The Organic Petrology Laboratory at GSC Calgary is committed to leading and supporting public and private scientific investigations relating to exploration and development of natural resources in Canada. The lab is equipped with a range of microscopes enabling petrographic analyses of organic and associated components of oils, coals and potential petroleum source rocks.

Services

The Organic Petrology Laboratory is equipped to do petrographic analyses of organic and associated components of oils, coals and potential petroleum source rocks. Data from these analyses can be used for determining:

• Thermal maturity (vitrinite reflectance and fluorescence)
• Organic facies (maceral composition)
• Origin of pyrobitumens (reflectance and classification)
• Homogenization temperatures and salinities of aqueous fluid inclusions
• Gravity of oil inclusions (fluorescence microspectrometry)

Other types of services performed include:

• Particle size and shape analyses, done using an IBAS image analysis system for automated optical microscopy
• 3-dimensional imaging, done using a confocal laser scanning microscope
• High resolution imaging and energy dispersive x-ray analysis, done using ascanning electron microscope with ancillary equipment

Contact: Lavern Stasiuk

Equipment

• Zeiss UMSP incident light microscope equipped with UV and halogen light sources, photometer and monochromator for spectral scanning 400-700 nm
• Zeiss Axiophot II incident and transmitted light microscope equipped with UV and halogen light sources, photometer and monochromator for spectral scanning 380-720 nm
• Zeiss high-precision scanning stage for semi-automated petrographic analysis
• 2 Kontron digital imaging and camera systems for attachment to Zeiss optical systems
• Kontron image analysis software system (KS400)
• Zeiss universal incident and transmitted light microscope equipped with UV and halogen light sources, photometer and monochromator for spectral scanning 400-700 nm
• Fluid Inc. heating-freezing stage adapted for Zeiss Universal microscope
• Zeiss Invert 410 Laser Scanning Confocal microscope equipped with blue, green and red laser sources
• Jenna transmitted light microscope system with camera
• Zeiss Image Based Analysis System (IBAS)
• Three Beuhler Automated and one non-automatic Beuhler polishing systems

Types of analyses produced and lab throughput The organic petrology laboratories have prepared and analyzed between 800 and 1400 samples in the past five years. The following summarizes the types of data generated and their typical applications:

• Thermal maturity/coal rank data (including vitrinite reflectance, bitumen reflectance, liptinite fluorescence microspectrometry) for use in oil, gas and mineral exploration. These data are fundamental for thermal modelling and estimating temperatures as related to oil, gas and mineral exploration in Canadian sedimentary basins.
• Petrographic compositional analysis of organic matter from potential hydrocarbon source rocks and coals.
• Petrographic compositional analysis of bitumens and pyrobitumens from oil and gas reservoirs for evaluating origin of H₂S gas.
• Crude oil, hydrocarbon fluid inclusions fluorescence microspectrometry for evaluating regional petroleum distribution, quality, migration history and pathways, and relationship between hydrocarbon generation and mineralization.
• Fluid inclusion microthermometry and salinity analyses for diagenetic and water chemistry studies as related to petroleum alteration and destruction.
• High resolution 2-D and 3-D microscopic images of extant and geological, fluorescing organic matter.

Clients

• Petroleum Systems International, Calgary
• Talisman Resources, Calgary
• Mobil Canada, Calgary
• State Petroleum, Calgary
• Shell International Exploration and Production, Netherlands
• MOBIL Technology Co., Dallas
• Windspear Resources, Vancouver
• Kennicott Resources, Vancouver
• Petroleum Recovery Institute, Calgary
• Saskatchewan Energy and Mines, Regina
• Federchuk, McCullough and Associates Ltd, Calgary
• Barrington Petroleum Ltd. Calgary
• Enron Oil, Calgary
• BHP Ltd., Kelowna
• HydroQual Laboratories, Calgary
• Geological Survey Of Canada (Ottawa)
• Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic)
• Department of Geological Sciences, McGill University
• Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Calgary
• Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary

Incident light microscopy of dispersed organic matter assemblages in hydrocarbon source rocks are used for paleoenvironmental interpretation and for organic facies (OF) definition. OF in the Devonian of western Canada are defined by alginites, acritarchs (phytoplankton precursors), siliceous microfossils (e.g. Radiolarian) and terrestrial sporinites. OF can provide a snapshot of the phytoplanktonic population in the water column and the degree of water column agitation, from which relative depth can be inferred.

Siliceous radiolarian-like microfossil with organic lining

Pyrobitumens are carbon-rich, high molecular weight residues which form in the oil to gas zone of thermal cracking. Organic petrography can be used to evaluate the origin and processes of formation (e.g. thermal cracking of crude oil, thermal cracking of 'tar mats', thermal chemical sulphate reduction) of reservoir pyrobitumens.

Crude oils are present in a variety of geological environments and can occur as economic accumulations in reservoir rocks, as hydrocarbon fluid inclusions (hcfi), or isolated oil globules trapped in pores. Oil inclusions can be identified using fluorescence microscopy of polished rock samples providing a method for studying oil migration and reservoir charging. The fluorescence properties (Lmax, Q) of the oils can be used to assay the relative proportions of aromatics, saturates, and asphaltenes and resins, as well as the density of the included oil.

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (LSM) uses ultra-violet, blue, green and red laser excitation to create sophisticated three dimensional digital images of fluorescing geological organic components (e.g. phytoplankton, spores) which are encased directly in sedimentary rocks. LSM can also be used to evaluate fluorescence alteration of organic matter with time.

LSM can reveal details of cellular and botanical morphology within sedimentary dispersed organic matter (DOM) not typically observed using conventional light microscopy. For example, LSM can reveal algal reproductive features within Botryococcus algae, and remnant cellular structure within fluorescing amorphous DOM. Laser alteration experiments of DOM can evaluate thermal maturity levels for sedimentary strata.

Composite confocal LSM image of Botryocus alginite (Paleogene oil shale, Ukraine).