f Chalk as a Reservoir

Reservoir properties of chalk depend on the primary sediment composition as well as on subsequent diagenesis and tectonic events. Chalks of the North Sea almost exclusively have mudstone or wackestone texture. Microfossils may have retained their porosity where degree of diagenesis is low, or be partly or fully cemented where diagenesis is more pronounced. It is a chalk characteristic that permea bility is controlled by the porosity and internal surface of the mud matrix, whereas the larger pores play an insignificant role. Cemented microfossils may take up a significant volume in a wackestone, and the best reservoir properties are typically found in mudstone intervals.