Clay vs.

Shale in
Petrophysics
Authigenic smectite overgrown on pore spaces.
http://webmineral.com/specimens/picshow.php?id=1285

Howard August
Texas A&M – Kingsville
December 2019
Outline
• Clay vs Shale?
▫ Shaly sands
• Clay types
▫ Effect on well logs
• Shale Distributions
▫ Models
• Vclay vs Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

What is clay/shale?
Shaly sands

Shale is a rock, typically defined as an indurated, finely

laminated, composed primarily of clay, mud and silt. Clay types

Gaafar et al. 2016.

This definition does not describe the mineralogy but rather the grain size. Effect on
well logs

Whilst clay can refer to grain size it can also refer to clay minerals, and it is the dual Shale
Distribution
meaning of the word clay that is at the heart of the confusion in the industry.
Shale
Distribution
Clay minerals are a group of hydrous aluminium silicates with a sheet-like structure models

(phyllosilicates), which adsorb water on their surfaces. It is these clay minerals that
we are concerned about when determining porosity and water saturation. Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

What is clay/shale?
Shaly sands

• When computing porosity, one should

account for the clay minerals. Clay types

• When computing Sw, one should Effect on

well logs

account for the excess conductivity

resulting from the clay minerals. Shale
Distribution

• In both cases it is the volume of clay Shale

minerals to correct for, not the volume Distribution
models

of shale.
Co vs. Cw for shaly sand (Worthington 1985).
Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Shaly sands
Shaly sands

• The apparent formation factor (Fa = Cw/Co)

decreases with increasing shale content.
• Note that at high values of Cw (salty formation Clay types

waters), Fa approaches the classical Archie

formation factor. Effect on
well logs
• The effect of shale on the response of standard
logging tools depends on:
▫ The type of clay material Shale
Distribution

▫ The distribution of the clay material

Cw/Co vs. Cw. Bateman 2012.
▫ The amount of clay material Shale
Distribution
▫ The salinity of the formation water models

▫ The water saturation

Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Clay Types
Shaly sands

• There are two ways of defining shales. One is by grain size, and the other is by
mineralogical description. Clay types

• Mineralogical analysis defines the common clay minerals as:

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
Ellis et al. 2008. Bateman 2012. models

▫ The larger the CEC the more bound water and the larger the porosity of the wet clay. Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Clay Types
Shaly sands

One abundant and characteristic element in clays is Al. However, the concentration
of Al in clay minerals is variable, and feldspars also contain Al. Clay types

Aside from Al, there are variable quantities of quartz and feldspar, which can be Effect on
used to subclassify their origin as: well logs

• Detrital clays, deposited with the sandstone at the time the sediments are laid
down, and Shale
Distribution

• Authigenic clays, appear as precipitates from solution at a later time.

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Clay Types
Shaly sands

There are features of clay minerals other than elemental composition that affect
log response. Clay types

• The first is associated with their platy nature, which results from their structure.
Water trapped between the plates contributes to conductivity and to porosity
Effect on
measurements, although it not considered a part of “effective” porosity. well logs

• Other important property of clay minerals is their ability to adsorb ions on their
exposed surfaces, primarily cations. In some instances these ions are radioactive Shale
Distribution

and account for the gamma ray activity frequently associated with clay minerals.
• The ability of a clay mineral to form the electrical double layer is measured by its Shale
Distribution

CEC. The large interlayer surfaces cause montmorillonites to have large CEC. models

• Illite happens to be one of the commonest clays in hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Clay effect on well logs Shaly sands

Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Bateman 2012.
Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Influence of different clay properties on logging responses

Shaly sands

Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Ellis et al. 2008. Shale

Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Shale effect on individual

measurements Shaly sands

• Spontaneous Potential Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
Ellis et al. 2008.
 Clay vs
Shale

Shale effect on individual

measurements Shaly sands

• Spectral Gamma Ray Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
Ellis et al. 2008.
 Clay vs
Shale

Shale effect on individual

measurements Shaly sands

• Neutron Clay types

• The hydroxyl content, Effect on

• The presence of thermal absorbers (Boron or Gd), well logs

• The density of the assemblage.

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
Ellis et al. 2008.
 Clay vs
Shale

Shale effect on individual

measurements Shaly sands

• Photoelectric Factor (Pe) Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution
The shaded portion of excess Pe is primarily the
result of the iron in the clay minerals.
Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
Ellis et al. 2008.
 Clay vs
Shale

Shale effect on individual

measurements Shaly sands

• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
Ellis et al. 2008.
 Clay vs
Shale

Shale Distribution
Shaly sands

Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Spooner 2014.
Shale
Distribution
models

Reduce It has It doesn’t

t and K Zero e affect  Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Shale Distribution
Shaly sands

The volume of shale, and the distribution of the shale is typically considered to
influence the relationship between total porosity, t, and effective porosity, e Clay types

The shale distribution will largely affect the resistivity measurement: a laminated Effect on
well logs
shale will produce quite different results from the same volume of a dispersed
clay, because of anisotropy or accessible surface.
Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Neutron–Density X-Plots
Shaly sands

• Laminated sand/shale sequence Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Ex. Assuming a laminated sandstone/shale sequence,

ØN = 31% and ØD = 19%.
Shale
If ØNsh = 40% and ØDsh = 10%, Distribution
models
find Øe and Vlam

Bateman 2012. Vclay vs

Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Neutron–Density X-Plots
Shaly sands

• Disperse Clays Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Ex. Assuming a dispersed-clay model,

ØN = 19% and ØD = 16%.
Shale
If ØNsh = 40% and ØDsh = 10%, Distribution
models
find Øe and Vlam

Bateman 2012. Vclay vs

Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Neutron–Density X-Plots
Shaly sands

• Structural Clays Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Ex. In a disperse clay interval,

ØN = 34% and ØD = 15%.
Shale
If ØNsh = 40% and ØDsh = 10%, Distribution
models
find Øe and Vlam

Bateman 2012. Vclay vs

Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Vclay–e X-Plot Vclay–t X-Plot

Shaly sands

Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Bateman 2012. Vclay vs

Vshale
Spooner 2014.
 Clay vs
Shale

Neutron–Density X-Plots Trends

Shaly sands

• Typical shaly-sand trends in the

data forming an L or V shape
Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Gaafar et al., 2016. Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Neutron–Density X-Plots Trends

Shaly sands

• Typical shaly-sand trends in the

data forming an L or V shape
Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Spooner 2014. Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Neutron–Density X-Plots Trends

Spooner 2014. Shaly sands

Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Neutron–Density X-Plots Trends

Spooner 2014. Shaly sands

Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Shaly sands

Clay types

Effect on
well logs

Shale
Distribution

Shale
Distribution
models

Vclay vs
Spooner 2014. Vshale
 Clay vs
Shale

Vclay vs Vshale
Shaly sands

• Vclay is most important, not only because it is used for the computation of e, but
because in shaly-sand a Sw equation that accounts for the excess conductivity of
Clay types
the clays should be used.
• The excess conductivity is not a function of the silt in the shale, but the clays, so
Vclay should be used. Effect on
well logs

• The Dual Water equation, Coates, Xiao and Prammer, (1999), is expressed in terms
of clay bound water saturation, Swb. Shale
Distribution
Spooner 2014.

• If Vshale is used instead of Vclay then e tends to be computed too low. Shale
• Once the computed e reaches zero, whether it is a siltstone or a shaly-sand, then Distribution
models

any permeability derived from that porosity will also be zero.

Vclay vs
Vshale
References
• Darwin V. Ellis, Julian M. Singer. Well Logging for Earth Scientists, 2nd Edition. 2008.

• Gamal Ragab Gaafar, Michael Mehmet Eltunbay, Shaharudin B A Aziz, Ehab Najm. Sand-Silt-Clay
Evaluation Models: Which One to Use - A Case Study in the Malay Basin. OTC-26771-MS. 2016.

• Paul Spooner. Lifting the fog of confusion surrounding clay and shale in petrophysics. SPWLA 55th
Annual Logging Symposium, May 18-22, 2014.

• Richard M. Bateman. Openhole Log Analysis and Formation Evaluation. 2nd Edition. 2012.