Patent ID: 7644993

Claim:
An in situ method of recovering natural resources, comprising: (a) heating an organic-rich rock formation in situ, the organic-rich rock formation (i) being substantially impermeable to fluid flow initially, (ii) containing formation hydrocarbons, and (iii) containing one or more formation water-soluble minerals, the heating (i) pyrolyzing at least a portion of the formation hydrocarbons in a matured organic-rich rock zone of the organic-rich rock formation to create hydrocarbon fluids, thereby creating permeability within the matured organic-rich rock zone, (ii) leaving a second portion of the formation hydrocarbons substantially unpyrolyzed, thereby preserving an unmatured organic-rich rock zone, and (iii) converting at least a portion of the one or more formation water-soluble minerals to one or more first water-soluble minerals; (b) producing the hydrocarbon fluids from the matured organic-rich rock zone; (c) flushing the matured organic-rich rock zone and the unmatured organic-rich rock zone with an aqueous fluid after a substantial portion of the hydrocarbon fluids have been produced from the matured organic-rich rock zone, thereby dissolving the one or more first water-soluble minerals in the aqueous fluid to form a first aqueous solution; and (d) producing the first aqueous solution to the surface.