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Sedimentological and diagenetic analysis of Early Eocene Margalla Hill Limestone, Shahdara area, Islamabad, Pakistan: implications for reservoir potential

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Abstract

The role of the micro-facies and diagenesis was assessed to delineate the reservoir potential of the Early Eocene Margalla Hill Limestone, of the Shahdara section. The main focus of the study is the investigation and assessing the quality of the reservoir on the basis of diagenetic and depositional fabrics. Lithologically, the formation grades from thin to medium and massive bedded smaller to larger nodular limestone with sub-ordinate marl and shale inter-beds. Five micro-facies were established based on estimated allo-chemical and ortho-chemical constituent. The enumerated micro-facies include: Planktonic foraminiferal mud-wackestone (MHL-1); Lime mudstone (MHL-2); Lockhartia-rich mud-wackestone (MHL-3); Foraminiferal wackestone (MHL-4) and Bioclastic wackestone (MHL-5). These micro-facies are consistent with the deposition in the proximal outer ramp to proximal inner ramp settings of the gentle-sloping homoclinal ramp environment. The Margalla Hill Limestone is characterized by the fossil assemblages of mainly larger benthic foraminifera, such as Lockhartia, Assilina, Nummulites, rare Operculina, and Rotalia sp., and shallower fauna (echinoderms, algae and miliolids) and a few planktonic foraminifera including Morozovella cf. acuta, Globigerinatheka sp. and other Globogerinids. The fossil assemblages, allo-chemical and micritic constituents signify the depositional change from deep water toward the shallower setting, reflecting a coarsening upward trend during the deposition of the Margalla Hill Limestone. The Margalla Hill Limestone has been subjected to various diagenetic overprints which include micritization, cementation, neomorphism, compactions (mechanical and chemical), dissolution, dolomitization, and micro-calcite-filled fractures, representing early to syn- and post-depositional events. The diagenetic imprints of dissolution, micro-fractures, dolomitization enhance the reservoir characteristics, whereas cementation, micritization, neomorphism and chemical and mechanical compactions adversely affect the reservoir properties of the formation. In the Margalla Hill Limestone, the controlling factors of porosity and permeability distribution are attributed by depositional, diagenetic and deformational processes.

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  1. Department of Earth Sciences, COMSAT’s University, Abbottabad Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Haroon Aziz, Muhammad Tariq, Saleem Khan & Waleed Anwar

  2. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bahria University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Haroon Aziz, Jabir Hussain & Muhsan Ehsan

  3. Department of Geology, University of Malakand, Dir Lower, Chakdara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    Salman Khurshid

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Aziz, H., Hussain, J., Tariq, M. et al. Sedimentological and diagenetic analysis of Early Eocene Margalla Hill Limestone, Shahdara area, Islamabad, Pakistan: implications for reservoir potential. Carbonates Evaporites 37, 75 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-022-00822-0

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