most cases low enough for the fluid pressure to build

up where petroleum is generated until fracture pres-

sure is reached. Should the source rock consist of
kerogen in a fine-grained clay-rich matrix, the flow
of oil out of the source rock is resisted both by very
high capillary pressures and the low permeability. In
such cases oil can not migrate out of source rocks
through the matrix. Very thin open fractures allowing
the expulsion of petroleum will develop when the fluid
pressure in the source rock has reached fracture pres-
sure. The fracture pressure is controlled by the hori-
zontal stress (σh) which is in most cases lower than the
overburden stress (σv).
The kerogen is normally not distributed homo-
geneously in the source rocks. O