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image of Application of multi‐kinetic apatite fission track and (U‐Th)/He thermochronology to source rock thermal history: a case study from the Mackenzie Plain, NWT, Canada

Abstract

Abstract

Shale of the Upper Cretaceous Slater River Formation extends across the Mackenzie Plain of the Canadian Northwest Territories and has potential as a regional source rock because of the high organic content and presence of both oil‐ and gas‐prone kerogen. An understanding of the thermal history experienced by the shale is required to predict any potential petroleum systems. Our study integrates multi‐kinetic apatite fission track (AFT) and apatite (U‐Th)/He (AHe) thermochronometers from a basal bentonite unit to understand the timing and magnitude of Late Cretaceous burial experienced by the Slater River Formation along the Imperial River. We use LA‐ICP‐MS and EPMA methods to assess the chemistry of apatite, and use these values to derive the AFT kinetic parameter . Our AFT dates and track lengths, respectively, range from 201.5 ± 36.9 Ma to 47.1 ± 12.3 Ma, and 16.8 to 10.2 μm, and single crystal AHe dates are between 57.9 ± 3.5 and 42.0 ± 2.5 Ma with effective uranium concentrations from 17 ppm to 36 ppm. The fission track data show no relationship with the kinetic parameter and fail the χ2‐test indicating that the data do not comprise a single statistically significant population. However, when plotted against their value, the data are separated into two statistically significant kinetic populations with distinct track length distributions. Inverse thermal history modelling of both the multi‐kinetic AFT and AHe datasets, reveal that the Slater River Formation reached maximum burial temperatures of ~65–90 °C between the Turonian and Paleocene, indicating that the source rock matured to the early stages of hydrocarbon generation, at best. Ultimately, our data highlight the importance of kinetic parameter choice for AFT and AHe thermochronology, as slight variations in apatite chemistry may have significant implications on fission track and radiation damage annealing in apatite with protracted thermal histories through the uppermost crust.

Basin Research © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers and International Association of Sedimentologists © 2017 The Authors. Basin Research © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers and International Association of Sedimentologists
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2017-04-19
2025-05-19

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Application of multi‐kinetic apatite fission track and (U‐Th)/He thermochronology to source rock thermal history: a case study from the Mackenzie Plain, NWT, Canada
European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers , 497; https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12233
/content/journals/10.1111/bre.12233
/content/journals/10.1111/bre.12233
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Summary of AFT age data for Slater River Formation bentonite, Imperial River Section, NWT, Canada.

Summary of AFT length data for Slater River Formation bentonite, Imperial River Section, NWT, Canada.

Apatite chemistry for all AFT age and length grains, Slater River Formation bentonite, Imperial River section, NWT, Canada.

Single grain (U‐Th)/He analyses of apatite from the Slater River Formation bentonite, Imperial River Section, NWT, Canada.

Assessing the magnitude of [U] zonation required to yield the old AFT dates in kinetic population #1 from apatite in kinetic population #2.

Comparison of r values calculated from duplicate D measurements on the same grain, and their corresponding closure temperature.

Apatite fission track date and individual track length data plotted as a function of the kinetic parameter Cl content. Horizontal dashed lines indicate the pooled age (top) and mean track length (bottom) of a population.

Diagram assessing the sensitivity of AFT kinetic populations to the r value selected as the kinetic boundary. For each value of r, A) pooled dates, and B) mean track length is calculated from the data with r values less than the boundary (kin pop #1) and greater than the boundary (kin pop #2). Populations that pass the chi‐squared test (χ2 > 5%) are shown in colour, whereas those that fail are shown in gray. Valid kinetic boundaries require both AFT populations to pass the chi‐square test. Dates from AFT population #3 () were excluded from this test.

A) plot of the cation ratio (238U/43Ca) used in AFT age determination against apatite‐specific uranium concentration. B) diagram showing the effects of uranium zonation on AFT date for 3 grains with varying track densities and uranium content (A_1_POS_11; A_1_POS_35;A_1_POS_29; ). For each apatite, the darker shaded data point outlined in black represents the original AFT date and composition, and lighter shaded data points represent the change in expected AFT date for changing uranium concentrations. Each simulation shows the magnitude of uranium zonation required to change the AFT date of an apatite belonging to kinetic population #2 (89.0 3.7 Ma) to kinetic population #1 (154.3 10.2 Ma) or kinetic population #3 (53.5 6.5 Ma).

Images of the grains corresponding to the youngest and oldest AFT dates in this study. Sample numbers correspond with the A2Z sample numbers in.

 

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