Organic Matter Accumulation in Organic-Rich Shales

Organic-rich shales that were used to be the source of conventional petroleum reservoirs are nowadays acting as suppliers for commercial hydrocarbon production. Although a great deal of knowledge has been gained on these rocks in the past decades, how to identify the spatiotemporal distribution of high-quality shales yet remains to be decoded by petroleum geologists.

In this regard, it brings exploration risks to petroleum companies. One of the most fundamental questions is how organic matter accumulates in shales. Some experts claimed that organic matter accumulation in shales is primarily controlled by paleo-productivity, while others insisted that preservational conditions should be the first-order effects. In terms of lacustrine shale, volcanic activity has been proposed to control organic matter enrichment. In stark contrast, marine incursions affecting high-quality source rock deposition have been documented as well. Clearly, the mechanisms of organic matter enrichment in shales are still controversial and merit further investigation.

This Research Topic encourages submissions of state-of-the-art Original Research and Review articles on mechanisms of organic matter accumulation in shales. Potential themes include, but are not limited to:

• New advances in source rock characterization
• Depositional environment of organic-rich shales
• Marine incursions in paleo-lakes
• Linking volcanic activities to organic-rich shales
• Differentiating effects of marine incursions and volcanic activities on high-quality source rock formation
• Criteria of sweet spot identification

Keywords: shale oil and gas, mineralogy, geochemistry, petrography, deposition, lithofacies, source rock quality, organic matter type, reservoir property

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.