In addition to our elemental chemostratigraphic services, we now provide SIS and MSS services, as standalone options or as part of an integrated stratigraphic approach.
SIS services
We are working with Liverpool University Isotope Laboratories to develop our stable isotope services. These provide Chemostrat with:
Carbonates settings
In recent years interest in carbonate reservoirs has increased, specifically in microbial reef complexes. One of the keys to understanding these plays is developing chronostratigraphic correlations that extend from lagoon, through reef core and into fore reef settings. This, however, is an incredibly difficult goal. By combining isotope and elemental chemostratigraphy, the chances of success in developing a robust chronostratigraphic framework are greatly enhanced. Chemostrat now offer this combined service, which is typically used in tandem with Magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy.
Stable isotopes provide a standalone services, in particular in parts of the stratigraphic column where notable carbon and oxygen excursions are known to exist, for example recognition and correlation of the Palaeocene Eocene Temperature Maximum (PETM), which provides a clear chronostratigraphic marker in carbonate sequences of the Middle East.
Shale resource plays
Carbon and oxygen isotopes have been used for decades to identify and correlate Ocean Anoxic events (OAE), many of which are associated with basinal black mudrocks, the targets now for shale resource exploration. For example the much drilled Eagle Ford formation is associated with OAE2 at the Cenomanian - Turonian boundary. The OAE2 and associated features in the Eagle Ford provide chronostratigraphic horizons throughout the Eagle Ford Trend.
Chemostrat not only provide C-O analysis of the carbonates associated with shale resource plays, but also C13 determinations on the organic carbon
MSS services
MS is a fast, cost effective way to determine information regarding:
We use the susceptibility bridge at LSU which was built by Marshall Williams and is a one-of-a-kind instrument. It is calibrated using standard salts for which values are reported in the Handbook of Physics and Chemistry and by Swartzendruber (1992). The LSU bridge is our standard instrument because it is very sensitive, is easy and fast to use, and the measurement coil is optimized for small samples.