The mineralogical composition of the Dammam Formation aquifer in Kuwait

Core samples from the Umm Gudair water field that were collected during the construction of the well field (1984 through 1986) were utilized to carry out a petrological study of the Dammam Formation aquifer materials in Kuwait. The study included determination of insoluble residue, X-Ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and microscopic investigations, in order to identify the modal mineralogical composition of the Dammam Formation. A total of 24 samples from the Dammam Formation were selected to determine the insoluble residue contents, and 38 samples were examined using XRD to determine gross mineralogical composition. Clay fractions of the insoluble residues were identified and their percentage composition was estimated using XRD for 17 samples. In addition 28 samples representing various depths of the Dammam Formation were selected and analyzed by XRF to determine the chemical composition at these depths. The results of these analyses along with other investigations show that the modal mineralogical composition of the Dammam Formation is 51% dolomite, 41% calcite, 3.7% shell fragments, 2.6% clays, 1.5% quartz, and 0.2% aragonite.