regional Posidonia black shale sediments. Two‐dimensional inversion results of the magnetotelluric data show a series of conductive structures correlating with brine‐saturated sediments but also with deeper, anthracitic Westphalian/Namurian coals. None of these structures can be directly related with the Posidonia black shale, which appears to be generally resistive and therefore difficult to resolve with the magnetotelluric method. This assumption is supported by measurements of electrical resistivity on a set of Posidonia shale samples from the Hils syncline in the Lower Saxony basin. These rock samples were collected in shallow boreholes and show immature (0.53% Ro), oil (0.88% Ro), and gas (1.45% Ro) window thermal maturities. None of the black shale samples showed low electrical resistivity, particularly those with oil window maturity show resistivity exceeding 10⁴ Ωm. Moreover, we could not observe a direct correlation between maturity and electrical resistivity; the Harderode samples showed the highest resistivity, whereas the Haddessen samples showed the lowest. A similar trend has been seen for coals in different states of thermal maturation. Saturation of the samples with distilled and saline water solutions led to decreasing electrical resistivity. Moreover, a positive correlation of electrical resistivity with porosity is observed for the Wickensen and Harderode samples, which suggests that the electrical resistivity of the Posidonia black shale is mainly controlled by porosity.     

低孔隙度泥页岩应力依赖的各向异性裂纹演化特性研究

本文在实验室对所获取的东营地区层理发育的低孔隙度页岩和泥岩的各向异性裂纹演化特性进行了研究,获得了各向同性条件下泥页岩的力学与超声波响应特性,分析了应力幅度对于页岩声波速度和各向异性的影响.主要结论包括:(1)泥页岩在循环载荷下存在滞后效应,表明其经历了去压实或油气产生导致的超压;(2)泥岩和页岩具有不同程度的各向异性,随着各向同性压力的增高微裂隙逐渐闭合,样品的各向异性程度减弱;(3)分析了岩石韧度和裂纹损伤参数随压力的变化特征,相比泥岩,页岩各向异性程度更高,随压力变化更明显,其裂纹导致的附加各向异性更强;(4)分析了各向异性岩石的动态弹性模量特征,由于软裂隙空间的闭合,动态弹性模量在低压条件下都随着围压的增加有硬化趋势.     

Sensitivity of the elastic anisotropy and seismic reflection amplitude of the Eagle Ford Shale to the presence of kerogen

The Eagle Ford Shale of Central and South Texas is currently of great interest for oil and gas exploration and production. Laboratory studies show that the Eagle Ford Shale is anisotropic, with a correlation between anisotropy and total organic carbon. Organic materials are usually more compliant than other minerals present in organic‐rich shales, and their shapes and distribution are usually anisotropic. This makes organic materials an important source of anisotropy in organic‐rich shales. Neglecting shale anisotropy may lead to incorrect estimates of rock and fluid properties derived from inversion of amplitude versus offset seismic data. Organic materials have a significant effect on the PP and PS reflection amplitudes from the Austin Chalk/Upper Eagle Ford interface, the Upper Eagle Ford/Lower Eagle Ford interface, and the Lower Eagle Ford/Buda Limestone interface. The higher kerogen content of the Lower Eagle Ford compared with that of the Upper Eagle Ford leads to a negative PP reflection amplitude that dims with offset, whereas the PS reflection coefficient increases in magnitude with increasing offset. The PP and PS reflection coefficients at the Austin Chalk/Upper Eagle Ford interface, the Upper Eagle Ford/Lower Eagle Ford interface, and the Lower Eagle Ford/Buda Limestone interface all increase in magnitude with increasing volume fraction of kerogen.     

Black band disease as a possible factor of the coral decline at the northern reef-flat of Yongxing Island,South China Sea

Black band disease(BBD),characterized by the Cyanobacterial dominated pathogenic consortium,is thought to play a key role in the global decline of the coral reef ecosystems.The present paper originally documents a case of BBD from Yongxing Island(Xisha Islands,South China Sea),and further probes the reasons of this abnormal phenomenon.Prior to 2007,corals at northern reef-flat of Yongxing Isand were in healthy growth.Catastrophic coral mortality occurred between 2007 and 2008.The 16S rRNA gene sequencing and PCR amplification,with universally conserved primers,were applied to detect the contagious bacterial community of the microbial mat.The results demonstrated that six bacterial divisions constituted the clone libraries derived from the BBD mat,and that Cyanobacteria are the most diversely represented group that inhabit BBD bacterial mats,despite the fact that species in five others divisions(α-Proteobacteria,γ-Proteobacteria,Bacteroidetes,Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria) are also consistently diverse within the BBD mats of diseased coral.Other factors such as coral bleaching,typhoons,ocean acidification and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks,are not primarily responsible for the coral mortality within such a short time interval.The disaster expansion of BBD associated with Cyanobacterial blooms is a more likely mechanism impacting these coral reefs.Excessive human activity enhances the eutrophication of the marine water of the reefal region and may result in occurrence of the BBD.     

泥岩、页岩声速各向异性及其影响因素分析

在实验室超声波频率下(纵波主频为700kHz、横波为250kHz)对层理发育的页岩和泥岩的各向异性进行了研究,给出了在干燥和油饱和条件下,样品不同方向上纵、横波速度以及各向异性参数随压力的变化规律. 用X 射线衍射和扫描电镜分析了样品中引起各向异性的原因,指出平行于层理定向排列的粘土矿物和微裂隙是使样品显示出强弹性各向异性的内在原因. 随着压力的增高微裂隙逐渐闭合,样品的各向异性程度减弱. 孔隙流体的存在增强了孔隙（裂隙）的刚度,减弱了各向异性随压力增大而减小的趋势.     

琼东南盆地崖南区少井岩性建模技术研究

崖南区是琼东南盆地已证实的富生烃区,几口已钻井都已证实主要目的层段为高压地层,利用常规的压力预测方法预测新钻井的压力会出现较大的误差.若是从区域应力角度入手预测新钻井的压力误差会减小,其预测基础为岩性模型.对于已开发的油气田,利通常规的岩性建模方法可以建立较好的岩性模型;但是对于崖南区而言,由于地震资料品质不是很好,同时本区钻井较少,很难通过常规的建模方法建立岩性模型,所以本区研究重点是如何利用少井建立岩性模型.通过研究认为若完成崖南区的岩性建模必须改进建模流程,改进的岩性建模流程克服了常规岩性建模在崖南区存在的问题,主要有三方面的优点:1)不采用相模型约束岩性建模,解决了由于研究区相模型划相较粗很难约束岩性模型建立的问题;2)属性模型控制岩性模型的横向变化趋势,解决了几种常规属性与岩性间没有较好关系的问题;3)利用泥质含量结合岩性资料建立岩性体,得到的岩性模型比较接近实际情况.C井钻前完成岩性模型建立,利用C井井点位置提取岩性数据与本井钻后录井岩性数据对比,发现预测岩性与录井岩性的吻合程度很高,证明改进的岩性建模思路在崖南少井区可用.     

国内外页岩气研究进展及山东省页岩气资源潜力

当前国际能源供需矛盾突出,能源问题日益成为各国关注的焦点,页岩气资源勘查开发备受世界瞩目;全球页岩气资源非常丰富,主要分布在北美、中亚和中国、拉美、中东和北非、前苏联地区;近年来随着开采和利用技术的不断进步,美洲、欧洲、亚洲国家对页岩气的勘查开发正在形成热潮。中国页岩气资源丰富,对页岩气的区域勘查研究越来越多,取得了不错的成果,但总体上中国页岩气的研究和勘查尚处于起步阶段,同时中国的开发技术与国外相比还存在较大的差距。结合山东省不同类型富含有机质泥页岩的具体特点和国内外页岩气勘查经验,初步认为山东省具有一定的页岩气形成条件,山东省页岩气远景区地层主要为新生代古近纪济阳群和五图群及官庄群,中生代早白垩世莱阳群,古生代石炭—二叠纪月门沟群和石盒子群;在综合考虑页岩的赋存层位、页岩成气潜力和页岩气开发可行性的基础上,提出了山东省页岩气潜力区为:济阳坳陷区、临清坳陷区、胶莱坳陷区和黄县(龙口)凹陷以及鲁西南潜隆起区,其中济阳-临清坳陷地区页岩气潜力较好。     

Development of gullies and sediment production in the black soil region of northeastern China

Gully erosion is an important environmental hazard in the black soil region of northeastern China. It is a primary sediment source in the region which needs appropriate soil conservation practices. Gully incision in rolling hills typical of this region was monitored using real-time kinematic GPS to assess the rates of gully development and the resultant sediment production. From 2002 to 2005, gully heads in the study area retreated between 15.4 and 33.5 m, giving an average retreat rate of 8.4 m yr^− 1. Field measurements showed that total sediment production due to gully erosion during the three years ranged between 257 and 1854 m³ yr^− 1, which is equivalent to 326 to 2355 t yr^− 1, with gully-head retreat accounting for 0 to 21.7% (4.4% in average). The sediment delivery ratio was especially high during the summer rainy season (56% in average). Sediment production by ephemeral gullies and permanent gullies was 1.5 times greater than that from surface erosion. Gully heads retreated faster in the spring freeze–thaw period than in the summer. The stage of gully development could be identified based on short-term changes in the gully erosion rate.     

Actively forming Kuroko-type volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) mineralization at Iheya North,Okinawa Trough,Japan

Modern seafloor hydrothermal systems provide important insights into the formation and discovery of ancient volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits. In 2010, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 331 drilled five sites in the Iheya North hydrothermal field in the middle Okinawa Trough back-arc basin, Japan. Hydrothermal alteration and sulfide mineralization is hosted in a geologically complex, mixed sequence of coarse pumiceous volcaniclastic and fine hemipelagic sediments, overlying a dacitic to rhyolitic volcanic substrate. At site C0016, located adjacent to the foot of the actively venting North Big Chimney massive sulfide mound, massive sphalerite-(pyrite-chalcopyrite ± galena)-rich sulfides were intersected (to 30.2% Zn, 12.3% Pb, 2.68% Cu, 33.1 ppm Ag and 0.07 ppm Au) that strongly resemble the black ore of the Miocene-age Kuroko deposits of Japan. Sulfide mineralization shows clear evidence of formation through a combination of surface detrital and subsurface chemical processes, with at least some sphalerite precipitating into void space in the rock. Volcanic rocks beneath massive sulfides exhibit quartz-muscovite/illite and quartz-Mg-chlorite alteration reminiscent of VHMS proximal footwall alteration associated with Kuroko-type deposits, characterized by increasing MgO, Fe/Zn and Cu/Zn with depth. Recovered felsic footwall rocks are of FII to FIII affinity with well-developed negative Eu anomalies, consistent with VHMS-hosting felsic rocks in Phanerozoic ensialic arc/back-arc settings worldwide.Site C0013, ∼100 m east of North Big Chimney, represents a likely location of recent high temperature discharge, preserved as surficial coarse-grained sulfidic sediments (43.2% Zn, 4.4% Pb, 5.4% Cu, 42 ppm Ag and 0.02 ppm Au) containing high concentrations of As, Cd, Mo, Sb, and W. Near surface hydrothermal alteration is dominated by kaolinite and muscovite with locally abundant native sulfur, indicative of acidic hydrothermal fluids. Alteration grades to Mg-chlorite dominated assemblages at depths of >5 mbsf (metres below sea floor). Late coarse-grained anhydrite veining overprints earlier alteration and is interpreted to have precipitated from down welling seawater as hydrothermal activity waned. At site C0014, ∼350 m farther east, hydrothermal assemblages are characterized by illite/montmorillonite, with Mg-chlorite present at depths below ∼30 mbsf. Recovered lithologies from distal, recharge site C0017 are unaltered, with low MgO, Fe₂O₃ and base metal concentrations.Mineralization and alteration assemblages are consistent with the Iheya North system representing a modern analogue for Kuroko-type VHMS mineralization. Fluid flow is focussed laterally along pumiceous volcaniclastic strata (compartmentalized between impermeable hemipelagic sediments), and vertically along faults. The abundance of Fe-poor sphalerite and Mg-rich chlorite (clinochlore/penninite) is consistent with the lower Fe budget, temperature and higher oxidation state of felsic volcanic-hosted hydrothermal systems worldwide compared to Mid Ocean Ridge black smoker systems.