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Petrophysical characteristics of holocene beachrock

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Abstract

Beachrocks from the Bahamas, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, southern Caribbean, and Great Barrier Reef (Australia) were classified into six groups on the basis of lithologic and petrophysical characteristics, as follows: Group A—oolitic grainstone, Group B—skeletal grainstone, Group C—packstone, Group D—dolostone, Group E—terrigenous beach-rock, and Group F—Halimeda grainstone. Because for most purposes, groups B and F can be merged, this study recognizes five petrofacies among beachrocks.

Cementation is the diagenetic process exerting the most control over the petrophysical characteristics of the beachrocks. Cements were emplaced progressively. They range from scarce, discontinuous pore-rimming and meniscus cements to one- and two-generation continuous porerimming cements, and even to third-generation pore filling. With increasing cementation, porosity decreases significantly. The petrophysical parameters (as shown by the various bivariate plots and capillary-pressure curves obtained through mercury porosimetry) express this decrease. Each of the five beachrock petrofacies possesses consistent petrophysical characteristics. For the most part, the samples tested generated capillary-pressure curves as follows: Groups A, B and F, concave; Group C, intermediate and polymodal; Group D, convex; and Group E, gently sloping and polymodal. With few exceptions, recovery efficiencies relate to porosity. Porosity and median throat size show an approximate positive correlation, but recovery efficiency exhibits an invese relationship with median throat size.

This study included a prograding sequence of beachrocks from the southern Caribbean. The porosity of the oldest rock (1135±70 years BP) from this sequence is the highest, whereas that of the youngest rock (910±70 years BP) is the lowest.

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Author notes

  1. Baiying Guo (visiting scholar)

    Present address: Department of Geology, Huainan Mining Institute, Anhui, People’s Republic of China

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, 11210, Brooklyn, New York

    Baiying Guo (visiting scholar)

  2. Northeastern Science Foundation, Affiliated with Brooklyn College-CUNY, 15 Third Street, P.O. Box 746, 12181-0746, Troy, New York

    Gerald M. Friedman

Authors
  1. Baiying Guo
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  2. Gerald M. Friedman
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Guo, B., Friedman, G.M. Petrophysical characteristics of holocene beachrock. Carbonates Evaporites 5, 223–243 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03174850

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