FISSION TRACK ANALYSIS: A NEW TOOL FOR THE EVALUATION OF THERMAL HISTORIES AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL.

Abstract

Fission track dating is a new approach to the interpretation and quantitative modelling of thermal histories of sedimentary basins for hydrocarbon resource evaluation. This technique depends on the observation that annealing of fission tracks in minerals, like the generation and maturation of hydrocarbons, is a function of temperature and time. The temperature interval over which track annealing occurs in the mineral apatite, a common detrital mineral in sedimentary rocks, is virtually identical (60 degree to 125 degree C) with that required for the maximum generation of liquid hydrocarbons. The unique advantage of the fission track method is that it can give information not only on maximum palaetemperatures, but also their variation through time. Fission track analysis has the potential of giving a new, quantitative perspective on the temperature history of rocks, which should have an important impact on techniques of petroleum exploration.