On the origin of bleaching phenomena in red bed sediments of Triassic Buntsandstein deposits in Central Germany

Abstract

The Lower Triassic Buntsandstein in Central Germany comprises one of the major clastic, lithified hydrocarbon reservoirs, it is a major groundwater aquifer and it is considered as a potential underground gas storage lithology. Thus, sandstones of the Buntsandstein from Thuringia and NE Hesse were used to analyse their geochemical composition combined with mineralogical data in order to investigate the origin of several bleaching phenomena in primary red beds, since these give a hint for mineral alteration, mineral formation and mineral reactivity in the course of fluid-rock-interactions. This is relevant for e.g. recent Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) efforts. The origin of the observed bleaching phenomena is diverse and it is linked to certain stages of diagenesis and different episodes of fluid flow: (1) eodiagenetic bleaching coupled with palaeosoil formation and iron mobilisation, (2) mesodiagenetic bleaching as a result of hydrocarbon migration, (3) Tertiary bleaching due to CO2 degassing from Miocene volcanism, (4) Tertiary telodiagenetic bleaching due to weathering under humid climate conditions, and (5) weathering processes related to recent telodiagenesis/pedogenesis. This study emphasizes the multiple nature of fluids, which can induce iron mobilisation and bleaching of red beds.