CAVINGS IDENTIFICATION

TYPE APPEARANCE PROVENANCE

BLOCKY /
ANGULAR
PLATEY /
TABULAR
SPLINTERS
THIN
SPLINTERS
CURVED
Drilling through a fault
'rubble' or damage zone.
Drilling through a naturally
fractured formation.
Wellbore erosion.
Severe wellbore breakout
(appear after splinery
cavings).
Bedding plane or lamination
controlled failure
(predominantly in shales).
First symptoms of 'classical'
wellbore breakout (also
called 'pressure' cavings).
May also be caused by
mechanical damage, but
'tool' marks are often
evident.
First symptoms of 'classical'
wellbore breakout (also
called 'pressure' cavings).
.
Shear failure in strong /
competent formation.
May show the original
concave wellbore wall.
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