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Formation Mechanism of Sepiolite and Its Geological Application
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JieZhi ZHANG, Xi LI, GuangYou ZHU, HeTing GAO, Sheng LI, KaiHang ZHENG, HongZhou CHEN, JianYong LIU
Acta Sedimentologica Sinica | 2026, 44(4) : 1273 - 1297
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Acta Sedimentologica Sinica | 2026, 44(4): 1273-1297
Formation Mechanism of Sepiolite and Its Geological Application
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JieZhi ZHANG, Xi LI, GuangYou ZHU, HeTing GAO, Sheng LI, KaiHang ZHENG, HongZhou CHEN, JianYong LIU
Affiliations
  • School of Geosciences, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
Published: 2026-08-10 doi: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2025.017
Outline
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Significance Sepiolite is a clay mineral with a unique fibrous crystal structure; it has a significant potential application in the geological field due to its high adsorptive capacity and thermal stability. Progress The genesis types for sepiolite include direct deposition, terrestrial transport sedimentation and diagenetic alteration. Direct deposition is influenced by chemical conditions such as element concentration and pH. Terrestrial transport sedimentation is closely related to the geological environment and climatic conditions. Diagenetic alteration of sepiolite is affected by the burial depth and the properties of the hydrothermal fluids. Sepiolite is generally formed in an alkaline reducing environment rich in Mg and Si, but with a low Al content. During the thermodynamic evolution process, it undergoes mineral phase transitions and is transformed into minerals such as talc or montmorillonite, which imply different depositional and diagenetic evolutionary paths. In terms of geological applications, sepiolite has an excellent adsorptive behavior, and thus it can efficiently enrich organic matter, providing a basis for the formation of hydrocarbon source rocks with significantly enhanced oil- and gas-generating potential and quality. The diagenetic fluids of the sepiolite layer help promote the transformation of high-energy beach limestone at the edge of a depression into a high-quality dolomite reservoir, thereby giving rise to either of two oil and gas accumulation models: self-generation and self-storage, or lower generation and greater storage. In addition, the thickness and distribution of sepiolite strata inverts undulating paleolandforms and is also an effective indicator of oil and gas reservoir regions, thus providing an important basis for oil and gas exploration. In terms of paleoenvironment, the formation process of sepiolite also records a range of information (e.g., evaporation environment, water level changes, climate evolution and anoxic events) that can be used to reveal major geological events in the region. Conclusions and prospects Sepiolite has shown significant research value in oil and gas exploration, paleogeomorphic reconstruction and paleoenvironmental restoration. Future development trends of sepiolite will include its use in defining paleoenvironmental conditions, enhancing the analytical ability of seismic data on the thickness of sepiolite strata, and developing the exploration of oil and gas in sepiolite strata.

sepiolite  /  geological characteristics  /  genetic mechanism  /  sedimentation-diagenesis  /  geological applications
JieZhi ZHANG, Xi LI, GuangYou ZHU, HeTing GAO, Sheng LI, KaiHang ZHENG, HongZhou CHEN, JianYong LIU. Formation Mechanism of Sepiolite and Its Geological Application[J]. Acta Sedimentologica Sinica, 2026 , 44 (4) : 1273 -1297 . DOI: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2025.017
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China(42230812)
Year 2026 volume 44 Issue 4
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Article Info
doi: 10.14027/j.issn.1000-0550.2025.017
  • Receive Date:2025-02-14
  • Online Date:2026-09-02
  • Published:2026-08-10
Article Data
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History
  • Received:2025-02-14
  • Revised:2025-04-27
  • Accepted:2025-08-26
Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China(42230812)
Affiliations
    School of Geosciences, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China

Corresponding:

ZHU GuangYou, E-mail:
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表12种不同金属材料的力学参数

Family
属数
Number of
genus
种数
Number of
species
占总种数比例
Percentage of
total species (%)

Genus
种数
Number of
species
占总种数比例
Percentage of total
species (%)
鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae 2 11 5.26 鹅膏菌属 Amanita 10 4.78
小菇科 Mycenaceae 2 12 5.74 丝盖伞属 Inocybe 5 2.39
多孔菌科 Polyporaceae 8 14 6.70 蜡蘑属 Laccaria 5 2.39
红菇科 Russulaceae 3 23 11.00 小皮伞属 Marasmius 6 2.87
小菇属 Mycena 11 5.26
光柄菇属 Pluteus 5 2.39
红菇属 Russula 17 8.13
栓菌属 Trametes 5 2.39
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