--> Integration of Apatite Fission Track Analysis and Vitrinite Reflectance in Thermal History Reconstruction of Sedimentary Basins, by S. J. Marshallsea, I. R. Duddy, P. F. Green, and K. A. Hegarty; #90986 (1994).

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Abstract: Integration of Apatite Fission Track Analysis and Vitrinite Reflectance in Thermal History Reconstruction of Sedimentary Basins

Susan J. Marshallsea, Ian R. Duddy, Ian R., Paul F. Green, Kerry A. Hegarty

In basins which have undergone episodes of uplift and erosion or localised heating due to intrusions or fluid flow phenomena direct measurement of paleothermal structure is essential in order to reconstruct thermal history with confidence.

Apatite fission track analysis (AFTA)TM provides estimates not only of the magnitude of maximum paleotemperatures but also the timing of cooling from maximum paleotemperatures. Vitrinite reflectance (VR), a more traditional paleotemperature indicator, provides estimates of maximum paleotemperatures reached after deposition. Integration of AFTA and VR can provide important insights into the thermal history of a sedimentary basin, that neither technique could provide alone.

Paleotemperature estimates from AFTA and VR data in a vertical section provide a paleotemperature profile as a function of depth. This allows direct estimation of the paleogeothermal gradient at the time of maximum paleotemperatures. Extrapolating this gradient to a paleo-surface temperature then provides an estimate of the amount of section eroded.

Thermal history reconstructions using AFTA and VR data can be useful in many situations including, areas which have undergone regional episodes of uplift and erosion, basins with unconformities that span a broad range of time, basins subjected to more than one erosional period, areas where heating may not be related to burial, such as igneous intrusion or passage of heated fluids and areas involving basement inversion. Examples will include the Taranaki Basin (New Zealand), Southern North Sea and Inner Moray Firth (UK).

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994