The Influence of Extractable Organic Matter on Pore Development in the Late Triassic Chang 7 Lacustrine Shales, Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin, China

To investigate the influence of extractable organic matter (EOM) on pore evolution of lacustrine shales, Soxhlet extraction, using dichloromethane, was performed on a series of Chang 7 shale samples (Ordos Basin, China) with vitrinite reflectance of 0.64% to 1.34%. Low-pressure gas adsorption experiments were conducted on the samples before and after extraction. The pore structure parameters were calculated from the gas adsorption data. The results show complex changes to the pore volumes and surface areas after extraction. The pore development of both the initial and extracted samples is strongly controlled by total organic carbon (TOC) content. Micropores developed mainly in organic matter (OM), while mesopores and macropores predominantly developed in fractions other than OM. The influence of EOM on micropores is stronger than on mesopores and macropores. Organic solvents with a higher boiling point should be used to explore the effect of EOM on pore structure in the future.