XRF signatures of hydrothermal dolomitization and alteration v2

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

ProGeo Consultants is a consulting company providing services for the oil and gas industry. One of the most common questions formulated by its clients has been how to recognize hydrothermal dolomite and associated processes. The conventional way of asserting the existence of hydrothermal alteration is via core studies, and via time-consuming costly specialized analyses based on microscopy or geochemistry. Because cores are rare and expensive to retrieve, it is a major obstacle for the discovery of new reservoirs. Thus, a cheaper and quicker alternative way to reveal the existence of hydrothermal alteration would be very helpful. The goal of this project is to test whether the simple and fast analysis of drill cuttings using micro-XRF scanners can be used to recognize and quantify hydrothermal dolomite. Indeed, drill cuttings are cheaper and orders of magnitude more frequent than drilled cores. The project will analyse a large number of core samples that have been clearly interpreted as hydrothermal dolomite or hydrothermally altered, and these analyses will be compared to the one of drill cuttings from the same rock formations. If successful, the project will allow ProGeo Consultants to increase its portfolio of services to be offered to the industry.