Studies of clastic sediments have documented the formation and transformation of clay mineral assemblages during burial diagenesis. The transformation of smectite to illite in shale by its reaction with the decomposition products of detrital K-feldspar and mica results in the production of new pore water at depth. The overall reaction mobilizes all the major chemical components in the shale, most of which are consumed in the formation of the diagenetic assemblage illite/smectite + chlorite + quartz. However, part of all the components is undoubtedly transported from the shale to sandstone units and is involved in cementation, replacement, and diagenetic clay mineral formation in these reservoir rocks.

In contrast to burial diagenetic reactions in shale, where the sequence is monotonic and reasonably predictable, diagenetic reactions in sandstone are frequently variable. This variability is probably attributable to the fact that sandstones are open systems in which the reactions that proceed are controlled in part by the influx of new pore water, the chemistry of which is determined by an outside source.

The useful understanding role of clay minerals in hydrocarbon

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exploration will follow from a determination of the system shale/sandstone/organic material. We need to tie in the nature and timing of shale mineral reactions and their control on the fluid and mass transfer from shale to sandstone.

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