Rock Physics Modelling of Shale Diagenesis Constrained by Thermal and Burial History

Summary Shales constitute over 80% of sediments in siliciclastic basins, but despite their prevalence, shale’s physical properties are not well understood. The paper proposes a novel workflow to model shale rock physics properties based on burial and thermal history. This includes modeling the temperature-dependent smectite-to-illite transformation using reaction kinetics and heat transport theory, and applying an extended Hertz-Mindlin contact theory to estimate the mechanical framework of shales undergoing compaction. This integrated approach aims to predict shale rock properties in regions with limited well data. We demonstrate the modeling workflow on well log data from 2 wells in the North Sea that penetrates Tertiary age shales that are undergoing shale diagenesis.