Porosity and permeability in volcanic rocks: a case study on the Serie Tobı́fera, South Patagonia, Argentina

The Middle to Late Jurassic Serie Tobı́fera belongs to the Chon-Aike Province and extends all over Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula. It consists largely of ignimbrites, epiclastics and rhyolitic lavas and was considered only a minor reservoir rock for oil with fracture permeability. Petrographic and petrophysical data in selected core samples from the Austral Basin were collected to determine the processes controlling the porosity and permeability of these volcanic rocks. The sequence of processes occurring during cooling and in the post-cooling stages can modify, sometimes substantially, their original petrophysic characteristics. The results show that the highest porosity and permeability occur in rocks with quench fractured glasses and in non-welded ignimbrites with gas-pipe structures, followed by autobrecciated rhyolites. Welded ignimbrites, massive glasses and fresh rhyolites have the lowest permeabilities. The new data indicate that tectonic fracturing is not as significant as was considered before and application of these concepts are relevant in the assesment of volcanic reservoir quality.