New paper in JGR Solid Earth

We have just published a paper on "Nanoindentation of Horn River Basin Shales: The Micromechanical Contrast Between Overburden and Reservoir Formations" in JGR Solid Earth.

The paper presents a micromechanical characterization of shales from the Horn River Basin, NW Canada. The shales have contrasting mineralogy and microstructures and play different geomechanical roles in the field: the sample set covers an unconventional gas reservoir and the overburden unit that serves as the upper fracture barrier.

The results show that the overburden consists of a soft clay matrix with highly anisotropic elastic stiffness, and stiffer but effectively isotropic inclusions of quartz and feldspar; the significant anisotropy of the overburden has been previously observed on a much larger scale using microseismic data. Creep displacement is concentrated in the clay matrix, which is the key phase for fracture barrier and seal applications. The reservoir units are harder and have more isotropic mechanical responses, primarily due to their lower clay content.

Last modified: Mon, 20 Mar 2023 11:50:13 GMT