Influence of multistage hydrothermal fluids on dolomite reservoirs: A case study from the Lower Ordovician Yeli-Liangjiashan Formation in the Chengdao-Zhuanghai area, Jiyang subbasin, Bohai Bay Basin, China

Abstract

It remains controversial whether the influence of hydrothermal fluids on dolomite reservoirs is dominated by dissolution or precipitation. In this study, the influence of multistage hydrothermal fluids on the dolomite reservoirs of the Lower Ordovician Yeli-Liangjiashan Formation in the Chengdao-Zhuanghai area was investigated based on petrographic observations and geochemical analyses, with an emphasis on the temporal relationships among dolomitization, pore formation, and multistage hydrothermal fluid activities determined by in situ U-Pb dating. The δ18O, δ13C, and 87Sr/86Sr data indicate that the genesis of pre-hydrothermal dolomites and the earliest-formed dolomite cement (Cd1) closest to the edges of pores were related to coeval seawater. The U-Pb age of pre-hydrothermal dolomites is 427 ± 11 Ma, representing the time when early dolomitization occurred. The original pore formation predates the precipitation of Cd1 with a U-Pb age of 391 ± 12 Ma. Stage I and stage II hydrothermal fluids were derived from the Precambrian basement and the mantle, respectively, as evidenced by differences in δ18Ofluid values and rare earth element characteristics. Stage I and II hydrothermal fluids occurred at 161 ± 12 Ma and 81 ± 16 Ma, respectively. Therefore, early dolomitization and pore formation are not correlated with the two stages of hydrothermal fluids. Stage II hydrothermal fluids contained a relatively higher amount of H2S than stage I hydrothermal fluids. H2S-related dissolution caused by stage II hydrothermal fluids mainly occurred in the dolomite reservoirs adjacent to major faults, and H2S was gradually consumed as the distance from the major faults increased. The two stages of hydrothermal minerals successively filled most of the spaces in pores and fractures. The influence of multistage hydrothermal fluids on dolomite reservoirs was found to be dominated by precipitation.