THERMAL HISTORY RECONSTRUCTION

What is THR?

Thermal History Reconstruction is the integration of thermal history constraints, principally derived from AFTA^® and VR (vitrinite reflectance) data from individual well and outcrop samples, to provide a rigorous time-temperature framework for the understanding of the structural, tectonic, fluid and hydrocarbon maturation histories of a sedimentary basin.

It involves the direct determination of:

• Maximum paleotemperature.
• Time at which cooling from maximum paleotemperature began.
• The style of the cooling history (including estimates of peak paleotemperature and time of cooling during later heating episodes in which paleotemperatures were lower than the maximum).
• The paleogeothermal gradient (paleotemperature profile) at the time of maximum paleotemperatures and at the time of any later heating episode in which a subsequent paleotemperature peak was reached.

Interpretation of the paleotemperature profile enables assessment of the mechanism of heating and cooling, eg.:

• additional burial.
• higher basal heat flow.
• lateral heating by hot fluids.
• or a combination of processes.

Use of AFTA in constructing the paleotemperature - depth plot: A fundamental parameter in THR.

A user's perspective ... "Why I use THR"

An example of the application of THR:  Anglesea-1