Influence of mechanical compaction and clay mineral diagenesis on the microfabric and pore-scale properties of deep-water Gulf of Mexico mudstones

We report on how the effects of mechanical compaction and clay mineral diagenesis have affected the alignment of phyllosilicates in a suite of Miocene-Pliocene mudstones buried to sub-seabed depths of between 1.8 and 5.8 km in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico. Mechanical compaction has reduced the poro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clays and clay minerals 2006-08, Vol.54 (4), p.500-514
Main Authors: Aplin, Andrew C, Matenaar, Ingo F, McCarty, Douglas K, van der Pluijm, Ben A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
alteration
Atlantic Ocean
clastic rocks
clay mineralogy
clay minerals
Compaction
deep-water environment
diagenesis
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
fabric
Gulf Of Mexico
High-Resolution X-Ray Texture Goniometry
illitization
Marine
mechanical properties
Microfabric
Mineralogy
Mudstone
North Atlantic
physical properties
porosity
recrystallization
sed rocks, sediments
Sedimentary petrology
sedimentary rocks
Shale
sheet silicates
Silicates
Smectite
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Summary:We report on how the effects of mechanical compaction and clay mineral diagenesis have affected the alignment of phyllosilicates in a suite of Miocene-Pliocene mudstones buried to sub-seabed depths of between 1.8 and 5.8 km in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico. Mechanical compaction has reduced the porosity of the samples to 15% at 5 km, with modal pore sizes between 10 and 20 nm. High-resolution X-ray texture goniometry data show that the intense mechanical compaction has not resulted in a strongly aligned phyllosilicate fabric. The muds were apparently deposited with a weak or isotropic phyllosilicate fabric which was not substantially realigned by mechanical compaction. Unusually, X-ray diffraction of
ISSN:0009-8604
1552-8367
DOI:10.1346/CCMN.2006.0540411