A New Standard Method for Palynofacies Analysis: Preliminary Results From New Zealand

Abstract

The particulate organic matter present in palynological preparations provides a variety of proxy information useful for the interpretation of petroleum source rocks, including origin, composition and petroleum generative potential of organic-rich sedimentary rocks and the depositional conditions. These palynofacies proxies can also provide additional information, such as source rock maturity, when combined with organic geochemistry. At present, there are a variety of methods for quantitative palynofacies analysis. Here we report on a recent project undertaken at GNS Science that aims to standardise laboratory and analytical palynofacies methodologies, in order to achieve consistency and repeatability of quantitative palynofacies results. Project outputs include an agreed reference set of morphologic types for categories of particulate organic matter, and applying the new standardised palynofacies approach to selected case studies. The latter include; 1) the Waipawa Formation, a Late Paleocene potential source rock, from the East Coast of New Zealand, and analysis of the underlying and overlying stratigraphic units, and 2) an Early Eocene non-marine to marine transgressive sequence from the Kaimiro Formation, on the margins of the Taranaki Basin, western New Zealand.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90217 © 2015 International Conference & Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia, September 13-16, 2015