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Forecast of Unconventional Reservoir in the Clay-

SUMMARY
For the first time the pecularities of shales (argillites and argillaceous limestones) of the Lower Triassic
Formation of the East-Manych depression (the North Caucasus) as non-traditional reservoirs for a shale
gas resources are discussed. The comparison (geochemical and petrophysical information) with the Lower
Cretaceous Pearsall Formation ( South Texas) is completed. The Pearsall formation is in the dry gas
window of hydrocarbon generation (mean random vitrinite reflectance values, Ro=1.2-2.2%). For organic
matter of the Lower Triassic Formation Ro ranges from 1.16 to 1.75%. Conventional petrophisical
measurement techniques of the Pearsall core samples indicates that porosity ranges from 1.6-6.7 to 10%,
similar to that for shales of the Lower Triassic Formation – 5%. Ordinary permeability measurements
range from 0,003 to 0,062 md in the cores of the Pearsall Formation and 0.3 md in shales of the Lower
Triassic Formation. There discovered closed and opened fractures in this formation to 5000m, but they are
absent in the Formation Pearsall. Using our three inventions we found the genesis of these fractures.

6th Saint Petersburg International Conference & Exhibition – Geosciences – Investing in the Future
Saint Petersburg, Russia, 7-10 April 2014
Introduction

The authors have made a synthesis and analysis of the results geological and geochemical studies of
clay-carbonate sediments of the Lower Triassic age of the East Manych Trough of the North-
Caucasian oil and gas province (OGP). This took into account the role of hydrogen in the creation of
secondary fracturing of rocks. (protected by three inventor's certificates Levshunova SP et al 1980,
1990 and 1993).

The mentioned deposits have obvious resemblance to similar clay-carbonate deposits of the Pearsall
Formation of Lower Cretaceous of the Maverick Basin (Southern Texas), providing production of
shale gas.

Theory

Recently (P.C. Hackley, 2012) carried out geological and geochemical studies of clay-carbonate
deposits of the Persoll formation that contain organic matter (OM) catagenetic of higher stages of
conversion (the main zone of gas formation, vitrinite reflectance Ro is 1.2-2.2%). The author notes
that the term "slate" does not quite correspond the rocks of the Pearsall Formation as clayey
limestones predominate in its section, and clear clay component is second only [2].

Organic content in this formation is changed, from the minimum equal to 0.17-0.47% to macroscopic
concentration representing the solid bitumens in the range from gilsonit to imposonit. This indicates
the development of postdiagenetic processes aimed at decomposition which are located «in situ». of
ancient of deposits oil. In this case, the dry gas produced is called shale gas. This gas is at the low
porosity reservoirs. The production rate of individual wells exceeds 130 cubic meters per day.

In the clay-carbonate formations of the Lower Triassic of East Manych trough vitrinite reflectance Ro
= 1.16-1.75%. Thus, these sediments can be considered as unconventional reservoir of shale gas.

Example

In the Lower Triassic limestones Neftekumskaya Organogenic formation south of the East Manych
trough in the zone of uplifts Prikumskaya large amount oil deposits was found (Fig. 1). In even-aged
finely platy clay-carbonate formations of deepwater East Manych trough of hydrocarbons haven't
been identified. But non-industrial manifestations of dry gas has fixed in well #1 Yushno-
Kalmytskaya and in the lower part of the Lower Triassic in well #. 1 Kalininskaya [1]. Terms of
transformation of OM of sediments under consideration at the stage sedimentogenesis and early
diagenesis characterized as recovery, and in the rocks of the Pearsall Formation - weakly oxidising.
As in the of the Persol formation, clay-carbonate sediments of the study area characterized by a large
spread of OM concentrations from very low (0.3-0.4%) to macroscopic concentration due to the
presence of solid bitumen, representing the remains of of paleo oil deposits, which subjected to
decomposition.

At the same time, very important is the assessment of reservoir properties of the rocks, which are the
repository of shale gas. Reservoir of the Persol formation properties are low: porosity of from 1,6-6,7
samples changes to 10%, the permeability of - 0.003 to 0.062 mD. Neither cracks nor microcracks in
the of the Pearsall Formation samples were observed. The same low porosity (not above 5%) is set in
the clay-carbonate rocks of the of the Lower Triassic East Manych trough, but its permeability by 1-2
orders of magnitude higher - 0.3 mD.

6th Saint Petersburg International Conference & Exhibition – Geosciences – Investing in the Future
Saint Petersburg, Russia, 7-10 April 2014
Figure 1 Scheme of the distribution of lithofacies complexes Lower Triassic sediments in the north-
east part of the East Precaucasus.
1-3 - Borders: 1 - between sediments of shallow (A) and deep (B) shelf, 2 - between the shallow shelf
complexes of facies, 3 - pinching of deposits of Neftekumskaya suite; 4 - wells (optional) 5-6 - fields 5
- oil, 6 - oil and gas; 7-9 - lithological complexes of shallow shelf: 7-bioherm and organic-detrital
limestones, 8-dolomites, 9 - limestone organo-detrital with the inclusion of layers of marl and clay,
limestones with interbedded inequigranular organogenic and debris varieties and clay, 10-carbonate-
clay thin-bedded deposits of deep shelf. Facies complexes of shallow shelf: A-1-carbonate platform A-
2 A-4-identified and proposed barrier reef: A-2-fringing, A-3-boundary, A-4-introlagoon, A-5-lagoon.
List of fields with deposits of hydrocarbons in the sediments of Neftekumskaya suite:
1-Ozernoe, 2-Garunovskoe, 3-Solonchakovoe, 4-Tsentralnoe, 5-Rifovoe, 6-Razdolnoe, 7-Talovskoe,
8-Kulinskoe, 9-Nakazuhinskoe, 10-Jubileinoe, 11-Severo- Jubileinoe, 12-Vostochno- Jubileinoe, 13-
Yuzhno-Talovskoe, 14-Kazbekovskoe, 15-Kumuhskoe, 16-Yuzhno- Kumuhskoe, 17-Ravninnoe.

As a result using an electronic microscopy in well # 82 Svetloyarskaya fractures were detected, both
open and closed, at high depths - up to 5000m. Enclosed micro fractures established near the wellbore

6th Saint Petersburg International Conference & Exhibition – Geosciences – Investing in the Future
Saint Petersburg, Russia, 7-10 April 2014
(5048-5194m) in the pack of the metaargillite with clots of ore material and above in the interval
5188-5194m in the siltstone, in the interval 4941-4949 m in the sandstone, in the interval 4634-4639m
in the marl, in the interval 4216-4222m in the carbonate claystone, in the interval 4181-4187m in the
calcareous clay with gliding planes and oily spots, in the interval 4141-4151m in the argillites and
marls with oily spots on cracks, in the interval 3922-3928m in lime claystone with gliding planes, in
the interval 3761-3788m in the marl with sub-parallel fractured zones.

Much more often than closed, in deepwater clay-carbonate deposits in well #.82 Svetloyarskaya open
cracks have developed at the big depths: 4994-5001m, 4807-4813m, 4728-4734m, 4634-4639m,
4436-4442m, 4476-4482m, 4286-4292m, 4083-4089m, 3702-3713m. Here fractured carbonate are
clays and marls, and fissure opening is 5-15, and sometimes 25 microns. In this connection, the
authors have examined the mechanism of formation of these fractures.

Formation of the decompression zone in the clay strata, which are deep-water facies, caused by a
combination several factors: the expense of mineral transformations and, above all, due to the
transformation of montmorillonite in hydromica, with the leading role in the process of abnormally
high reservoir pressure. Well # 82 Svetloyarskaya characterized by abnormally high reservoir pressure
in the interval 4312-4336 m. It is almost two times higher than the hydrostatic power and equal 832
atm.

In this section another mechanism of cracking could be additionally activated. Clayey-carbonate deep
water sediments of the Lower Triassic of East Manych trough are characterized by high carbonate
content - up to 48%. In previous years, the authors established the possibility of entering the external
source of hydrogen in the intercrystalline space of the crystal lattice of carbonate minerals, due to the
absence of adhesive film [3]. This process contributes to the manifestation of hydrogen embrittlement
in carbonate rocks that under appropriate tectonic stresses leads to the growth of fractures.

In this area external sources of hydrogen identified: due the serpentinization of basalts from the
centers of volcanic activity along the junction between the Karpinsky Ridge and East Manych trough,
as well as radiogenic. The possibility of generating of the radiogenic established research by carried
out of the results of the processing of the gamma logs. Against the background of the overall
increased natural gamma activity (up to 5-12 ɣ) of clay-carbonate sediments of the Lower Triassic of
the East Manych trough, the authors identified a number of anomalous zones with very high values -
up to 22-44 ɣ.

The incoming hydrogen, entering into the crystal lattice of carbonate minerals, not only to increase
the generation of hydrocarbons by hydrogenation of OM, but also the growth of fracturing and
formation of corresponding reservoirs in deepwater formations of the Lower Triassic of the East
Manych trough.

Conclusion

The presence of open fractures at great depths in the Lower Triassic deepwater clay-carbonate
sediments at the East Manych trough increases their attractiveness and perspectives as unconventional
reservoir of shale gas.

The proposed methodological can be implemented in other regions for deposits of different ages and
in various geological conditions. It allows to predict the fractured zones in the undrilled sediments.

Acknowledgements

We thank the leadership of the FSUE "VNIGNI" and personally Director General Alexey Ivanovich
Varlamov for the opportunity to speak about the results of our research at the 6th Annual Conference
& Exhibition EAGE in St. Petersburg.

6th Saint Petersburg International Conference & Exhibition – Geosciences – Investing in the Future
Saint Petersburg, Russia, 7-10 April 2014
References

1. Solovyov, B.A., Podkorytov, N. and Levshunova, S.P. [2012] Prospects of the search of oil
and gas in the sediments of Neftekumskaya suite of the Eastern Caucasus. Geology of Oil and
Gas, № 6, Open Company "Geoinformmark", Moscow, 2012.
2. Hackley, P.C. [2012] Geological and geochemical characterization of the Lower Cretaceous
Pearsall Formation , Maveric Basin, South Texas. A future shale gas resource? AAPG
Bulletin, 96(8), August 2012.
3. Levshounova, S.P. [1992] Hydrogen in petroleum geochemistry. Terra Nova, 3(6), 579-585.

6th Saint Petersburg International Conference & Exhibition – Geosciences – Investing in the Future
Saint Petersburg, Russia, 7-10 April 2014