Low resistivity in argillaceous sandstone reservoirs may be attributed either to the effect of microporosity, or to specific effects due to intrinsic clays' conducting properties or to other conducting minerals. In order to distinguish these effects, cation exchange capacity, specific surface areas, and dc conductivity of various pore lining chlorite-bearing sandstones from different hydrocarbon reservoir measurements are investigated. Cation exchange capacity and specific surface area are measured on whole rocks as well as on size-separated fractions. Both sets of values are low, in agreement with the structural and textural observations. The conductivity of these chlorites, measured in air conditions and after dehydration, is investigated by means of complex impedance spectroscopy on size-separated fractions as a function of temperature and compared to that of reference clays. The results show a large influence of moisture, applied electric field frequency, and temperature on the electrical properties. The magnitude of the dehydrated clays' conductivity is such that its influence on the conductivity of argillaceous sandstone is lower than that related to the presence of water or brine by several orders of magnitude. The dc, conductivity and the related activation energy of the dehydrated samples appear to be related to the chemical composition of the clays. More specifically, a clear correlation occurs with the electrical charges of the clay network, that is to say with the location, i.e., tetrahedral or octahedral sites, of the substituting trivalent elements. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.