Magnetic Susceptibility of Petroliferous and Nonpetroliferous Shales

Jason Baugh
Oklahoma State University, Boone Pickens School of Geology, Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States of America
[email protected]

Magnetic susceptibility is a proven technique for assessing the presence of hydrocarbon-related contamination at or very near the surface as a result of the contamination creating favorable conditions for magnetic mineral generation. Previous studies have proposed and proven that hydrocarbons still resident in conventional subsurface reservoirs are also capable of creating an environment conducive for the generation of magnetic minerals and that these minerals will create a magnetic anomaly not unlike the ones seen at surface contamination sites. This study seeks to investigate the magnetic susceptibility of petroliferous and nonpetroliferous shales to determine if hydrocarbons contained in these shales generate a signature similar to the one generated by surface contamination. As these shales can be the source and reservoir for unconventional hydrocarbon plays, these results may be used to assess the feasibility of using magnetic susceptibility wireline tools in hydrocarbon exploration and could provide insight into possible sources of magnetic mineralization within deeply buried shales.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90157©2012 AAPG Foundation 2012 Grants-in-Aid Projects