Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks最新文献

{"title":"Compactional and Mass-Balance Constraints Inferred from the Volume of Quartz Cementation in Mudrocks","authors":"K. Milliken","doi":"10.1306/13672209m121252","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672209m121252","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114819407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Applications of Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM) to Organic Matter in the North American Shale Petroleum Systems","authors":"B. Valentine, P. Hackley","doi":"10.1306/13672207M1213820","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672207M1213820","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has revolutionized our understanding of shale petroleum systems through microstructural characterization of dispersed organic matter (OM). However, as a result of the low atomic weight of carbon, all OM appears black in SEM (BSE [backscattered electron] image) regardless of differences in thermal maturity or OM type (kerogen types or solid bitumen). Traditional petrographic identification of OM uses optical microscopy, where reflectance (%Ro), form, relief, and fluorescence can be used to discern OM types and thermal maturation stage. Unfortunately, most SEM studies of shale OM do not employ correlative optical techniques, leading to misidentifications or to the conclusion that all OM (i.e., kerogen and solid bitumen) is the same. To improve the accuracy of SEM identifications of dispersed OM in shale, correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) was used during this study to create optical and SEM images of OM in the same fields of view (500× magnification) under white light, blue light, secondary electron (SE), and BSE conditions. Samples (n = 8) of varying thermal maturities and typical of the North American shale petroleum systems were used, including the Green River Mahogany Zone, Bakken Formation, Ohio Shale, Eagle Ford Formation, Barnett Formation, Haynesville Formation, and Woodford Shale. The CLEM image sets demonstrate the importance of correlative microscopy by showing how easily OM can be misidentified when viewed by SEM alone. Without CLEM techniques, petrographic data from SEM such as observations of organic nanoporosity may be misinterpreted, resulting in false or ambiguous results and impairing an improved understanding of organic diagenesis and catagenesis.","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117111600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Diagenetic Study of the Wolfcamp Shale in the Southeast Midland Basin, West Texas: A Petrographic and SEM Study of Two Cores","authors":"A. Wickard, R. Elmore, G. Heij","doi":"10.1306/13672219m1213827","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672219m1213827","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The lower Permian Wolfcamp Shale in the Permian Basin is a major unconventional resource play composed of organic-rich, siliceous and calcareous mudstones interbedded with carbonate turbidites and debrites. Using two cores that comprise the Wolfcamp Shale near the eastern margin of the Midland Basin, this study reconstructs the complex diagenetic history of both the mudstone and carbonate facies. These cores were analyzed using petrographic and SEM techniques to test if the Wolfcamp Shale was an open or closed system and to characterize diagenetic processes that impact reservoir characteristics, such as porosity types, porosity distribution, permeability pathways, and mechanical brittleness. Early, middle, and late phases of chemical diagenesis are defined in this study. Mineral precipitation and dissolution events occur from the passage of fluids through both interstitial and fracture pore space. Early authigenic mineral precipitation (calcareous and phosphate concretions, sphalerite, barite, framboidal pyrite, quartz, dolomite, and ferroan dolomite) resulted in destruction of primary porosity within the mudstone facies, before and during the mechanical compaction event. Destruction of porosity in the carbonate turbidites facies occurred through carbonate cementation (calcite, ferroan calcite, dolomite, and ferroan dolomite) during early to middle diagenesis. An episode of dissolution and dolomitization in the carbonate facies resulted in the creation of moldic and intercrystalline porosity respectively. Within mudstones intercrystalline porosity is observed between pyrite framboids and clay sheets of chlorite. Diverse fracture types occur in all facies within the Wolfcamp Shale and play a critical role in the migration of diagenetic fluids and hydrocarbons. Horizontal fractures are filled by “beef”-type calcite, and vertical fractures are filled with equant calcite and/or celestine-barite. Mineralized fractures contain porosity, some of which contain ferroan dolomite rhombs within pores, which supports diagenetic fluid movement through fractures after an initial stage of mineralization. Fluid inclusion data suggest that some mineralized fractures acted as fluid conduits for externally derived, warm, high-salinity brines, suggesting the Wolfcamp Shale was an open system during it burial history.","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"155 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126824132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of Depositional and Diagenetic Heterogeneity on Multiscale Mechanical Behavior of Mancos Shale, New Mexico and Utah, USA","authors":"H. Yoon, M. Ingraham, J. Grigg, B. Rosandick, P. Mozley, A. Rinehart, W. Mook, T. Dewers","doi":"10.1306/13672214m1213824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672214m1213824","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Shales are enigmatic rock types with compositional and textural heterogeneity across a range of scales. This work addresses pore- to core-scale mechanical heterogeneity of Cretaceous Mancos Shale, a thick mudstone with widespread occurrence across the western interior of the United States. Examination of a ~100 m (~328 ft) core from the eastern San Juan Basin, New Mexico, suggests division into seven lithofacies, encompassing mudstones, sandy mudstones, and muddy sandstones, displaying different degrees of bioturbation. Ultrasonic velocity measurements show small measurable differences between the lithofacies types, and these are explained in terms of differences in allogenic (clay and sand) and authigenic (carbonate cement) mineralogy. Variations in ultrasonic velocities can be related to well log velocity profiles, which allow correlation across much of the eastern San Juan Basin. A quarry block of Mancos Shale from eastern Utah, USA, a common target for unconventional exploration and ultrasonically, compositionally, and texturally similar to the laminated muddy sandstone (LMS) lithofacies of the San Juan core, is examined to sublaminae or micro-lithofacies scales using optical petrographic and electron microscopy. This is mapped to results from axisymmetric compression (ASC) and indirect tensile strength testing of this facies at the core-plug scale and nanoindentation measurements at the micron scale. As anticipated, there is a marked difference in elastic and failure response in axisymmetric and cylinder splitting tests relating to loading orientation with respect to bedding or lamination. Shear bands and Mode-I fractures display contrasting fabric when produced at low or high angles with respect to lamination. Nanoindentation, mineralogy distribution based on MAPS (modular automated processing system) technique, and high-resolution backscattered electron images show the effect of composition, texture phases, and interfaces of phases on mechanical properties. A range of Young’s moduli from nanoindentation is generally larger by a factor of 1–4 compared with ASC results, showing the important effect of pores, microcracks, and bedding boundaries on bulk elastic response. Together these data sets show the influence of cement distribution on mechanical response. Variations in micro-lithofacies are first-order factors in determining the mechanical response of this important Mancos constituent and are likely responsible for its success in hydrofracture-based recovery operations as compared with other Mancos lithofacies types.","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"25 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116195993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diagenetic Pyrite Morphology in Mudstones of the Upper Ordovician Point Pleasant Limestone, Appalachian Basin: Evidence for Dysoxic Deposition","authors":"David R. Blood, S. Schlaegle, C. Hefferan, A. Vazquez, D. McAllister","doi":"10.1306/13672211m1213822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672211m1213822","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Organic-rich mudstones of the Appalachian Basin hold a sizable portion of the natural gas produced in the United States. Indeed, in 2015, Pennsylvania and West Virginia accounted for 21% of produced natural gas, driven in part by production from the Point Pleasant Limestone. The critical role that unconventional reservoirs will play in future global energy use necessitates the need for an enhanced understanding of those geological aspects that shape and influence their reservoir architecture. Foremost among these is a clearer understanding of the preservation and accumulation of organic carbon, as it is the source of hydrocarbons, and often provides the dominant host of interconnected porosity and hydrocarbon storage. To this end, pyrite morphology can offer insight into the redox conditions of the bottom and pore water environment at the time of sediment deposition and early diagenesis and can be especially useful in the analysis of deposits devoid of redox sensitive trace metals. Pyrite contained in cuttings and core chips retrieved from vertical and horizontal Point Pleasant Limestone wells were analyzed by scanning electron microscope. Results demonstrate a dearth of pyrite in the Point Pleasant (0.02–1.7% of the surface area analyzed). Pyrite morphology is dominated by euhedral grains and masses (~80% of pyrite encountered) co-occurring with infrequent framboids. Framboids are uniformly small (average = 4.7 μm) with just a few examples >10 μm. The presence of small amounts of euhedral pyrite grains and masses is consistent with accumulation under a dysoxic water column. Conversely, the size of the framboids suggests that they formed in a water column containing free hydrogen sulfide. A model invoking a lack of reactants necessary to sustain diagenetic pyrite growth in anoxic pore waters may explain this apparent paradox. In such a case, the framboid size distribution may reflect newly forming diagenetic framboids competing for a finite amount of reactants resulting in a population of small framboids and few large examples. Indeed, the low total iron/aluminum (Fe/Al) content of the Point Pleasant (average Fe/Al = 0.45) would indicate a low delivery of reactive iron to the seafloor during Point Pleasant deposition. The data suggests a model in which organic carbon preservation occurred by rapid burial and removal from oxygen-bearing water. In turn, more organic-rich and potentially higher quality reservoir facies of the Point Pleasant Limestone occur in areas of higher clastic delivery to basin.","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121089009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pyritization History in the Late Cambrian Alum Shale, Scania, Sweden: Evidence for Ongoing Diagenetic Processes","authors":"N. Fishman, S. Egenhoff, H. Lowers, A. Boehlke, P. Ahlberg","doi":"10.1306/13672212m1213493","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672212m1213493","url":null,"abstract":"Detailed diagenetic studies of the late Cambrian Alum Shale in southern Sweden were undertaken across an interval that includes the peak Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE) event to evaluate the pyrite mineralization history in the formation. Samples were collected from the Andrarum-3 core (Scania, Sweden); here the Alum was deposited in the distal, siliciclastic mudstone-rich end of a shelf system. Abundant cryptobioturbation is observed in the Alum, which points to oxic–dysoxic conditions prevailing during deposition. Petrographic examination of polished thin sections (n = 65) reveals the presence of numerous texturally distinct types of pyrite, including matrix framboids, two different types of framboid concretions (those with rims of iron-dolomite and those lacking rims), disseminated euhedral pyrite crystals, concretions of euhedral pyrite crystals, overgrowths of pyrite on these different pyrite generations, anhedral pyrite intergrown with bedding parallel mineralized fractures (i.e., “beef”), and massive vertical/subvertical accumulations of pyrite.Paragenetic relationships outline the relative timing of formation of the texturally distinct pyrite. Framboids and framboid concretions formed prior to precipitation of any euhedral pyrite crystals, and these pyrite generations precipitated prior to the pyrite overgrowths on them. As Alum Shale sediments are all distorted by these texturally different pyrite generations, they are likely to have formed early in the postdepositional history of the formation. In contrast, pyrite associated with “beef” is likely temporally related to the onset of hydrocarbon generation, which in this part of Sweden is thought to have been many tens of millions of years after deposition. Because vertical/subvertical massive pyrite features distort “beef,” they clearly postdate it. Of all these pyrite textures, only framboid concretions appear to be restricted to the SPICE interval.The texturally distinct nature of the pyrite generations, along with evidence of their formation at different times in the postdepositional history of the Alum Shale, is the key outcome of this petrographic study. Because the petrographic data presented herein point to a postdeposition origin for all generations of pyrite, diagenetic processes—not those processes associated with deposition—were responsible for the complex pyritization history observed in the Alum, in the Andrarum-3 core. (Less)","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125699461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Controls on Production in the Eagle Ford: Permeability, Stratigraphy, Diagenesis, and Fractures","authors":"Tobi H. Kosanke, J. Breyer, R. Denne, R. Nelson, R. Rosen, M. Aldin, A. Warren","doi":"10.1306/13672220m1213828","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672220m1213828","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Cenomanian–Turonian Eagle Ford of South Texas is largely composed of two interbedded rock types: marls and limestones. The marls consist mainly of coccoliths with sand- and silt-size grains predominantly comprised of planktonic foraminifera with lesser amounts of inoceramid fragments and other carbonate grains. The limestones are recrystallized, and they contain calcified radiolarians and calcispheres, with almost all pore spaces having been filled with calcite cement. Most of the hydrocarbons in the Eagle Ford, regardless of thermal maturity, reside in the pore network of the marls. Economic production of hydrocarbons stored in these marls, which have nanodarcy permeabilities, can only be obtained by inducing and maintaining fractures with hydraulic stimulation. The interbedding of the marls with limestones form centimeter-scale brittle–ductile (or stiff-compliant) couplets that influence hydraulic fracturing over a range of scales, and at the smallest scale it may increase production by hosting complex near-wellbore fracture systems. Natural fractures that were already present may be open or cemented and reactivated during hydraulic stimulation and contribute to production. This can generate a hybrid fracture system with a larger drainage area and fracture surface area to allow for crossflow from the matrix to fractures. The Eagle Ford is a dual-porosity system, with the hydrocarbon stored in the marls feeds a network of progressively larger natural and induced fractures that carry those hydrocarbons to the wellbore. In most cases, the Eagle Ford will be most productive when the “right” mixture of marl and limestone are present. Too much limestone lowers the storage capacity of the system, and too much marl reduces the complexity of the fracture system. The distribution of the limestones is important: Even if the percentage of limestone in two sections is equal, hydraulic stimulation will produce a more complex fracture network when the limestone is present as a series of thin interbeds rather than as a single thick limestone. The interbedding of limestone and marl can be measured using limestone frequency—the number of limestone beds per unit thickness. Variation in production is observed in wells on the same pad completed with the same treatment but landed in zones of differing limestone frequency, with production in these wells increasing with limestone frequency. Also, in a multivariate analysis involving numerous engineering and geologic variables and over 1000 wells, all measures of interbedding reduced to a single factor, which we call limestone frequency, which positively correlated with production.","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121742265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pore-Scale Imaging of Solid Bitumens: Insights for Unconventional Reservoir Characterization","authors":"T. Ruble, K. Hooghan, William Dorsey, Wayne R. Knowles, C. Laughrey","doi":"10.1306/13672217m1213826","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672217m1213826","url":null,"abstract":"Characterizing unconventional reservoirs involves the investigation of a wide range of potential source rock targets at various stages of thermal maturity. These samples may contain a mixture of kerogen, bitumen, oil and pyrobitumen within their fabric. Thus, it is critical that we properly identify and examine each organic phase in order to better understand reservoir properties. In the present study, we have selected samples of gilsonite from a naturally occurring solid hydrocarbon deposit to serve as an analog for characterizing the bitumen phase of generation. Gilsonite is an aromatic-asphaltic solid bitumen that is found in vertical veins along the eastern portion of the Uinta Basin, Utah. It is thought to be an early generation product from oil-prone Green River Shale source beds and is similar to low maturity crude oil in composition. It has a high nitrogen content, low sulfur content, high melting point (fusibility) and is soluble in organic solvents. We have used a variety of analytic methods to characterize this material, including standard optical organic petrology and scanning electron microscopic imaging to examine the occurrence of organic porosity. Optical organic petrology analysis using both air and oil immersion objectives show that the polished gilsonite surfaces are typically dark grey and featureless. Macerals and inorganics are absent. Visual estimates suggest that fractures make up approximately 1% of the conchoidal fracture plane, while the pencillated variety contains approximately 2% fractures along with 5% shallow pits. Scanning electron microscopic images also show the occurrence of fractures within gilsonite, but the matrix contains no evident organic porosity. The results of our analyses suggest that, unlike pyrobitumen, pre-oil solid bitumen represented by gilsonite was found to contain no significant occurrences of organic nanoporosity within its matrix. Gilsonite does have minor pitting and fractures, but these do not represent an effective interconnected pore network and are probably artifacts of weathering/sampling. Thus, this material would not represent a potential candidate for in-situ hydrocarbon storage capacity. Whether this is typical of all naturally occurring solid bitumen is debatable, considering that gilsonite has undergone some secondary alteration via devolatilization and limited biodegradation. Nevertheless, the pore-scale imaging of this solid bitumen provides potentially important new insights for unconventional reservoir characterization. AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90283 © 2016 SEPM – AAPG Hedberg Research Conference, Mudstone Diagenesis, Santa Fe, New Mexico, October 16-19, 2016","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"10 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121351525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-Resolution Multispectral Analysis of Organic-Rich Mudstones","authors":"T. D. Jobe, S. Csutak, S. Eichmann, Jordan Kone","doi":"10.1306/13672208m1213821","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672208m1213821","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125594018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Petrographic and Micro-FTIR Study of Organic Matter in the Upper Devonian New Albany Shale During Thermal Maturation: Implications for Kerogen Transformation","authors":"Bei Liu, J. Schieber, M. Mastalerz","doi":"10.1306/13672216m1213380","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1306/13672216m1213380","url":null,"abstract":"Organic matter (OM) in petroleum source rocks is a mixture of organic macerals that follow their own specific evolutionary pathways during thermal maturation. Understanding the transformation of each maceral into oil and gas with increasing thermal maturity is critical for both source rock evaluation and unconventional shale oil/gas reservoir characterization. In this study, organic petrology was used to document the reflectance, abundance, color, and fluorescence properties of primary organic macerals and solid bitumen (SB) in 14 Upper Devonian New Albany Shale samples (kerogen type II sequence) from early mature (vitrinite reflectance [VRo] of 0.55%) to postmature (VRo 1.42%). MicroFourier transform infrared (microFTIR) spectroscopy analyses were conducted on these samples to derive information on the evolution of the chemical structure of organic macerals and SB with increasing thermal maturity. Primary OM (amorphous organic matter, alginite, vitrinite, and inertinite) and secondary organic matter (SB) were identified in early mature samples. Amorphous organic matter (AOM) was the dominant organic component in early mature samples and was observed up to the maturity equivalent to VRo 0.79% but could not be identified at VRo 0.80%. An organic network composed of AOM and SB was observed from VRo 0.55 to 0.79%, which, together with the decrease in AOM content being accompanied by an increase in SB content, suggests that with the onset of petroleum generation, SB gradually replaced the original Liu, Bei, Juergen Schieber, and Maria Mastalerz, 2019, Petrographic and microFTIR study of organic matter in the Upper Devonian New Albany Shale during thermal maturation: Implications for kerogen transformation, in W. Camp, K. Milliken, K. Taylor, N. Fishman, P. Hackley, and J. Macquaker, eds., Mudstone diagenesis: Research perspectives for shale hydrocarbon reservoirs, seals, and source rocks: AAPG Memoir 120, p. 165–188. 14252_ch10_ptg01_165-188.indd 165 11/26/19 1:46 PM","PeriodicalId":349849,"journal":{"name":"Memoir 120: Mudstone Diagenesis: Research Perspectives for Shale Hydrocarbon Reservoirs, Seals, and Source Rocks","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126980455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}