Thread: Conductivity of limestone?

Hello,

Quick question, hope it's in the right section: does anybody know what the electrical conductivity (if any) of limestone and chalk is?

Thanks.


OB

The conductivity is primarily influenced by the fluid content of the pore spaces. Generally the rock matrix itself is considered to have zero conductivity. (This is not wholly true of shales and clays because of ion exchange and other factors, but you have asked specifically about limestone.)

If the fluid is oil or fresh water then resistivity remains very high and therefore conductivity is very low. Conductivity of rocks containing saline water will depend upon the type and concentration of ions that are present. Off the top of my head I would think a typical in situ limestone conductivity would be of the order of 10 to 100 millimhos/metre.

Thanks John.

OB