Abstract
The Dariyan Formation (of Aptian age) is an important reservoir rock of Cretaceous strata in southwest Iran (the Zagros Zone and the Persian Gulf). Since in carbonate rocks, diagenetic processes directly and primary mineralogy of sediments indirectly affect reservoir characteristics, it is necessary to evaluate these two important parameters in the Dariyan sediments. The most important diagenetic processes were bioturbation, compaction, cementation, and fracturing which have affected the studied sediments. These processes occurred in marine and burial diagenetic environments. Based on the geochemical analysis, these processes have taken place in a closed diagenetic system which led to the preservation of primary characteristics. The deep deposition environment of the sediments and the prevalence of impermeable mud-supported facies are the most important reasons for not affecting meteoric diagenesis. Evaluation of the original mineralogy through petrographic and geochemical information showed that the low-Mg calcite is the most probable option for these sediments. The preserved bioclastic structures and radial fabrics in ooids, presence of skeletal grains with low-Mg calcite mineralogy, and lack of neomorphic features in the lime-mud matrix are the main petrographic evidence for primary LMC mineralogy of these carbonate sediments. Stable isotope and elemental data of the sediments compared with different types of recent and ancient carbonates confirm the proximity of the original mineralogy of the samples to Cretaceous marine limestone with low-Mg calcite mineralogy. This mineralogy is less able for processes such as dolomitization and dissolution than high-Mg calcite and aragonite, respectively. The studied sediments have inherited these characteristics from the paleoenvironmental condition of the Cretaceous Calcite Seas.
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Moosavizadeh, S.M.A. Re-evaluation of original carbonate mineralogy, an integration of petrographic and geochemical data, Southwestern margin of Neo-Tethys Ocean. Carbonates Evaporites 37, 66 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-022-00806-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-022-00806-0