Hydrothermal alteration and clay analyses on cores, cuttings or scale as well as hot spring rock studies.

Specialised analysis of core and cuttings can show:

• Sequences of mineral formation
• Sites of mineral deposition (i.e., preferential deposition in voids, around particular minerals or all minerals)
• Types of clays, clay-mineral relationships, clay morphology and clay composition

These techniques address questions such as:

• What influence does the host rock formation have on the formation of clays?
• Are some lithologic units more likely to enhance or inhibit clay formation?
• Does clay morphology influence well productivity?
• Is clay morphology a product of subsurface environment, maturity or composition?
• Do subtle variations in clay composition influence host rock permeability and in turn well productivity?

Techniques include:

Scanning Electron Microscopy

Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy

X-Ray Diffraction and  iTrax

X-Ray Fluoresence

Petrography

Computerised Tomography