Feasibility of ASD AgriSpec analysis to indicate mineralogy of a potential shale gas reservoir from West Lancashire, UK

Mudrocks rich in organic matter present an attractive exploration target for unconventional gas and oil. The mid-Carboniferous Bowland Shale is considered the principal accumulation of gas-prone shales in the UK. One risk with exploitation of shales is that the rocks may exhibit ductile behaviour and not respond well to hydraulic stimulation programmes. The brittle behaviour of the rock is influenced by mineralogical composition. Approximately 15 m of core from the Bowland Shale, has been used to test the feasibility of using Near Infra-Red (NIR) Spectrometry to characterise the mineralogy of the shale, and compare to analysis using standard XRD techniques.