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A micromechanical investigation of diagenetically-induced changes to the anisotropic elastic properties of calcareous mudstones (2023)
Journal Article
Graham, S. P., Aplin, A. C., Rouainia, M., Ireland, M. T., & Armitage, P. J. (2023). A micromechanical investigation of diagenetically-induced changes to the anisotropic elastic properties of calcareous mudstones. Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources, 9(1), Article 107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-023-00634-z

Microscale diagenetic changes that occur during burial exert a profound influence on the elastic and mechanical properties of sediments—but are poorly quantified. The focus here is on how diagenesis influences the elastic properties of carbonate-rich... Read More about A micromechanical investigation of diagenetically-induced changes to the anisotropic elastic properties of calcareous mudstones.

Integrating petrophysical, geological and geomechanical modelling to assess stress states, overpressure development and compartmentalisation adjacent to a salt wall, gulf of Mexico (2023)
Journal Article
Obradors-Prats, J., Calderon Medina, E., Jones, S., Rouainia, M., Aplin, A., & Crook, A. (2023). Integrating petrophysical, geological and geomechanical modelling to assess stress states, overpressure development and compartmentalisation adjacent to a salt wall, gulf of Mexico. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 155, Article 106352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2023.106352

Multi-well pressure data from the Magnolia Field, located on a flank of the salt-bounded Titan passive mini-basin in the Garden Banks area of the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico, indicate remarkably high overpressures that vary, at similar de... Read More about Integrating petrophysical, geological and geomechanical modelling to assess stress states, overpressure development and compartmentalisation adjacent to a salt wall, gulf of Mexico.

Nanoindentation of Horn River Basin Shales: The Micromechanical Contrast Between Overburden and Reservoir Formations (2023)
Journal Article
Charlton, T., Rouainia, M., Aplin, A., Fisher, Q., & Bowen, L. (2023). Nanoindentation of Horn River Basin Shales: The Micromechanical Contrast Between Overburden and Reservoir Formations. Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, 128(3), Article e2022JB025957. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022jb025957

We present a micromechanical characterization of shales from the Horn River Basin, NW Canada. The shales have contrasting mineralogy and microstructures and play different geomechanical roles in the field: the sample set covers an unconventional gas... Read More about Nanoindentation of Horn River Basin Shales: The Micromechanical Contrast Between Overburden and Reservoir Formations.

Low volumes of quartz cement in deeply buried Fulmar Formation sandstones explained by a low effective stress burial history (2022)
Journal Article
Oye, O. J., Aplin, A. C., Orland, I. J., & Valley, J. W. (2023). Low volumes of quartz cement in deeply buried Fulmar Formation sandstones explained by a low effective stress burial history. Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 221, Article 211383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2022.211383

Upper Jurassic Fulmar Formation sandstones from the Fulmar Field in the Central North Sea are buried to 3.2 km and 128 °C but contain only 3.7 ± 1.7% (1σ) quartz cement, substantially less than volumes predicted by models based on temperature-related... Read More about Low volumes of quartz cement in deeply buried Fulmar Formation sandstones explained by a low effective stress burial history.

Microstructure and pore systems of shallow-buried fluvial mudstone caprocks in Zhanhua Depression, east China inferred from SEM and MICP (2021)
Journal Article
Li, Y., Zha, M., Song, R., Aplin, A. C., Bowen, L., Wang, X., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Microstructure and pore systems of shallow-buried fluvial mudstone caprocks in Zhanhua Depression, east China inferred from SEM and MICP. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 132, Article 105189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2021.105189

Shallow-buried fluvial mudstones are of great significance as potential top seals for natural gas accumulations in the Zhanhua depression. Four samples were chosen to represent the range of fine-grained microfacies, from clay-rich to silt-rich to cem... Read More about Microstructure and pore systems of shallow-buried fluvial mudstone caprocks in Zhanhua Depression, east China inferred from SEM and MICP.

Effect of Diagenesis on Geomechanical Properties of Organic‐rich Calcareous Shale: A Multiscale Investigation (2021)
Journal Article
Charlton, T., Goodarzi, M., Rouainia, M., Aplin, A., & Cubillas, P. (2021). Effect of Diagenesis on Geomechanical Properties of Organic‐rich Calcareous Shale: A Multiscale Investigation. Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, 126(7), Article e2020JB021365. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020jb021365

This paper investigates the nano to core-scale geomechanical properties of a maturity series of organic-rich, calcareous shales buried to 100-180°C, with a focus on: (a) the mechanical properties of organic matter; (b) the elastic response and anisot... Read More about Effect of Diagenesis on Geomechanical Properties of Organic‐rich Calcareous Shale: A Multiscale Investigation.

Sedimentation of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in the Cleveland Basin (Yorkshire, UK) (2020)
Journal Article
Atar, E., Aplin, A. C., Lamoureux-Var, V., März, C., & Wagner, T. (2020). Sedimentation of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in the Cleveland Basin (Yorkshire, UK). Minerals, 10(11), Article 977. https://doi.org/10.3390/min10110977

Fine-grained sedimentary successions contain the most detailed record of past environmental conditions. High-resolution analyses of these successions yield important insights into sedimentary composition and depositional processes and are, therefore,... Read More about Sedimentation of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in the Cleveland Basin (Yorkshire, UK).

Geomechanical characterisation of organic-rich calcareous shale using AFM and nanoindentation (2020)
Journal Article
Graham, S., Rouainia, M., Aplin, A., Cubillas, P., Fender, T., & Armitage, P. (2021). Geomechanical characterisation of organic-rich calcareous shale using AFM and nanoindentation. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 54, 303-320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-020-02261-6

The geomechanical integrity of shale overburden is a highly significant geological risk factor for a range of engineering and energy-related applications including CO2 storage and unconventional hydrocarbon production. This paper aims to provide a co... Read More about Geomechanical characterisation of organic-rich calcareous shale using AFM and nanoindentation.

Microbial cycling, migration and leakage of light alkanes in the Nile Delta tertiary fan (2020)
Journal Article
Böker, U., Dodd, T., Goldberg, T., & Aplin, A. (2020). Microbial cycling, migration and leakage of light alkanes in the Nile Delta tertiary fan. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 121, Article 104578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104578

We present a geochemical dataset which helps unravel the complex set of processes by which light alkanes are sourced, charged, mixed, leaked and altered in the Plio-Pleistocene Nile Delta. Thermogenic gas derives from a sub-Messinian source and mixes... Read More about Microbial cycling, migration and leakage of light alkanes in the Nile Delta tertiary fan.

Supercritical methane adsorption and storage in pores in shales and isolated kerogens (2020)
Journal Article
Rexer, T. F., Mathia, E. J., Aplin, A. C., & Thomas, K. M. (2020). Supercritical methane adsorption and storage in pores in shales and isolated kerogens. SN Applied Sciences, 2(4), Article 780. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-2517-6

Shale gas is an important hydrocarbon resource in a global context. It has had a significant impact on energy resources in the US, but the worldwide development of this methane resource requires further research to increase the understanding of the r... Read More about Supercritical methane adsorption and storage in pores in shales and isolated kerogens.

Vertical effective stress and temperature as controls of quartz cementation in sandstones: Evidence from North Sea fulmar and Gulf of Mexico Wilcox sandstones (2020)
Journal Article
Oye, O. J., Aplin, A. C., Jones, S. J., Gluyas, J. G., Bowen, L., Harwood, J., …Valley, J. W. (2020). Vertical effective stress and temperature as controls of quartz cementation in sandstones: Evidence from North Sea fulmar and Gulf of Mexico Wilcox sandstones. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 115, Article 104289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104289

We present quantitative petrographic data, high spatial resolution oxygen isotope analyses of quartz cement, basin modelling and a kinetic model for quartz precipitation for two Paleocene-Eocene Wilcox Group sandstones from Texas and two Jurassic Ful... Read More about Vertical effective stress and temperature as controls of quartz cementation in sandstones: Evidence from North Sea fulmar and Gulf of Mexico Wilcox sandstones.

Dynamic climate-driven controls on the deposition of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK (2019)
Journal Article
Atar, E., März, C., Aplin, A. C., Dellwig, O., Herringshaw, L. G., Lamoureux-Var, V., …Wagner, T. (2019). Dynamic climate-driven controls on the deposition of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK. Climate of the Past, 15(4), 1581-1601. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1581-2019

The Kimmeridge Clay Formation (KCF) is a laterally extensive, total-organic-carbon-rich succession deposited throughout northwest Europe during the Kimmeridgian–Tithonian (Late Jurassic). It has recently been postulated that an expanded Hadley cell,... Read More about Dynamic climate-driven controls on the deposition of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, UK.

Local to global controls on the deposition of organic-rich muds across the Late Jurassic Laurasian Seaway (2019)
Journal Article
Atar, E., März, C., Schnetger, B., Wagner, T., & Aplin, A. (2019). Local to global controls on the deposition of organic-rich muds across the Late Jurassic Laurasian Seaway. Journal of the Geological Society, 176(6), 1143-1153. https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2019-031

Muds deposited in large-scale epicontinental seaways provide deep insights into palaeoclimates, biogeochemical cycles, sedimentation processes, and organic carbon burial during exceptionally warm periods throughout the Phanerozoic. Temporal changes c... Read More about Local to global controls on the deposition of organic-rich muds across the Late Jurassic Laurasian Seaway.

A diagenesis model for geomechanical simulations: formulation and implications for pore pressure and development of geological structures (2019)
Journal Article
Obradors‐Prats, J., Rouainia, M., Aplin, A., & Crook, A. (2019). A diagenesis model for geomechanical simulations: formulation and implications for pore pressure and development of geological structures. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 124, 4452-4472. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jb016673

Forward basin modelling is routinely used in many geological applications, with the critical limitation that chemical diagenetic reactions are often neglected or poorly represented. Here, a new, temperature‐dependent, kinetic diagenesis model is form... Read More about A diagenesis model for geomechanical simulations: formulation and implications for pore pressure and development of geological structures.

Influence of Clay, Calcareous Microfossils and Organic Matter on the Nature and Diagenetic Evolution of Pore Systems in Mudstones (2019)
Journal Article
Mathia, E. J., Rexer, T. F., Thomas, K. M., Bowen, L., & Aplin, A. C. (2019). Influence of Clay, Calcareous Microfossils and Organic Matter on the Nature and Diagenetic Evolution of Pore Systems in Mudstones. Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, 124(1), 149-174. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jb015941

Mudstones exert a fundamental control on the flow of both aqueous and non‐aqueous fluids in sedimentary basins. Predicting their flow and storage properties requires an understanding of pore size and connectivity, yet there are very few quantitative... Read More about Influence of Clay, Calcareous Microfossils and Organic Matter on the Nature and Diagenetic Evolution of Pore Systems in Mudstones.

Vertical effective stress as a control on quartz cementation in sandstones (2018)
Journal Article
Oye, O. J., Aplin, A. C., Jones, S. J., Gluyas, J. G., Bowen, L., Orland, I. J., & Valley, J. W. (2018). Vertical effective stress as a control on quartz cementation in sandstones. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 98, 640-652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2018.09.017

Temperature-controlled precipitation kinetics has become the overwhelmingly dominant hypothesis for the control of quartz cementation in sandstones. Here, we integrate quantitative petrographic data, high spatial resolution oxygen isotope analyses of... Read More about Vertical effective stress as a control on quartz cementation in sandstones.

Oxygen Isotope Microanalysis By Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Suggests Continuous 300-million-year History of Calcite Cementation and Dolomitization in the Devonian Bakken Formation (2018)
Journal Article
Brodie, M. W., Aplin, A. C., Hart, B., Orland, I. J., Valley, J. W., & Boyce, A. J. (2018). Oxygen Isotope Microanalysis By Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Suggests Continuous 300-million-year History of Calcite Cementation and Dolomitization in the Devonian Bakken Formation. Journal of Sedimentary Research, 88(1), 91-104. https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2018.1

Calcite cementation and dolomitization are key diagenetic processes in many sedimentary systems. Unravelling detailed histories and timescales of cementation and replacement is, however, often compromised by the limited spatial resolution of many ana... Read More about Oxygen Isotope Microanalysis By Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Suggests Continuous 300-million-year History of Calcite Cementation and Dolomitization in the Devonian Bakken Formation.

Hydromechanical modeling of stress, pore pressure and porosity evolution in fold-and-thrust belt systems (2017)
Journal Article
Obradors-Prats, J., Rouainia, M., Aplin, A., & Crook, A. (2017). Hydromechanical modeling of stress, pore pressure and porosity evolution in fold-and-thrust belt systems. Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth, 122(11), 9383-9403. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017jb014074

We present coupled, critical state, geomechanical-fluid flow simulations of the evolution of a fold-and-thrust belt in NW Borneo. Our modelling is the first to include the effects of both syntectonic sedimentation and transient pore pressure on the d... Read More about Hydromechanical modeling of stress, pore pressure and porosity evolution in fold-and-thrust belt systems.

Late diagenesis of illite-smectite in the Podhale Basin, southern Poland: Chemistry, morphology, and preferred orientation (2017)
Journal Article
Day-Stirrat, R. J., Aplin, A. C., Kurtev, K. D., Schleicher, A. M., Brown, A. P., & Środoń, J. (2017). Late diagenesis of illite-smectite in the Podhale Basin, southern Poland: Chemistry, morphology, and preferred orientation. Geosphere, 13(6), 2137-2153. https://doi.org/10.1130/ges01516.1

Well-characterized samples from the Podhale Basin, southern Poland, formed the basis for exploring and illuminating subtle diagenetic changes to a mudstone toward the upper end of the diagenetic window, prior to metamorphism.Transmission electron mic... Read More about Late diagenesis of illite-smectite in the Podhale Basin, southern Poland: Chemistry, morphology, and preferred orientation.