It is important to emphasize that, while we prioritize confidentiality and respect the sensitive nature of our clients’ projects, we also have a strong desire to contribute to scientific knowledge and advancements in the field. At H-Expertise Services, we recognize the value of sharing results and discoveries through publications. Below, you will find a series of publications to which we have contributed, both analytically and in the design of the study.
U-Pb carbonate dating reveals long-lived activity of proximal margin extensional faults during the Alpine Tethys rifting.
M. Rocca, S. Zanchetta, M. Gasparrini, X. Mangenot, F. Berra, P. Deschamps, A. Guihou, and A. Zanchi
This open-access article unveils the significant role of syn-rift extensional faults during the early stages of rifting. Using in-situ LA-ICPMS U-Pb geochronology on syn-kinematic calcites, the research reveals the extended activity of the Amora Fault from Hettangian to Callovian periods. This discovery provides a new chrono-structural model that highlights the importance of major extensional faults in the deformation processes throughout the evolution of rift systems.
Diagenetic history of calcite fractures in Vaca Muerta shales (Argentina) inferred from paired Δ47 and fluid inclusion geothermometry.
X Mangenot, S Larmier, JP Girard, V Dyja-Person, and JM Eiler.
Fracture diagenesis in low-permeability hydrocarbon-bearing rocks like Vaca Muerta shales significantly impacts petroleum production. Traditional analyses often fall short in characterizing these natural fractures. Our research aims to fill this gap.🔬 Utilizing secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), carbonate clumped isotope geothermometry, and fluid inclusion analysis, we precisely reconstructed the fluid geochemistry, temperature, and pressure during fracture formation. Our findings reveal that fractures formed at consistent temperatures within individual sites but varied significantly at the basin scale, correlated with thermal maturity from the oil to dry gas window. 🌡
This study highlights how combining multiple paleothermometry techniques can provide a comprehensive understanding of fracture diagenesis in old sedimentary rocks, enhancing our ability to predict natural fracture behavior in subsurface engineering operations.
Dolomite Recrystallization Revealed by Δ47/U-Pb Thermochronometry in the Upper Jurassic Arab Formation, United Arab Emirates
M Gasparrini, D Morad, X Mangenot, M Bonifacie, S Morad, FH Nader, and A Gerdes
Dolomite recrystallization has long been a puzzle in carbonate studies, impacting the accuracy of dolomitization models and predictions of porosity and permeability in dolomitic reservoirs. Our research focused on the Upper Jurassic Arab Formation reservoir in the Arabian Platform, United Arab Emirates, where traditional analyses fell short. Applying Δ47/U-Pb thermochronometry, we unveiled burial recrystallization occurring over a temperature-time span of ∼45 °C/45 m.y. during the Early and Late Cretaceous. This process, influenced by Late Jurassic mixed marine-meteoric fluids, evolved within a closed hydrologic system, maintaining thermal equilibrium with the host rocks.Interestingly, the stepwise recrystallization affected the succession heterogeneously, revealing different temperature-time stages within samples only a few meters apart. The process ceased with the migration of hydrocarbons into the reservoir. Our findings highlight how Δ47/U-Pb thermochronometry offers a groundbreaking approach to unravel dolomite recrystallization, providing precise timing and physicochemical conditions (temperature and δ18Ow) that characterized the process.
Constraining the Timing and Evolution of Hydrocarbon Migration in the Bight Basin, Marine and Petroleum Geology
Julien Bourdet, Richard H. Kempton, Vanessa Dyja-Person, Jacques Pironon, Se Gong, and Andrew S. Ross
This study sheds light on the complex processes and factors influencing hydrocarbon migration in the Bight Basin, Australia. Through advanced geochemical analyses and geological modeling, we identified key periods and mechanisms guiding the formation and movement of hydrocarbons. Our research utilized cutting-edge technologies for precise analysis, discovered new data on hydrocarbon migration timelines, and provided an in-depth understanding of the specific geological conditions of the Bight Basin. By better understanding these processes, we can help optimize exploration strategies and minimize environmental risks. Micron-sized fluid inclusions within quartz grains from Late Cretaceous sandstones in four wells in the Great Australian Bight reveal multiple palaeo-hydrocarbon migrations. Using advanced microscopic, spectroscopic, and thermometric techniques, we analyzed petroleum fluid inclusions, estimating fluid types, palaeo-pressures, and palaeo-temperatures (PT) of hydrocarbon entrapment. Our study dated petroleum migration in the Ceduna Sub-basin, showing earliest oil entrapment at 58°C as light oil around the end of the Cretaceous (circa 75 Ma).