Hydrogeochemical Characterization of Formation Waters in Cretaceous Rocks from Southeast Mexico
Abstract
Formation waters were sampled from ten different producing wells in several Cretaceous oil fields in central and north Tabasco, southeast of Mexico. All of them were analyzed for mayor and trace ions, as well as for 18O and D isotopes. The salinity in the central oil fields (TSD in ppm) ranges from 221,972 ppm to 243,372 ppm. The salinities are very similar in different oil wells. These salinities are 1 to 14 times higher than the salinity found in another fields (15,299 to 16,557 ppm), and 1 to 5 times higher than other field. A northern oil field salinity is characterized also by an important heterogeneity of it salinity due to salt intrusion and interaction with non uniform structures. The major ions analysis (Na+, Ca2+, K+, Mg+, Cl+, SO42-, HCO3-) suggests water-rock interactions in all the oil fields. This is the case, particularly marked in the central fields, where the brines are enriched in Mg in a range from 10 to 274 ppm. This is due to brines/dolomites interaction, while in other oil field, the higher concentration of Mg was only of 1.17 ppm. The central oil fields present depletion on sulfate concentrations (<5.9 ppm). This could be due to precipitation of metal sulfide (thermal reduction) in the form of pyrite and marcasite. Halogens (Br, Cl) concentration indicates three different origins for the formation waters. Water from the central wells is plotted on the evaporated marine water evolution line. Water from the southern wells is located close to marine water in the halite dissolution zone, whereas water form the northern wells is plotted in the diluted waters zone. Cl and Br evolution in the central field samples shows two different groups, and clearly reveal mixing processes between marine water and highly evolved evaporated seawater. Whereas water from the northern wells is plotted in the mixing zone between seawater with low salinity water trapped in Tertiary sediments which can migrate until mixed with older formation waters. The D-O stable isotopes results show some differences between the southern water and other waters. The 18O values were range between +8.37 to +12.28 for all waters, not showing strong differences between them. Whereas the D content was higher for southern wells (-0.83 °) than for other waters (range: -21 to -13°), which very likely indicates an isotopic composition of evaporated water in equilibrium with the host rock (carbonate cement).
- Publication:
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AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2007
- Bibcode:
- 2007AGUSMGS23B..02M
- Keywords:
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- 1099 General or miscellaneous