Magnetic Anisotropy in Silurian Gas‐Bearing Shale Rocks From the Pomerania Region (Northern Poland)

Analysis of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (AARM) was conducted on unconventional gas-bearing Silurian shale rocks from northern Poland. Samples of these rocks were collected from depths greater than 3,500m from two drill cores. The aim was to investigate magnetic fabrics to verify current models of depositional conditions, current direction, and/or tectonic evolution. To obtain an in-depth interpretation, rock magnetic studies, microscopic analyses, and graptolite orientation measurements were performed. The results indicate that the magnetic susceptibility is mainly governed by paramagnetic minerals (phyllosilicates) with a small contribution of ferromagnetic minerals, mostly magnetite. Typically, in the studied mudstones, the AMS and AARM fabrics are characterized by strong bedding-parallel foliation, resulting mostly from compaction. The foliation is much weaker in the associated early-diagenetic calcareous concretions. Although the mudstones are almost isotropic in the bedding plane, there is a slight tendency for grouping of magnetic lineation axes with an orientation of approximately NNW-SSE. The corresponding orientation of the AMS lineation is preserved in the concretions, and the same trend also prevails in the preferred orientation of graptolites. Thus, we interpret this orientation to be related to paleocurrents. The observed directions show that during the Wenlock (Silurian) in the studied part of the Baltic Basin, the dominant currents had an orientation of circa NNW-SSE along the margin of Baltica. Our results confirm that even in such fine-grained sediments, in which there are no other unequivocal directional sedimentary indicators, paleocurrent directions can be determined by applying AMS and AARM methodology.