Petrographic Services
We offer a traditional full petrographic service for both carbonate and clastic lithologies, together with more specialised provenance related petrography and shale petrography.
Traditional Petrographic analysis
This includes the preparation of the thin sections and their analysis. Analysis includes full descriptions, determination of mineralogical abundances based point counting of 300 points per slide (or to a number specified by the client), full paragentic interpretations on request and supporting photomicrographs.
Petrographic analysis – Shales
Shales can be analysed using ultra-thin petrographic slides (12-15 microns), enabling “shale facies” to be investigated in detail and thereby improve our understanding of the fabrics that may impact of shale gas fracking models.
Provenance Petrographic analysis
Traditional petrographic services typically involves the point counting of quartz, feldspar and lithic fragments together with the distribution of authigenic phases for reservoir quality and diagenetic studies. A more innovative approach developed by Chemostrat focuses on provenance-related petrography. The varieties of quartz grains (undulose, non undulose, poly crystalline – 2-3 crystals, > 3 crystals per grain), feldspar composition, heavy mineral /opaque types and shape, and specific count of lithic clast varieties are all used to provide invaluable provenance information.
