Salt Systems of the Earth

Distribution, Tectonic and Kinematic History, Salt-Naphthids Interrelations, Discharge Foci, Recycling

Galina Belenitskaya

• Publisher: Wiley-Scrivener
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781119479291
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Geology & Earth Sciences

The most comprehensive and in-depth study of the formation, practical applications, history, and natural recycling of salt, including the global and geological implications of its formative process, natural movement, and development in the Earth's subsurface.

Like water, salt is one of the most commonplace items in our everyday lives. From the omnipresent shaker that you see on every table in every restaurant, to the ocean water we swim in, salt is something that we rarely think about. But there is much more to the story of salt than most people think. Not only is salt a natural resource that must be captured and refined for public consumption, but "salt domes, " large deposits of salt that form under the ground, are important for finding and drilling for petroleum and natural gas. Salt is so important that, in ancient times, it was sometimes used as a currency in various cultures around the world, and it has been used as a food preservative, long before refrigeration was invented. Salt is something we rarely think about, but it is one of the most important natural resources that exists.

This is the first integrated study of salt's global development in the Earth's subsurface, its tectonic history and kinematic evolution, "live" salt-naphtide interconnections, and their geological recycling. The Earth's salt is shown as a peculiar umbilical thread in the analysis of numerous geological processes of salt formation, transformation, migration, discharge and regeneration, and their association with hydrocarbons. Presented here is the science of salt, including the active salt bodies' "live" in Earth's subsurface, their fate and influence over the other geological processes, including grandiose systems of kinetically interrelated allochthonous nappe-like and sub-vertical bodies formed by the migrating salt. Also included are a description of sub-conformable sheet-like salt bodies formed not by the evaporation but by emigration of buried brine-salt masses and their discharge at new, younger stratigraphic levels, a description of a phenomenon of the "halo-volcanism" due to depth breakthroughs and explosive discharges of the hydrocarbon-brine-salt masses, an examination of the over-diapir surface and brine lakes with fluctuating levels, and many other things. The book provides new interpretations of numerous issues reflecting the salt "life" manifestations and gives a key to a broad circle of the geological enigmas, from global events like the Messinian crisis in the Mediterranean to Biblical legends and enigmas of the Dead Sea-lake.

Whether you are a scientist or student working in the natural or Earth sciences, a geologist, an anthropologist, a petroleum engineer, a petrophysicist, or any other engineer or student working in petroleum engineering, this groundbreaking work is a must-have. Perfect for any scientist or engineer's library, this volume can be a must-read page-turner or a valuable reference work.

PART 1
SALTS IN EARTH’S CRUST: COMPOSITION, TECTONIC AND KINEMATIC HISTORY, SALT-NAPHTHIDE PARAKINESIS

Chapter 1
Geological-Tectonic Review of World Salt-Bearing Basins

1.1 Introduction

This Chapter, partially presenting its factual basis, includes a systematic comparative geologo-tectonic and minerogenic review of world salt-bearing basins grouped by the continent. The review is based on an analysis of a vast published and author’s material and includes a great majority of currently known significant salt-bearing basins. Also included is a brief geologo-minerogenic and economical description of all specific basins of an independent interest. The description of continents and individual basins is, as far as possible, uniform and includes a general geologo-tectonic evaluation, a characterization of the basic salt-bearing subdivisions and an analysis of minerogenic, geologo-economic and some other most significant attributes.

First, we will fine-tune major concepts and terms used.

Many scientists devoted attention to the issues of the terminology and nomenclature of halogen rocks and halogen formations. At that, various attributes and principles were assumed basic. The review of the state of knowledge and current status of these issues was long ago done in detail by the author in special studies (Shvanov et al., 1998; Belenitskaya, 1998; etc.). Here, we will just fine-tune the basic concepts and terms used.

The terms “salt” and “halogen” are etymologically equivalent (in Greek, hals is salt). According to the definitions most commonly accepted in publications (Geologic …, 2010), they include the entire natural community combining relatively easily water-soluble chemogenic compounds. They are (in ascending order of solubility) calcium sulfates (anhydrite, gypsum) to most soluble chlorides, sulfates, carbonates and nitrates of K, Mg, Na, Ca (Table 1.1). Sometimes the concept “salt” includes only the most soluble of these compounds and excludes calcium sulfates. We utilize these terms and their derivatives for the entire community.

Table 1.1 The main rock-forming minerals of halogen rocks.

Groups^1	Classes^1,2	Subclass^2	Minerals, formulae
1	2	3	4
Halogenides	Chlorides	Sodium chlorides [Na-chlorides]	Halite NaCl
		Magnesium-potassium chlorides [Mg/K-chlorides]	Sylvite KCl Carnallite KCl·MgCl2·5H2O Bischoaite MgCl2·6H2O Tachhydrite CaCl2·2MgCl2·12H2O
Oxigen salts	Sulfates	Calcium sulfates [Ca-sulfates]	Gypsum CaSO4·2H2O Anhydrite CaSO4
		Magnesium-potassium sulfates [Mg/K-sulfates]	Polyhalite K2SO4·MgSO4·2CaSO4·2H2O Kainite KCl·MgSO4·3H2O Langbeinite K2SO4·2MgSO4 Kiserite MgSO4·H2O Epsomite MgSO4·7H2O
		Sodium sulfates [Na-sulfates]	Tenardite Na2SO4 Mirabilite Na2SO4·10H2O Glauberite Na2SO4·CaSO4 Astrakhanite Na2SO4·MgSO4·4H2O Glaserite Na2SO4·3K2SO4
	Carbonates	Sodium carbonates [Na-carbonates]	Trona Na2CO3·NaHCO3·2H2O Nahcolite NaHCO3 Natron [native soda] Na2CO3·10H2O Northupite Na2CO3·MgCO3·NaCl Shortite Na2CO2·2CaCO3 Gaylussite Na2CO3·CaCO3·5H2O Dawsonite NaAlCO3(OH)2 Hanksite 2Na2CO3·9Na2SO4-KCl
	Nitrates	Potassium-sodium nitrates [K/Na-nitrates]	Nitronatrite [sodium or Chile saltpeter] NaNO3 Nitrokalite [potassium saltpeter] KNO3

Notes

¹After A.G. Betekhtin.

²Minerals of a mixed anion or cation composition are attributed to one or another class or subclass based on anion and cation most typical for them.

³In brackets are optional names.

Another term, “evaporites” and its derivatives are commonly used in literature. They are derived from the Latin “evaporo” – to evaporate and indicate deposits emerged as a result of evaporation. Boundaries of these terms in publications are also insufficiently definitive, same as the boundaries of the term “salt rocks”. Some scientists include in it only high solubility salts, some others, also calcium sulfates and the third ones, also calcium-magnesium carbonates (dolomite, magnesite). We are using these terms restrictively, first of all because they are uniquely “monogenetic”: they postulate that the emergence of halogen formations occurs exceptionally through the evaporation. Therefore, they should not be used for indicating salt rocks of a different genetic nature. In the meantime, a possibility of the salt accumulation is established through the realization of totally different (not evaporative) mechanisms, such as brine mixing, gradients of the medium physicochemical parameters, redeposition, etc. (Belenitskaya, 1998; etc.). In other words, these terms do not embrace the entire scope of the considered rock association.

Salt (salt-bearing) or halogen (halogen-containing) depositional bodies are sedimentary rock objects of various ranks substantially enriched in the salt (halogen) material containing its elevated number in form of sequences, beds, interbeds and sometimes totally composed by it. The salt bearing sedimentary basins are...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Abstract
• Introduction
• PART 1: Salts in Earth’s Crust: Composition, Tectonic and Kinematic History, Salt-Naphthide Parakinesis
• PART 2: Salt in the System of Injection Formations. A Recycling Model of the Salt- and Naphthideaccumulation
• PART 3: Natural Salt Accumulation Belts and Nodes (Examples)
• PART 4: Oil and Gas Occurrence Issues in the Salt-Bearing Basins
• References
• Index
• About the Author
• End User License Agreement