Advanced Techniques for Characterising Mudrocks

Dear Colleagues,

In terms of geographical and geological distribution, mudrock is the most dominant sedimentary rock type, and is highly variable in terms of colour, organic and biological content, and a range of sedimentary structures. All are composed of fine-grained clays with a grainsize of 2-3 µm, coarser silty material with particle size up to 64 µm, or a mixture of the two. Factors such as the relative proportion of clay- versus silt-sized particles, as well as the degree of cementation (predominantly quartz and calcite), the proportion of organic material and the nature of any sedimentary structures control parameters such as porosity, permeability and strength (plastic versus brittle behaviour). Such parameters are important in the assessment of mudrock as an effective caprock for oil, gas and water reservoirs, potential for mudrock as unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, and the mechanical behaviour of mudrock in a geoengineering context (foundations, tunnelling, slope stability).

This Special Issue intends to focus on advanced techniques for the characterisation of mudrock. These may include, but are not limited to, advanced forms of imaging, new specific workflows for the optimization of imaging techniques, or advancement in the characterisation of physical parameters of mudrock, such as porosity, permeability and strength (stiffness, plasticity and brittleness). These may relate to the characterisation of mudrock in relation to their role as hydrocarbon reservoir caprocks, reservoirs or source rock, as well as to applications in geoengineering / geomechanics, and may also include the characterisation and study of changes noted from the utilisation of mudrock in the formation of ceramics (both archaeological and modern). All papers that concern advanced techniques in the characterisation of mudrock, as well as indicating the practical significance of such work, are welcome, and may include review papers in any of these aspects.

Dr. Jim Buckman
Guest Editor

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• mudrock composition
• reservoir
• caprock
• diagenesis
• geomechanics
• slope stability
• foundations
• ceramics
• pottery