Reconstruction of Pore System Evolution with Digital Image Analysis (DIA)

Abstract

Summary The evolution of carbonate pore systems are often marked by successive stages of postdepositional modifications such as the formation of secondary pore types or the occlusion of preexisting pores. This leads to small scale heterogeneities in pore system properties and causes the often weak correlation between porosity and permeability in carbonates. By using Digital Image Analysis (DIA), the impact of cementation and/or dissolution on both fundamental petrophysical parameters are quantified, and the resulting numerical data can be integrated into modeling and simulation processes which enhance precision of prediction for porosity and permeability in the outcrop or subsurface at larger scales. This approach further complements diagenetic studies and improves the understanding about the postdepositional evolution of a pore system. The method presented in this study has been developed on the example of Middle Miocene marginal lacustrine carbonates from Southern Germany.