Abstract: Depositional Environments, Diagenesis, and Porosity of Upper Cretaceous Volcanic-Rich Tokio Sandstone Reservoirs, Haynesville Field, Claiborne Parish, Louisiana

William J. Clark

Tokio Formation sandstones produce oil from volcanic-rich to quartzose lithic sandstones in the Haynesville Field. The Tokio interval is approximately 210 feet thick and has been divided into four sandstone zones separated by shales or scoured contacts. In ascending order, the four zones are the RA, S3, S2, and S1. The RA is composed of quartzose sublitharenites inferred to have been deposited in delta front bars and distributary channels. The upper three zones are composed of sublitharenite and feldspathic litharenite to quartzose litharenite. The upper sands are interpreted to have been deposited in littoral environments including storm influenced shelf, tidal flats and channels, and barrier island/strand plain.

The diagenesis of these sands is strongly related to composition: greater percentages of cements and secondary porosity occur in lithic-rich sandstones. Diagenetic cements in quartzose sandstones are mainly quartz overgrowths with minor early K-spar overgrowths on plagioclase, early chlorite-rims, and late patchy calcite, pyrite, and rare dolomite and siderite. Diagenesis in lithic-rich sands includes greater amounts of chlorite rim and pore-filling kaolinite cements and less quartz-overgrowth and other cements.

The effect of the original mineralogy and diagenetic minerals on wireline logs includes: 1) reduction of SP due to cements, 2) increase in GR response due to K-spar and volcanic detritus, 3) higher resistivity due to carbonate minerals, and 4) increase in irreducible water saturation due to pore-lining and pore-filling clay. Thus, potential reservoir zones with lithic-rich sandstones like the Tokio could be overlooked in many areas around the world.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90955©1995 GCAGS 45th Annual Meeting and Gulf Section SEPM, Baton Rouge, Louisiana