We establish a multiscale characterization workflow enabling accurate representations of mudrock microstructures by combining spatially resolved synchrotron small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) microscopy with statistical analysis. High-throughput spatially resolved SAXS and WAXS measurements were performed on a 25 μm thick section of a mudrock sample from the Eagle Ford formation. A high (microscopic, μm 2 ) scanning resolution was achieved, and performing thousands of consecutive measurements a representative ( mm 2 ) sample area was systematically probed. We quantified key microstructural parameters including the mineralogy, nano pore (6 – 202 nm) porosity, pore orientation and their spatial variation, finding a heterogeneous microstructure. Performing hierarchical clustering we demonstrate that the SAXS data can be clustered macroscopically into 4 microstructural groups each exhibiting statistically significantly different properties: fossils and grains, nodules, matrix, and veins. We then used image analysis to characterize the shape, size, and distribution characteristics of the 4 groups. To facilitate further use of the dataset, generic distribution functions were fitted to all the parameters obtained, potentially allowing easy incorporation into pore-scale models in future research.
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Leu et al. (2026) studied this question.