Permeability of Clays, Silty-Clays and Clayey-Silts

Siltstones, mudstones and shales have been studied mainly with regard to clay mineralogy and general transport-deposition. Recent studies on deepwater deposits from cores and outcrops have shown that fluid flow properties of deepwater reservoirs are greatly affected by the presence of finer-grained deposits in the reservoir. Initial analysis indicates that the majority of these finer grained deposits have a large silt component and are closer to siltstones rather than mudstones, commonly called shales To date, little attention has been given to their characteristics resulting from different depositional processes.