Compaction (geology)

In sedimentology, compaction is the process by which a sediment progressively loses its porosity due to the effects of pressure from loading.

When a layer of sediment is originally deposited, it contains an open framework of particles with the pore space being usually filled with water.

[1] Compaction trend estimation and decompaction process are useful for analyzing numerical basin evolution (e.g., subsidence) and evaluating hydrocarbon reservoirs and geological storages.

A mathematical analytical solution was obtained by Fowler and Yang[3] to show the theoretical basis for Athy's law.

Buried tilted fault blocks in a rift basin often produce large anticlinal closures in the post-rift section that may form traps for hydrocarbons e.g. the Daqing Field, the largest oil field in the People's Republic of China, in the Songliao Basin.