MagNetZ with Adrian Muxworthy (2020/09/09) - Magnetic signature of hydrocarbons
Channel: Magnetics Information Consortium (MagIC)
Date: 15/09/2020

Diagenesis and the magnetic signature of hydrocarbons

The video is also available for download at: https://earthref.org/ERDA/2450/
and can be referenced with the doi: TBC

Author: Adrian Muxworthy (Imperial College London)
Author Website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/adrian.muxworthy

Abstract:
Understanding hydrocarbon migration has the potential to both increase yield from mature reservoir systems reducing the need to exploit new reserves, and to help improve carbon capture strategies. Traditional seismic methods of mapping migration can be inexact and poorly constrained. The presence of hydrocarbons in rocks and sediments is known to cause diagenesis, thereby altering the magnetic signature of the host rock. During the last decade, the Natural Magnetism Group  at Imperial College has been studying the use of mineral magnetic methods to identify and constrain hydrocarbon migration paths. The magnetic signature of hydrocarbons has been found to be very complex, their signature depending on a range of factors including levels of oil maturity and biodegradation, the presence of oil-water contacts,  the host rock, migration trajectory, the depth of oil generation etc. Here I will give a summary of our latest findings, and show how we have used mineral magnetic results to constrain 3D basin models.