Water-rock interaction during the diagenesis of mud and its prospect in hydrogeology

Abstract

Mud is a fine, saturated and unconsolidated sediment with high moisture and abundant organic matter, mineral and microbe. As the burial diagenesis of mud proceeds, the water - rock - gas - organic matter - microbe in mud interact and co-evolve, forming mudstone or shale finally. During mud diagenesis, pore water not only changes over its own properties, but also participates in diagenetic reactions actively, and involves in the production of some mineral resources (hydrocarbon, biogenic gas, methane hydrate, etc) directly or indirectly. Researching water-rock interaction during mud diagenesis will be of great theoretical and practical significance to further understanding the genesis of natural groundwater, diagenetic reactions and mineralization, and has broad prospects in hydrogeology. With diverse high temperature and high pressure devices emerging, and the rapid expansion of in-situ detecting technology, simulating forwardly diagenetic processes of mud using indoor elevating temperature and pressure technology provides a new perspective for further researching water-rock interaction during the diagenesis of mud.