Impedance of black shale from Münsterland I borehole: an anomalously good conductor?

Abstract

Black shale containing about 5 per cent organic matter has very low electrical resistivity in comparison to shale which contains no organic matter. The low resistivity of the black shale is attributed to carbon, produced by pyrolysis reactions associated with diagensis, located at grain boundaries in the black shale. Some conductivity anomalies in the Earth's crust and upper mantle may be caused by carbon produced in this manner. Copyright © 1988, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved