Formation of chlorite rims and the impact of pore-lining chlorite on reservoir quality: a case study from Shiqianfeng sandstones in upper Permian of Dongpu Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China

The source material, precursor and formation processes of chlorite rims, and impact of pore-lining chlorite on reservoir quality of the Shiqianfeng sandstones, Dongpu Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China, are studied using an integrated approach, including core observation, point-count analysis of thin-sections, scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis and cathode luminescence. The petrographic analysis shows that chlorite rims consist of grain-coating chlorite, poorly crystalline pore-lining chlorite and euhedral-crystallised pore-lining chlorite. The chemical composition shows that pore-lining chlorite is mainly Fe-rich with an average of 0.785 for Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratio. Petrographic analysis shows a large amount of volcanic dust (3.0∼16.0 vol%, average of 7.93 vol%) in Shiqianfeng sandstones, which determines the formation of poorly crystalline pore-lining chlorite. Transformation of volcanic dust to smectite rims started with shallow burial depth at an early diagenetic stage, followed by in situ alteration of the smectite rims to poorly crystalline chlorite rims. Euhedral-crystallised chlorite mainly develops in sandstones with high porosity, high permeability and open flow systems. Pore-lining chlorite can inhibit quartz overgrowth but cannot effectively prevent pore-filling of authigenic quartz, carbonate and kaolinite cements, and therefore cannot prevent porosity destruction. However, the occurrence of pore-lining chlorite is a barometer of good reservoir quality and intense hydrodynamic conditions.