Diagenetic Paleotemperatures
Methods
Tools used for determining paleotemperatures are called geothermometers. The principal techniques now in use for determining diagenetic paleotemperatures include methods based on (1) conodont colour alteration, (2) vitrinite reflectance, (3) graphitisation levels in kerogen, (4) clay mineral assemblages, (5) zeolite mineral assemblages, (6) fluid inclusions, and (7) oxygen isotope ratios. [1]
Reliability
The methods have various degrees of reliability. No method can be considered an infallible estimator of diagenetic paleotemperatures. Conodont colour alteration and vitrinite reflectance are generally regarded as the most useful. Methods based on mineral assemblages tend to be less sensitive and more equivocal - the formation of zeolite minerals, for example, depends on pressure and the salinity and chemical composition of pore waters as well as temperature. Two or three methods - commonly including conodont colour alteration and vitrinite reflectance - are typically used together as a cross-check on reliability. [1]
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References & Citations
- 1.Principles of Sedimentology and Stratigraphy Boggs, Sam Jr.
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