Effects of groundwater flow on mineral diagenesis, with emphasis on carbonate aquifers

 This article provides a critical synopsis of the effects of groundwater flow on mineral diagenesis. Emphasis is placed on those aspects and processes that change porosity and permeability in carbonate aquifers, because they are of particular importance to human societies as sources of supplies of water for human consumption (drinking, irrigation) and of crude oil and natural gas. Diagenetic settings in carbonates as well as clastics are generally ill defined. This paper proposes a new comprehensive classification of diagenetic settings into near-surface, shallow-, intermediate-, and deep-burial diagenetic settings; hydrocarbon-contaminated plumes; and fractures. These settings are defined on the basis of mineralogy, petroleum, hydrogeochemistry, and hydrogeology. This classification is applicable to all sedimentary basins. Diagenesis is governed by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that include thermodynamic and kinetic constraints, as well as microstructural factors that may override the others. These factors govern diagenetic processes, such as dissolution, compaction, recrystallization, replacement, and sulfate–hydrocarbon redox-reactions. Processes such as cementation, dissolution, and dolomitization require significant flow of groundwater driven by an externally imposed hydraulic gradient. Other processes, such as stylolitization and thermochemical sulfate reduction, commonly take place without significant groundwater flow in hydrologically nearly or completely stagnant systems that are geochemically "closed." Two major effects of groundwater flow on mineral diagenesis are enhancement and reduction of porosity and permeability, although groundwater flow can also leave these rock properties essentially unchanged. In extreme cases, an aquifer or hydrocarbon reservoir rock can have highly enhanced porosity and permeability due to extensive mineral dissolution, or it can be plugged up due to extensive mineral precipitation. Received, April 1998 · Revised, July 1998 · Accepted, September 1998