APATITE FISSION TRACK ANALYSIS

And Thermal History Reconstruction

Geotrack International
Thermal history in hydrocarbon exploration
Maturity development and hydrocarbon generation are kinetic processes,
controlled by temperature and time. Detailed understanding of the thermal history
of potential source rocks is therefore crucial in understanding hydrocarbon
prospectivity.

Timing of oil generation - a vital component of the hydrocarbon

system

In any prospect evaluation or exploration program, it is vital to establish not only

the presence of mature source rocks but also to determine when maximum
maturity levels were reached and when hydrocarbon generation took place.
Structures will only be prospective if they were in place when hydrocarbons were
generated. Where traps formed after the hydrocarbon charge, prospects will be
dry.

Apatite Fission Track Analysis (AFTA®)

In many situations, the time at which source rocks reached maximum maturity
levels cannot be reconstructed from conventional information. From analysis of
radiation-damage features in detrital apatite grains, AFTA® provides direct
determination of the timing of paleo-thermal episode, as well as the
paleotemperatures reached by individual samples. It can therefore be used to
determine the timing of hydrocarbon charge with respect to structure formation,
and to estimate source rock maturity.

AFTA is unique in this ability to produce direct timing information

The importance of measured thermal history parameters

Thermal histories of potential source rock horizons within prospective sedimentary
basins are controlled chiefly by depth of burial, basal heat flow and lateral influx of
heat due to fluid movements. Changes in these parameters through time can
exert critical controls on the history of hydrocarbon generation, but can only be
detected by application of analytical techniques which measure their effects.
Without such data, serious errors can occur in assessment of regional
hydrocarbon prospectivity.

Benefits
By identifying, quantifying and characterising the important episodes of heating
and cooling which have affected a source rock sequence, the explorationist can
proceed to evaluate likely hydrocarbon generation scenarios within a firm
framework, constrained by measured data. Many hours of modelling using non-
viable options can be eliminated, allowing work to be quickly and efficiently
focused on more realistic, data-constrained solutions.
Geotrack's methods of Thermal History Reconstruction using AFTA
and VR allow you to:

Time (Ma)
1: Identify significant paleo- 200 150 100 50 0
thermal episodes - i.e. heating
episodes in the past in which 20
rocks reached paleotemper-

Temperature(°C)
atures which were higher than 40
their present temperatures. 60 Sample-1
80 Sample-2
2: Quantify the effects of these GC633-3
paleo-thermal episodes. - what 100
were the maximum paleo- 120
Preferred time interval
temperatures in individual for the onset of cooling
140
samples and when did cooling 55 to 25 Ma

occur? 160

3: Characterise the episodes - by defining the way paleotemperatures vary with

depth, we can assess the mechanisms of heating and cooling in each episode.
Temperature (°C) Temperature (°C) Temperature (°C)
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

0.5 0.5 0.5

1.0 1.0 1.0

Depth (km)

Depth (km)
Depth (km)

1.5 1.5 1.5

2.0 2.0 2.0

DEEPER BURIAL ELEVATED HEAT FLOW FLUID FLOW

4: Reconstruct thermal, maturation and burial/uplift histories within a consistent

framework, constrained by measured data, allowing rigorous evaluation of
likely hydrocarbon generation scenarios - Constrained Basin Modelling.

D C P T J K P E O M D C P T J K P E OM
0 0

20 Upper Jurassic Upper Jurassic

500
Middle Jurassic
40 Lower Jurassic
Triassic 1000 Middle Jurassic
Lower Jurassic
Temperature (°C)

60 Permian Triassic
1500
Depth (m)

80 Carboniferous Permian
2000
100 Devonian
2500
120
3000 Carboniferous
140
3500 Devonian
160
180 4000
GEOTRACK GEOTRACK

200 4500
400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

Time (Ma) Time (Ma)

Interested? Want to know more? WWW.geotrack.com.au, or Contact:

Geotrack International Pty Ltd ABN 16 006 821 209
37 Melville Road, Brunswick West, Victoria 3055 Australia EMAIL mail@geotrack.com.au
telephone: national (03) 9380 1077 international +613 9380 1077 facsimile +613 9380 1477
AFTA ® is a registered trademark of Geotrack International Pty Ltd