Influence of mineral composition on spectral induced polarization in sediments

Abstract

Summary We discuss a membrane polarization effect that can occur when the walls of two sequential pores are built of different minerals, with different interface properties (the zeta potential and the partition coefficient). The differences in the interface properties lead to a difference in the ion transport numbers (even if the two aforementioned pores are of the same radius) and, therefore, to a membrane polarization when an electrical field is applied. Based on published data, we discuss differences in the interface properties of common minerals: silicates, carbonates, clay minerals, organic material, etc. Based on the theory presented by Marshall and Madden and recently extended by Bücker and Hördt we semi-analytically model the membrane polarization effect for a system that consists of two pores of equal radius. We calculate maximum values of the phase shift as a function of the pore radius. We also calculate values of the peak frequency (the frequency corresponding to the phase-shift peak) as a function of the pores’ lengths. The modelling results show that the phase shift can assume values of up to 80 mrad for pores with radii of about 0.1 μm. The peak frequency values are within the typical frequency range of spectral induced polarization measurements and, therefore, the effect can be detected. Based on the modelling data, we hypothesize that the effect of differences in interface properties of the minerals constituting the walls of sequential pores can be superimposed on the polarization effect of the Stern layer coating the mineral grains and the classical membrane polarization effect.