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Occurrence of diagenetic alunites within karst cavity infill of the Dammam Formation, Ahmadi, Kuwait: an indicator of hydrocarbon gas seeps

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Abstract

Alunite minerals occur as white powdery lumps and laminated coloured deposits within cavity and solution channel infill of the palaeokarst zone of the Upper Eocene Dammam Formation. This formation is exposed in a quarry located on the Al Ahmadi ridge within the Greater Burgan oil field in southern Kuwait. Field occurrences and sedimentary structures of the alunite deposits were described. Collected samples were petrographically described, and their mineralogy and geochemistry were determined using X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence, respectively. Microfabrics were investigated using SEM, revealing that they are primarily composed of fibrous alunogen (hydrous aluminium sulphate) and pseudo-cubical K-alunite (hydrous potassium aluminium sulphate). Their mode of occurrence suggests a hypogenetic origin, where sulphide gases associated with hydrocarbon gases reacted with an Al-rich solution leached from clay minerals and feldspars of the cavity-fill muddy sand sediments. The hydrocarbon gases may have seeped from sub-surface petroliferous formations within the Greater Burgan oil field along vertical fractures. This study suggests that these acidic seeps may have played a role in the development of the palaeokarst zone of the Dammam Formation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the National Industrial Company in Kuwait and the management of Al Ahmadi quarry for their continued support. The authors would also like to thank the General Science Facility (GS01/01) and the SEM unit of the Faculty of Science at Kuwait University for providing analytical services. Special thanks are due to Mr. Nabil Basili and Mr. Sarfaraj for their assistance with the field and laboratory work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat, 13060, Kuwait City, State of Kuwait

    Fikry I. Khalaf & Fawzia A. Abdullah

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  1. Fikry I. Khalaf
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  2. Fawzia A. Abdullah
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Correspondence to Fikry I. Khalaf.

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Khalaf, F.I., Abdullah, F.A. Occurrence of diagenetic alunites within karst cavity infill of the Dammam Formation, Ahmadi, Kuwait: an indicator of hydrocarbon gas seeps. Arab J Geosci 8, 1549–1556 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1316-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1316-z

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