Method for exploiting for hydrocarbons within a sedimentary basin, said basin resulting from a succession of sedimentary deposits over time, at least some of said sedimentary deposits having been subjected to flowing fluids, said method being implemented on the basis of measurements of properties relating to the stratigraphy and to the hydrology of said basin and by means of a stratigraphic simulator run on a computer, said stratigraphic simulator allowing the determination of a mesh representation representative of the stratigraphy of said basin for a succession of time intervals, characterized in that, for each of said time intervals: A. by means of said simulator and parameters of said simulator for said time interval constructed on the basis of said measurements, said mesh representation representative of the stratigraphy of said basin for said time interval is determined, each of the cells of said mesh representation comprising at least one mineralogical composition and a porosity; B. by means of a hydrological model and parameters of said hydrological model constructed on the basis of said measurements and of said mesh representation determined by means of said simulator for said time interval, at least one hydrological zone is delimited within said basin for said time interval and at least one chemical composition of said fluids and a direction of flow of said fluids in said zone are determined in each of the cells of the mesh representation which are located in said zone; C. at least said chemical composition of said fluids, said mineralogical composition and said porosity in each of the cells of said mesh representation are updated by means of a diagenetic model comprising: i. a balance of the hydrological flows, established by means of at least said directions of flow of said fluids, on the basis of which an order of traversal of said cells by said fluids is determined; ii. a reaction kinetic model modelling the interactions between said chemical composition of said fluids and said mineralogical composition in said cell; said chemical composition of said fluids as input to said diagenetic model corresponding to said chemical composition of said fluids for said preceding time interval in said succession of said time intervals, and in that, on the basis at least of said mineralogical composition and of said porosity updated for each of said time intervals, the petroleum potential of said sedimentary basin is quantified and/or an exploitation plan for said basin is defined, and said sedimentary basin is exploited according to said quantification and/or said plan. A. by means of said simulator and parameters of said simulator for said time interval constructed on the basis of said measurements, said mesh representation representative of the stratigraphy of said basin for said time interval is determined, each of the cells of said mesh representation comprising at least one mineralogical composition and a porosity; B. by means of a hydrological model and parameters of said hydrological model constructed on the basis of said measurements and of said mesh representation determined by means of said simulator for said time interval, at least one hydrological zone is delimited within said basin for said time interval and at least one chemical composition of said fluids and a direction of flow of said fluids in said zone are determined in each of the cells of the mesh representation which are located in said zone; C. at least said chemical composition of said fluids, said mineralogical composition and said porosity in each of the cells of said mesh representation are updated by means of a diagenetic model comprising: i. a balance of the hydrological flows, established by means of at least said directions of flow of said fluids, on the basis of which an order of traversal of said cells by said fluids is determined; ii. a reaction kinetic model modelling the interactions between said chemical composition of said fluids and said mineralogical composition in said cell; said chemical composition of said fluids as input to said diagenetic model corresponding to said chemical composition of said fluids for said preceding time interval in said succession of said time intervals, and in that, on the basis at least of said mineralogical composition and of said porosity updated for each of said time intervals, the petroleum potential of said sedimentary basin is quantified and/or an exploitation plan for said basin is defined, and said sedimentary basin is exploited according to said quantification and/or said plan. i. a balance of the hydrological flows, established by means of at least said directions of flow of said fluids, on the basis of which an order of traversal of said cells by said fluids is determined; ii. a reaction kinetic model modelling the interactions between said chemical composition of said fluids and said mineralogical composition in said cell;