Impact of organic matter on the physical and dynamic properties of marine mud

The physical and dynamic properties of marine mud are a function of the interaction of clay fabric, organic matter (OM), and seawater physico-chemistry, and, when present, free gas. OM is the focus of this presentation and is a determinant of several properties in mud deposits including (1) free water available versus total water content in clay fabric pore space as a result of (2) OM seawater hydration, (3) reduction of permeability by volumetric contribution of hydrated OM in pore space, (4) OM density reduction by seawater hydration versus dry OM density, (5) dynamic behavior by physico-chemical attachment of OM to clay particles in potential energy fields created by the clay fabric signatures (edge-to-face, edge-to-edge, and offset face-to-face) in seawater, (6) high percentages of OM (TOC >2%) result in a high degree of compressibility at considerably lower stress compared to mud deposits with <2%TOC. Measurement and characterization of OM, previously often neglected, is expected to provide new signi...