Porosity evolution of upper Miocene reefs, Almeria Province, Southern Spain
In the reef cores and fore-reef breccia beds, porosity in both primary and postdepositional. Primary porosity is of three types: (a) boring clam holes in the scleractinian coral heads, cemented reef rocks, and breccias; (b) intraparticle porosity within the corals, Halimeda plates, and vermetid worm tubes; and (c) interparticle porosity between bioclastic fragments and in the reef breccia. Postdepositional moldic porosity was formed by the solution of aragonitic material such as molluscan and coral fragments. The Polomo reef carbonate rocks have high porosity and permeability, and retain a great amount of depositional porosity. Pores range in size from a few micrometers to 30 cm. The extensive intercrystalline porosity and high permeability resulted from dolomitization of micritic matrix. Some porosity reduction has occured by incomplete and partial sparry calcite infilling of interparticular, moldic, and intercrystalline voids. The high porosity and permeability of these reefs make them important targets for petroleum exploration in the western Mediterranean off southern Spain. In these offshore areas in the subsuface the volcanic ridge and the Plomo reef complex are locally onlapped or overlapped by 350 m or more of Miocene and Pliocene fine-grained sedimentary rocks. The possibility exists that the buried Plomo reef deposits may form traps for oil and gas in the offshore areas southwest of the type locality. Stratigraphic traps also may occur where the Neogene sequence above the Plomo reef complex onlaps the volcanic ridge. 17 figures.
- Research Organization:
- US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
- OSTI ID:
- 6777352
- Journal Information:
- Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull.; (United States), Vol. 64:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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