Abstract
The Late Westphalian to Artinskian Haushi Group in the Sultanate of Oman consists of the glaciogenic Al Khlata Formation and the Gharif Formation which contains marginal marine, coastal plain, and fluvial sediments. The sequence was deposited during a global-warming event following the Permo-Carboniferous glaciation of Gondwana. Because of a varied subsidence history, these sediments range from the surface in the SE to almost 5000 m in the NW of the basin.
Mixed-layer illite-smectite (I-S) is an important constituent of the <2 µm size fraction of sandstone and shale samples in both formations at all depths. Different starting compositions lead to three distinct trends of illite layers in I-S versus temperature for different sedimentary environments and paleoclimatic conditions. The starting compositions of I-S at the surface range from an ordered I-S in the Al Khlata Formation to smectite-rich in the Upper+Middle Gharif members.
Physical, chemical and environmental factors were investigated as causes for the different starting compositions of I-S. Both formations share an identical burial history, paragenesis, thermal evolution, and source of detrital material. They differ only in environmental conditions during sedimentation. Thus, the variation in starting composition of I-S appears to be best explained by distinct weathering conditions during sedimentation of the three units. In particular, the expected low intensity of chemical weathering during glaciogenic conditions is marked by the presence of higher amounts of unstable volcanic and sedimentary rock fragments in the Al Khlata Formation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Marjeby, A. and Nash, D. (1986) A summary of the geology and oil habitat of the Eastern Flank Hydrocarbon Province of South Oman. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 3, 306–314.
Alsharhan, A.S. (1993) Facies and sedimentary environment of the Permian carbonates (Khuff Formation) in the United Arab Emirates. Sedimentary Geology, 84, 89–99.
Besems, R.E. and Schuurman, W.M.L. (1987) Palynostratig-raphy of late Palaeozoic glacial deposits of the Arabian Peninsula with special reference to Oman. Palynology, 11, 37–53.
Beydoun, Z.R. (1991) Arabian Plate hydrocarbon geology and potential—A plate tectonic approach. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Studies in Geology, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 33, 1–78.
Boles, J.R. and Franks, S.G. (1979) Clay diagenesis in Wilcox Sandstones of Southwest Texas: implication of smectite diagenesis on sandstone cementation. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 49, 55–70.
Braakman, J.H., Levell, B.K., Martin, J.H., Potter, T.L., and van Vliet, A. (1982) Late Palaeozoic Gondwana glaciation in Oman. Nature, 299, 48–50.
Broutin, J., Roger, J., Platel, J.P., Angiolini, L., Baud, A., Bucher, H., Marcoux, J., and Al-Hasmi, H. (1995) The Permian Pangea. Phytographic implications of new pa-laeontological discoveries in Oman (Arabian Peninsula). Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences de Paris, Série IIa, 321, 1069–1086.
Bruce, C.H. (1984) Smectite dehydration-its relation to structural development and hydrocarbon accumulation in Northern Gulf of Mexico Basin. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 68, 673–683.
Burst, J.F. (1959) Postdiagenetic clay mineral environmental relationships in the Gulf Coast Eocene. In Clays and Clay Minerals: Sixth National Clays and Clay Minerals Conference Proceedings, A. Swineford, ed., Pergamon Press, London, 411 pp.
Burst, J.F. (1969) Diagenesis of Gulf Coast Clayey Sediments and Its Possible Relation to Petroleum Migration. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 53, 73–93
Colton-Bradley, V.A. (1987) Role of pressure in smectite dehydration-effects on geopressure and smectite-to-illite transformation. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 71, 1414–1427.
De la Grandville, B.F. (1982) Appraisal and development of a structural and stratigraphic trap oil field with reservoirs in glacial to periglacial clastics. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir, 32, 267–286.
Dickinson, W.R. (1985) Interpreting provenance relations from detrital modes of sandstones. In Provenance of arenites, G.G. Zuffa, ed., D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 333–361.
Dickson, J.A.D. (1966) Carbonate identification and genesis as revealed by staining. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 36, 491–505.
Dutta, N.C. (1986) Shale compaction, burial diagenesis, and geopressures: a dynamic model, solutions and some results. In Thermal modelling in sedimentary basins, J. Burrus, ed., Editions Technip., Paris, 149–172.
Elliott, W.C. and Matisoff, G. (1996) Evaluation of kinetic models for the smectite to illite transformation. Clays and Clay Minerals, 44, 77–87.
Essene, E.J. and Peacor, D.R. (1995) Clay mineral thermom-etry-a critical perspective. Clays and Clay Minerals, 43, 540–553.
Focke, J.W. and van Popta, J. (1989) Reservoir Evaluation of the Permian Gharif Formation, Sultanate of Oman. Society of Petroleum Engineers, 17978, 517–528.
Freed, R.L. and Peacor, D.R. (1989) Variability in temperature of the smectite/illite reaction in Gulf Coast sediments. Clay Minerals, 24, 171–180.
Gharabi, M. and Velde, B. (1995) Clay mineral evolution in the Illinois basin and its causes. Clay Minerals, 30, 353–364.
Grantham, P.J., Lijmbach, G.W.M., Posthuma, J., Hughes Clarke, M.W., and Willink, R.J. (1987) Origin of crude oils in Oman. Journal of Petroleum Geology, 11, 61–80.
Guit, F.A., Al-Lawati, M.H., and Nederlof, P.J.R. (1994) Seeking new potential in the Early-Late Permian Gharif play, west Central Oman. Middle East Petroleum Geoscience, 447–462.
Hartmann, B.H. (1996) Diagenesis and pore-water evolution of the Lower Permian Gharif Formation (Sultanate of Oman). Ph.D. thesis, Geologisches Institut der Universität Bern, Switzerland, 342 pp.
Hartmann, B.H., Juhâsz-Bodnâr, K., Ramseyer, K., and Matter, A. (1999) Polyphased quartz cementation and its sources: a case study from the Upper Palaezoic Haushi Group sandstones, Sultanate of Oman. In Quartz cementation in oil field sandstones, R. Worden and S. Morad, eds., International Association of Sedimentologists Special Publication 29, in press.
Heward, A.P. (1990) Salt removal and sedimentation in Southern Oman. In The Geology and Tectonics of the Oman Region, A.H.E Robertson, M.P. Searle, and A.C. Ries, eds., Oxford Geological Society, 637–652.
Hillier, S., Mátyás, J., Matter, A., and Vasseur, G. (1995) Illite/smectite diagenesis and its variable correlation with vi-trinite reflectance in the Pannonian Basin. Clays and Clay Minerals, 43, 174–183.
Hower, J., Eslinger, E.V., Hower, M.E., and Perry, E.A. (1976) Mechanism of burial metamorphism of argillaceous sediment: 1. Mineralogical and chemical evidence. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 87, 725–737.
Huang, W.L., Longo, J.M., and Pevear, D.R. (1993) An experimentally derived kinetic model for smectite-to-illite conversion and its use as a geothermometer. Clays and Clay Minerals, 41, 162–177.
Hughes Clarke, M.W. (1988) Stratigraphy and rock unit nomenclature in the oil-producing area of interior Oman. Journal of Petroleum Geology, 11, 5–60.
Hughes Clarke, M.W. (1990) Oman’s Geological Heritage. Department of Public Affairs and Information, Muscat: Petroleum Development Oman, 247 pp.
Husseini, M.I. (1992) Upper Palaeozoic tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Arabian and adjoining plates. Journal of the Geological Society of London, 149, 419–429.
IES GmbH (1994). PetroMod®. Vers 2.4. Jiilich, 603 pp.
Kashfi, M.S. (1992) Geology of the Permian super-giant gas reservoirs in the greater Persian Gulf area. Journal of Petroleum Geology, 15, 465–480.
Lanson, B. and Velde, B. (1992) Decomposition of X-ray diffraction patterns: A convenient way to describe complex I-S diagenetic evolution. Clays and Clay Minerals, 40, 629–643.
Levell, B.K., Braakman, J.H., and Rutten, K.W. (1988) Oilbearing sediments of Gondwana glaciation in Oman. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 72, 775–796.
Loosveld, R.J.H., Bell, A., and Terken, J.J.M. (1996) The tectonic evolution of Interior Oman. GeoArabia, 1, 28–51.
Love, C.F. (1994) The palynostratigraphy of the Haushi Group (Westphalian-Artinskian) in Oman. In Micropa-laeontology and hydrocarbon exploration in the Middle East, M.D. Simmons, ed., Chapman and Hall, London, 23–39.
McBride, E.F. (1963) A classification of common sandstones. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 33, 664–669.
Mercadier, C.G.L. and Livera, S.E. (1993) Applications of the formation micro-scanner to modelling of Palaeozoic reservoirs in Oman. Special Publication of International Association of Sedimentologists, 15, 125–142.
Millson, J.A., Mercadier, C.L., Livera, S.A., and Peters, J.M. (1996) The Lower Palaeozoic of Oman and its context in the evolution of a Gondwana continental margin. Journal of the Geological Society, 153, 213–230.
Moore, D.M. and Reynolds, R.C. (1989) X-ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Minerals. Oxford University Press, New York, 332 pp.
Perry, E.A. and Hower, J. (1970) Burial diagenesis in Gulf Coast pelitic sediments. Clays and Clay Minerals, 18, 165–177.
Platel, J.P., Philip, J., Bourdillonde Grissac, C., Babinot, J.F., Roger, J., and Mercadier, C. (1994) Characteristics of the Campanian transgression onto the Haushi-Huqf basement (East-Oman). Stratigraphy, geodynamic setting and pa-laeoenvironments. Bulletin de la Société Geologique de France, 165, 147–161.
Pollastro, R.M. (1990) The illite/smectite geothermometer—Concepts, methodology and application to basin history and hydrocarbon generation. In Applications of thermal maturity studies to energy exploration, V.F. Nuccio and C.E. Barker, eds., Society of Economic Paleontoligists and Mineralogists, Tulsa, Rocky Mountain Section, 1–18.
Pollastro, R.M. (1993) Considerations and applications of the illite/smectite geothermometer in hydrocarbon-bearing rocks of Miocene to Mississipian age. Clays and Clay Minerals, 41, 119–133.
Powers, M.C. (1959) Adjustment of clays to chemical change and the concept of the equivalence level. Clays and Clay Minerals, 6, 309–326.
Powers, M.C. (1967) Fluid-release mechanisms in compacting marine mudrocks and their importance in oil exploration. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 51, 1240–1254.
Pytte, A.M. and Reynolds, R.C. (1989) The thermal transformation of smectite to illite. In Thermal history of sedimentary basins: Methods and case histories, N.D. Naeser and T.H. McCulloh, eds., Springer-Verlag, New York, 133–140.
Ramseyer, K. (1983) Bau eines Kathodenlumineszens-Mik-roskopes und Diagenese-Untersuchungen an permischen Sedimenten aus Oman. Ph.D. thesis, Geologisches Institut der Universität Bern, Switzerland, 153 pp.
Rettke, R.C. (1981) Probable burial diagenetic and provenance effects on the Dakota Group clay mineralogy. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 51, 541–551.
Righi, D. and Meunier, A. (1995) Origin of clays by rock weathering and soil formation. Origin and mineralogy of clays. In Clays in the Environment, B. Velde, ed., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 44–161.
Robertson, H.E. and Lahann, R.W. (1981). Smectite to illite conversion rates: Effect of solution chemistry. Clays and Clay Minerals, 29, 129–135.
Silva, F.P., Silva, A.C., Martinius, A.W., and Weber, K.J. (1996) The Tórtola Fluvial System: An Analogue for the Upper Gharif of the Sultanate of Oman. GeoArabia, 1, 325–342.
Small, J.S. (1994) Fluid composition, mineralogy and morphological changes associated with the smectite-to-ilite reaction: An experimental investigation of the effect of organic acid anions. Clay Minerals, 29, 539–554.
Sykes, R.M. and Abu-Risheh, A.K. (1989) Exploration of deep Palaeozoic and Pre-Cambrian plays in the Sultanate of Oman. In OAPEC/ADNOC seminar on deep formations in the Arab Countries: hydrocarbon potential and exploration techniques, October 1989, Proceedings of Country Reports and Case Studies, Abu Dhabi, E71-E133.
Thorez, J. (1989) Between the crystal and the solutions. A graphical overview of the passage to, from and of the clay minerals in the lithosphere during weathering. In Weathering; its Products and Deposits, I. Processes., K.S. Balasubramaniam, V.P. Evangelou, G. Faure, J. Goni, P.L.C. Grubb, P.A. Hill, O. Lahodney-Sarc, A.J. Melfi, E. Mendelovici, A.P. Nikitina, W.F. Pickering, and S.S. Augustithis, eds., Theophrastus Publishers S.A., Greece, 49–120.
Tschopp, R.H. (1967) The general geology of Oman. In 7th World Petroleum Congress, Mexico, 231–249.
Ugolini, F. and Sletten, R.S. (1991) The role of proton donors in pedogenesis as revealed by soil solution studies. Journal of Soil Science, 151, 1–21.
Vasseur, G. and Velde, B. (1993) A kinetic interpretation of the smectite-to-illite transformation. In Basin modelling: advances and applications, A.G. Doré, ed., Norwegian Petroleum Society Special Publication 3, Amsterdam, 173–184.
Velde, B. (1992) Introduction to clay minerals. Chapman & Hall, London, 199 pp.
Velde, B. and Vasseur, G. (1992) Estimation of the diagenetic smectite to illite transformation in time-temperature space. American Mineralogist, 77, 967–976.
Visser, W. (1991) Burial and thermal history of Proterozoic source rocks in Oman. Precambian Research, 54, 15–36.
Walker, T.R. (1976) Diagenetic origin of continental red beds. In The continental Permian in Central, West and South Europe, H. Falke, ed., D. Reidel, Dordrecht, 240–282.
Weaver, C.E. and Beck, K.C. (1971) Clay water diagenesis during burial: how mud becomes gneiss. Geological Society of America Special Paper 134, 96 pp.
Wei, H., Roaldset, E., and Bjorøy, M. (1996) Parallel reaction kinetics of smectite to illite conversion. Clay Minerals, 31, 365–376.
Wright, V.P. (1992) Paleosol recognition: a guide to early diagenesis in terrestrial settings. In Diagenesis III. Developments in Sedimentology, 47, K.N. Wolf and G.V. Chilingarian, eds., Elsevier, Amsterdam, 591–619.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hartmann, B.H., Bodnar, K.J., Ramseyer, K. et al. Effect of Permo-Carboniferous Climate on Illite-Smectite, Haushi Group, Sultanate of Oman. Clays Clay Miner. 47, 131–143 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.1999.0470203
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.1999.0470203