Organic matter preservation during early diagenesis and implications for potential hydrocarbon generation, a study of the immature Belle Fourche and Second White Specks formations, central Alberta, Canada
Abstract
The Cenomanian to Early Turonian Belle Fourche and Second White Specks formations in central Alberta are composed of organic rich mudstones deposited under changing depositional conditions. Processes that take place during deposition or during early diagenesis, can have important implications on the eventual hydrocarbon potential of the rock following burial. These processes include the deposition of allochthonous refractory organic matter, as well as the bacterial degradation of autochthonous organic matter during diagenesis. The analysis of these processes in this study has revealed important impacts on the source rock properties of these formations, including elevation of the reflectance of oil prone organic matter, dilution of the measured total organic carbon by refractory organic matter, and insights into the methodologies, which may be used to quantify these impacts. This work has demonstrated that traditional screening techniques must be closely examined in order to account for the impact of these processes.
Description
Keywords
Geochemistry, Geology
Citation
Synnott, D. P. (2017). Organic matter preservation during early diagenesis and implications for potential hydrocarbon generation, a study of the immature Belle Fourche and Second White Specks formations, central Alberta, Canada (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27224