winter 2015 Saltwork course catalog We are committed to offering up to date and comprehensive understandings in all training related to saline geosystems intro A TRAINING MESSAGE FROM THE SALTWORKS The catalog outlines the various training modules we offer across all applied aspects of evaporite studies. Our course structure is modular so you, or your training coordinator, can construct training program that meets your specific needs. The recommended program length is 3 days made up of 2 days of the “understandings” module (1000 code #’s), followed by a more specialized one day. Our one day advanced modules are suitable for specific interests; 1) potash (2100 code #’s) 2) oil & gas (2200 code #’s) 3) resources (23-2600’s codes) We can also integrate training with your specific problem sets including core, wireline, assay, seismic and other data sets that your staff are working with. Introductory aspects of training in the use of these data skills are also possible. Talk to us and we will design a program for you. EVAPORITES, OIL, GAS, MINERALS & ORES Most geologists and geophysicists working in oil and gas provinces or in base and precious metals systems, where-ever salt or related brines are present, know that salt has played a role in forming the commodity of interest. What they may not fully appreciate is that the role of the various salt and brines can be used as a predictive tool to better focus their exploration and development efforts. Some salty facts: • 50% of all giant and supergiant oil and gas field in carbonate hosted reservoirs are associated with evaporites. • 70% of all giant stratiform copper deposits are related to evaporites, their brines and associated fluid interfaces. • Many Pb-Zn and IOCG associations are related to saline brine systems, and are tied to dissolving or altering evaporites and their daughter products, along with associated redox interfaces. • 95% of the world’s annual production of potash salts is used by the fertiliser industry. Want to know how and why this relatively small group of sediments, their brines and their metamorphic products are so significant to so many aspects across the applied geoindustries? We can share this knowledge and show you how to apply it improve exploration and development efficiencies. Contact us: www.saltworkconsultants.com understandings (2 days) In order to deal with more specialised commodity-specific topics, the course participant must first gain and understanding of what constitutes an evaporite, its brine system and its residues within a tectonic and climatic framework The 4 modules listed on this page give participants the comprehensive background and conceptual frame needed to tackle the more advanced topic sets listed on the following pages. Once these general topic sets are mastered, the client company can choose which of the advanced topic sets best fit their training needs what is an evaporite? (half-day) Messinian gypsum, Sicily Evaporite beds are deposited altered with characteristic textures that can indicate the original hydrological setting and ocean chemistry as well as various diagenetic fluids it was exposed to during burial, re-equilibration and uplift. CODE # TOPIC 1000.01 Evaporation vs. cryogenesis 1000.02 Depositional textures 1000.03 Diagenetic textures 1000.04 Gypsum and anhydrite 1000.05 Halite and trona 1000.06 Saline clay authigenesis brine evolution (half-day) Every evaporite sequence mineralogy and daughter product is controlled by brine evolution pathways. This evolution is preserved in brine chemistries and typical isotopic signatures (S, O, C, Cl). CODE # TOPIC 1025.01 Marine, nonmarine & climate 1025.02 Inclusion chemistries 1025.03 Isotopic signatures 1025.04 Surface & nearsurface brine 1025.05 Basinal & metamorphic brine Cane Creek pans, Utah ancient basins and tectonics (half day) Ancient evaporite settings In evaporite geosystems the present offers a limited sampling of broader evaporite associations in the past. This reflects the limited climatic and tectonic spectrum seen in today’s evaporites. Past systems were more significant CODE # TOPIC 1050.00 Eustasy, greenhouse, icehouse 1050.01 Continental basins 1050.02 Marine-margin basins 1050.03 Ancient basinwide systems 1050.04 Tectonic controls 1050.05 Basin evolution across time evaporite that was (half day) Although largely unrecognised, the are widespread indicators of evaporites in successions where thick sequences of salt have long since dissolved in cross-flushing basinal waters. Naica gypsum, Mexico CODE # TOPIC 1075.01 How and where salts dissolve 1075.01 Saline karst, present & past 1075.02 Breccias, which are salty? 1075.03 Nodule & pseudomorphs 1075.04 Indicators of fluid pathways geology of potash (1 day) This one-day advanced course focuses on the geological controls of potash deposition and diagenesis. It emphasizes the utility of applied geological knowledge in improving efficiencies during exploration and development. Some 90-95% of the world’s potash annual production is used in the fertiliser industry. Most of this product is muriate of potash (KCl) with less production of the premium product - sulfate of potash. Geological sources of potash are either from brine extraction (including solution mining and processing of playa brines), or from conventional mining of bedded and halokinetic potash. Dead Sea Carnallitite beds brine extraction geology Depending on brine inflow proportions, which are controlled by geology in the drainage hinterland and the climate (evaporitic versus cryogenic), the product is either carnallite (e.g. Dead Sea and Wendover Utah) or sulfate of potash (Lop Nur and Great Salt Lake). Geological characterisation of all the world’s potash deposits shows that even in the giant bedded deposits of Canada, diagenesis plays a significant control on ore quality. Brine extraction is utilised in all current examples of Quaternary production of muriate of potash and sulphate of potash. CODE # TOPIC The greater part of the world’s potash is conventionally mined from ancient salt beds or diapiric salt masses in Canada, Russia, Belarus, UK and Germany. CODE # TOPIC 2150.01 Potash across time Solikamsk sinkhole, Nov. 2014 hazards The high solubility of evaporitic salts, especially the potash bitterns means there are particular problems and hazards associated with the utilisation of bedded and halokinetic potash. Pervasive natural karst typify all past and present salt deposits. Effects of these natural geohazards can be increased if flood possibilities are not accounted for from the sinking of the first shaft and throughout the life of the mine. CODE # TOPIC 2125.01 Marine vs. nonmarine 2150.02 Diagenesis and ore 2125.02 Tectonics & brines 2150.03 World potash basins 2175.01 Keep it in the “salt” 2125.03 SOP vs. MOP 2150.04 Exploration criteria 2175.02 Natural or not? 2175.03 Seeing the problem Wendover feeders Zechstein salt Patience Lake mine Lop Nur, China Sylvinite Dead Sea sinkholes oil and gas (1 day) Many of the world’s larger oil and gas fields occur in halokinetically-influenced structures across many of the world’s salt basins (e.g. Campos Basin, Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Lower Congo Basin, Santos Basin and Zagros). A predictive understanding of the physics of salt and how salt flow influences tectonics, reservoir sedimentation and its evolution is therefore critical to effective and efficient petroleum exploration. This advanced module explores the detail and predictive outcomes involved in gaining an understanding of the hydrocarbon-evaporite association. Salt kinetics salt tectonics Many of the world’s oil and gas fields occur in halokinetically-influenced structures across many of the world’s salt basins (e.g. Campos Basin, Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Lower Congo Basin, Santos Basin and Zagros). The course gives a predictive understanding of salt and how it controls local and regional salt tectonics, reservoir sedimentation and diagenesis (poroperm). This is critical to effective and efficient petroleum exploration and field development. »» Salt tectonics & basin-scales »» Predictive salt models »» Circum-salt diagenesis. Salt flows and so creates traps and fluid foci Bitumens in Ara salt Hutt Lagoon reservoir & seal source rocks This is especially obvious in Middle East and in circum Atlantic Aptian settings. Worldwide, all giant and supergiant gas fields in thrust belts have an evaporite seal. Similar conditions favour evaporite and organic matter preservation A large proportion of the world’s giant and supergiant oil and gas fields are associated with salt. With carbonate reservoirs this proportion is more than 50%. Salt acts a seal to underlying and adjacent reservoirs. In diagenesis it supplies brines than can create or enhance reservoir poroperm. »» »» »» »» Physics of salt seals Bedded associations Halokinetic associations Dolomite & evaporites. Salt maintains its seal integrity Oil in carbonate reservoirs, sealed by evaporite salts, may have been sourced in earlier less saline, but still related, evaporitic (mesohaline) conditions. »» Halotolerants tend to flourish in mesohaline waters. »» Why “feast and famine” makes source rocks »» Organic geochemistry of halotolerants and halophiles »» Indicative biomarkers »» The 4 main ancient evaporitic source rock systems »» Time limits of the modern. Saline systems encourage the preservation of organics CODE # TOPIC CODE # TOPIC CODE # TOPIC 2225.01 Physics of salt 2250.01 Salt seal integrity 2275.01 Salinity tolerances 2225.02 Extensional systems 2250.02 Beds, plays & plumes 2275.02 Halotolerant & philes 2325.03 Compressional 2250.03 Halokinetic reservoir 2275.03 Organic indicators 2325.04 Circum-salt systems 2250.04 Dolomitisation & salt 2275.04 Depositional settings metals and salts (1 day) Many sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposits are closely associated with evaporites, or indicators of former evaporites, as are a number of SedEx and MVT deposits. This is because most subsurface evaporites ultimately dissolve and, through their ongoing dissolution and alteration, can create subsurface carriers and conditions suitable for metal enrichment and entrapment. This occurs in subsurface settings ranging from the burial diagenetic through to the metamorphic and igneous realms. It means various metal accumulations of Cu, Pb, Zn Au and U, with an evaporite association, tend to plot at the larger end of their respective deposit groupings. Within this framework, this advanced module explores relationships between evaporites and ore deposits, where ore is defined as a mineral, or an aggregate of minerals, from which a valuable constituent, especially a metal, can be profitably mined or extracted. As well as lower temperature deposits we also explores the significance of dissolving and altering evaporites in ore deposits formed within the higher temperature igneous and metamorphic realms. Salt anticline focus stratabound Cu Sediment hosted stratiform copper (SSC) deposits worldwide rank second only to porphyry copper deposits in terms of copper production and are the most important global source of cobalt. Locally, most of these deposits are stratabound (confined to a particular stratum), and are more or less concordant or peneconcordant, either with saline beds, or with the edge of a salt mass or its residues. CODE # TOPIC 2325.01 Low T Cu carriers 2325.02 Giant bedded ore 2325.03 Giant halokinetic ore 2325.04 Predictive textures Cadjebut galena Pb and Zn Many of the larger carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn deposits within the MVT and SedEx groups of deposits are associated with salt-sourced hypersaline ore fluids. They tie to dissolving halokinetic salt supplying and focusing metalliferous Cl-rich waters. Precipitation site are former platform sulphate levels of supplying CaSO4 during sulphate reduction (BSR or TSR). CODE # TOPIC 2350.01 Low T Pb & Zn carriers 2350.02 Evaporitic MVT deposits 2350.03Evaporitic SedEx deposits 2350.04 Base metals & diagenesis Atlantis II Deep McArthur HYC Corocoro Copper Ref: 6800.00 high T saline ores Metalliferous fluid indicators and ore deposits due to direct and indirect interactions between magma, evaporites, and their hydrothermal and metamorphic daughters, at regional and local scales are neither well documented, nor well understood. Mostly, this is because little or no actual salt remains once these high temperature interactions have run their course. CODE # TOPIC 2375.01 High-T saline systems 2375.02 Meta-evaporite gems 2375.03 Orthomagmatic ores 2375.03 Paramagmatic ores Re non-potash salines (1 day) The greater majority of nonpotash bedded salt resources (borates, sodium carbonates, sodium sulphates and lithium brines) accumulated in continental lacustrine or playa settings. They owe their existence to the unusual ionic compositions that come from groundwater leaching under highly arid conditions, in appropriate bedrock terrains. Borates, for example, form via the lacustrine concentration of spring inflows that have passed through active volcanogenic terrain. Likewise, the trona beds of Lake Magadi reflect non-acidic groundwater and hydrothermal/basin brine leaching (low sulphate, high bicarbonate waters). In contrast, the largest sodium chloride chemical feedstock plants tend to be at there most efficient in modern marine-margin arid settings in Mexico and Australia. blue halite howlite nodules Sodic salts Borates The various salts precipitate with textures and mineral suites indicative of their formative hydrology and tectonic settings. Utilising this knowledge enables the construction of predictive models. They are open-pit mined at the Kramer mine in Boron California, in the Kirka ore district of Turkey, and Tincalayu in northern Argentina. Natural sodium bicarbonate and sodium sulphate salts as well as sodium chloride supply significant volumes of feedstock to the world’s industrial chemicals industries. CODETOPIC 2425.01 Soda-ash geology 2425.02 Salt-cake geology 2425.03 Sodium chloride plants 2425.04 Climate & brine state Major commercial borate deposits occur in a limited number of Neogene to Holocene non-marine evaporitic settings, related to volcanic rocks and pyroclastic deposits in closed-basin alkaline lakes fed by hydrothermal waters. CODE # TOPIC 2450.01 Boron chemistry 2450.02 Sites of enrichment 2450.03 Tectonic association 2450.04 Predictive models Atacama lithium pans Lithium brines In the last two decades Chile has emerged as the world’s most important lithium carbonate producer from a lake brine, largely through the exploitation of Salar de Atacama, Chile, followed by China with operations focused in the Qaidam Basin and lesser scale operations at Lake Zabuye. Quaternary lithium brines accumulations are latitudinally restricted to cool arid belts within endoheic continental brine sumps. CODE # TOPIC 2475.01 Brine chemistry 2475.02 Porosity limitations 2475.03 Predictive models Trona mine, Wyoming Kramer Mine, USA Salar de Atacama Lake Magadi Ulexite-colemanite Zabuye lake, china related topics (half day) Evaporite salts and their mineralogical variations tend to construct complex zones of subsurface chemical reactivity, which evolve from the time of the first precipitate until they are exploited or extracted. This section list a number of salty topics that may be of interest to some explorationists, developers and engineers working in specific types and problems related to saline systems. The various topics can be expanded to meet the clients interests, or added and included within a more conventional 3 day course designed for either the oil or minerals industries. lapis halite lazuli Solution mining Salt solution mining is the mining of various salts, via dissolution, to create a purpose-built storage cavity. It requires pumping the brine liquor to the surface. There the extracted brine can be concentrated or processed. For example, solution mining for potash can exploit folded and disturbed beds or deep-lying salt strata, situations not easily mined using conventional techniques. CODE # TOPIC 2525.01 Mining techniques 2525.02 Residues and blinding 2525.03 Operations & geology 2525.04 Monitoring Wink Sink 2, Texas Meta-evaporites Salty Problems And so, beyond the early greenschist phase, little of the original sedimentary mineral phase remains (except anhydrite), but scapolites. tourmalines, albitites, etc, along with indicator textures do remain. Hence salt in regions where it is mined or used to create cavities for liquid or waste storage can occasionally be susceptible to cavity enhancement and ground subsidence. Evaporite salts can survive well into the metamorphic realm, but are altered, recrystallised or transformed into new minerals and brine solutions. CODE # TOPIC 2550.01Metamorphism 2550.02 Indicator minerals 2550.03 Gems from brine 2550.04 Case histories All evaporites tend to dissolve and the rate of this dissolutions tend to increase greatly when salt beds or a halokinetic masses are uplifted and approach the landsurface. CODE # TOPIC 2575.01 Collapsing brinefields 2575.02 Leaky oilfield wells 2575.03 Leaky caverns 2575.04 Safety issues 2575.01 Solving the problem Gallencourt induced sink Well group Tourmaline, Namibia Solikamsk collapse, 2014 our promise At SaltWorks we are committed to offering up-to-date and comprehensive training in all matters evaporitic. We also offer a full range of related consultancy services and a comprehensive GIS database that encompasses all of the examples offered in any of our training modules. All data plots and polygons are cross-reference to their source data. Refer to our web page to see the complete range of services that we offer. www.saltworkconsultants.com principal instructor Dr. John Warren is the principal expert and technical coordinator for Saltworks. His career spans more than 30 years in salty systems. Interests include; Wireline Analysis, Carbonate and Evaporite Systems, Oil and Gas, Economic Geology and Potash exploration and development. He has written 4 books on economic aspects of evaporites, has contributed related chapters in a number of books and has published more than 60 scientific articles in applied aspects of saline geology. course materials Each participant in the course receives a complete set of digital course notes. This material is a series of hi-resolution pdf files that give the participant a copy of every slide presented during their training course. In addition, each participant receives a digital copy of Dr. Warren’s 2015 book “Evaporites: A compendium” published by Springer (ISBN978-3-319-13512-0). This all-color edition runs to more than 1500 pages and has been cited as the most complete summary of evaporites currently available. © SaltWork Consultants 2015 (ACN 068 889 127) Kingston Park, Adelaide 5049 AUSTRALIA Telephone: +61 8 121 5710 (Australia) +66 8 9498 1512 (roaming/SMS) Web page: www.saltworkconsultants.com Email: [email protected]
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