The interdependence of hydrochemical and hydrodynamic processes in evaporite oil and gas basins

Abstract

The article examines the reasons for the formation of vertical hydrochemical inversion within particular oil and gas basins and points out the role of waters of different genesis in the development of this phenomenon. The following processes of reverse hydrochemical zoning in the sedimentary cover are analyzed: thickening of heavy clay strata and the related squeezing of loosely bound waters, dehydration of clay minerals and catagenic fluid generation accompanying the transformation of organic matter into hydrocarbons of the petroleum series. The hydrochemical inversion at great depths is noted to occur and persist in the environment of the passive hydrodynamic regime; in closed water-drive systems, the demineralization of waters with depth causes the decrease in the hydrodynamic potential gradient, determining the migration pattern not only of water but also of hydrocarbons and, consequently, the location of oil and gas accumulation zones.

Keywords

• hydrochemical inversion
• dehydration
• fluid generation
• hydrodynamics
• caspian basin