Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Interpreting water-rock interaction in ancient carbonates using multi-method microanalysis

Conference · · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA)
OSTI ID:6796800

Modern mass spectrometers reliably measure very small samples, (i.e., 1 {mu}mol of CO{sub 2} and < 100 nanograms of Sr). It is now possible to analyze Sr, O, and C isotope ratios and Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn and Sr concentrations using a total sample of 1.0 mg. Such analyses can provide fine-scale geochemical trends that would be obscured by bulk-rock analyses. As a case study, diagenetic phases from a Late Devonian pinnacle reef from the Alberta basin have been microanalyzed to quantify water-rock interaction (marine cements, caliche, pendant, vadose cements, and sparry calcite cements). Unaltered marine cements have the lowest {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratios and the highest {delta}{sup 18}O values of all carbonate phases (0.70805 {plus minus} 2, {minus}4.8{per thousand} {plus minus}0.5) as well as the highest concentrations of (Mg) and (Sr) (approximately 8,500 and 350 ppm, respectively). These are assumed to represent average, initial rock compositions. In {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr-{delta}{sup 18}O crossplots, altered marine cement data diverge from this value toward higher {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratios and lower {delta}{sup 18}O values (to 0.70842 and {minus}8.0 {per thousand}). Vadose cements, caliche, and meteoric phreatic spars have {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratios and {delta}{sup 18}O values identical to altered marine cement data, with some spars having the same compositions as unaltered marine cements. These trends can be explained by two-component mixing models that use low W/R ratios, reasonable Sr concentrations, and distribution coefficients (0.05). However, a source of radiogenic strontium for diagenetic fluids is required to change initial {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratios to observed values.

OSTI ID:
6796800
Report Number(s):
CONF-900605--
Journal Information:
AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA), Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA) Vol. 74:5; ISSN AABUD; ISSN 0149-1423
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English