Determination of Thermal Conductivity of Some Shale Samples in Awi Formation and Its Geophysical Implications, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The thermal Conductivity of some about sixty – two (62) shale samples from four locations within the Awi formation using modified Lee’s method were determined. It was observed that the thermal agitation in the sample increases as the temperature increases, after which thermal stability was attained. The Shale samples collected from location two and four tend to have high  average thermal conductivity values ranging from 1.4490 W/m⁰C and 1.0802 W/m⁰C respectively while location one and three exhibits low values of thermal conductivity ranging from 0.8544 W/m⁰C and 0.7027 W/m⁰C respectively during the rising temperature measurement. During the falling temperature measurement location two and four still have high average thermal conductivity values of 1.3020 W/m⁰C and 0.9884 W/m⁰C respectively and location one has an average value of 0.8339  W/m⁰C while location Three has 0.6544 W/m⁰C. The low values exhibited by Location one and three is largely due to the fact  that the outcrops in these locations were along the road  and have been exposed to weather and  human activities. However, the values from location two and four, suggests that shales within this location are post matured.

Keywords: Conductivity, agitation, stability, outcrops, post- matured