Abstract
A condensed review of the main processes of clay diagenesis in sedimentary series is presented by using specific examples issuing from the literature. The Mexico Gulf Coast drill sites illustrate clay diagenesis with depth of burial, involving mainly the illite-to-smectite transition and becoming active when overburden exceeds 2 km thickness. The Galapagos spreading center documents the case of glauconite-like minerals developed from illite-smectite in hydrothermal, chemically-concentrated environment. North Sea wells allow to study the formation of kaolinite, illite and/or chlorite in sandstones submitted to fluid migrations. The significance of Atlantic Cretaceous to Paleogene series rich in Al-Fe smectite is discussed in terms of transformation of volcanic materials, early diagenesis of common mud, and detrital supply from dominantly pedologic exposed formations. A special attention is paid to the relationships between clay diagenesis and petroleum generation, and to the transition from the paleoenvironmental to the diagenetic expression of clay suites.
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Chamley, H. (1994). Clay Mineral Diagenesis. In: Parker, A., Sellwood, B.W. (eds) Quantitative Diagenesis: Recent Developments and Applications to Reservoir Geology. NATO ASI Series, vol 453. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0189-9_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0189-9_5
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