Transformation mechanism of muddy carbonate rock by the coupling of bioturbation and diagenesis: A case study of the Cretaceous of the Mesopotamia Basin in the Middle East

Abstract

The transformation mechanism of muddy carbonate rock by the coupling of bioturbation and diagenesis was studied based on core, cast thin section and physical property data of Cretaceous strata in the Mesopotamia Basin, the Middle East. There are 3 ways of biological transformation of rocks: (1) The living creatures transformed formations mechanically to make the rocks looser and intergranular pores increase. (2) After formation, burrows were backfilled with coarse-grained debris, and then unsaturated fluid infiltrated into the burrows during the penecontemporaneous period, resulting in dissolution. (3) Chemical alteration occurred in abandoned burrows and dolomitization produced a large number of intercrystalline pores. The coupling of bioturbation and dissolution occurred mainly in the penecontemporaneous phase, and was controlled by rock type, sea level decline, burrow abundance, infillings, and water environment etc. As the burrows had better physical properties than the matrix, unsaturated fluid preferentially migrated along the burrows, leading to dissolution and expansion of the burrows first and then dissolution of the matrix. The coupling of bioturbation and dolomitization occurred mainly in the burial phase. The rich organic matter and reducing bacteria in the burrow provided material basis, reducing conditions and alkaline environment for dolomitization. The metasomatism in the penecontemporaneous period had little effect on the physical properties of the burrows. When the burrows were separated from the deposition interface, equimolar metasomatism occurred in the burrows in a closed environment, forming euhedral fine-crystalline dolomite with intercrystalline pores. The transformation degree of bioturbation to muddy carbonate reservoir depends on rock type, density, connectivity, infillings and structure of the burrows. With the increase of the carbonate mud content, the improvement to rock physical properties by bioturbation becomes more prominent. When the burrows are filled with coarse-grained debris or fine-crystalline dolomite, the greater the density, the higher the connectivity, and the lower the tortuosity of burrows, the better the physical properties of the muddy carbonate rocks are.