Editing Petroleum geology (section)

===Source rock analysis===
In terms of source rock analysis, several facts need to be established.  Firstly, the question of whether there actually ''is'' any source rock in the area must be answered.  Delineation and identification of potential source rocks depends on studies of the local [[stratigraphy]], [[palaeogeography]] and [[sedimentology]] to determine the likelihood of organic-rich sediments having been deposited in the past.<ref name=":0" />

If the likelihood of there being a source rock is thought to be high, the next matter to address is the state of [[maturity (geology)|thermal maturity]] of the source, and the timing of maturation.  Maturation of source rocks (see [[diagenesis]] and [[fossil fuel]]s) depends strongly on temperature, such that the majority of oil generation occurs in the {{Convert|60 to 120|C|F}} range.  Gas generation starts at similar temperatures, but may continue up beyond this range, perhaps as high as {{Convert|200|C|F}}.<ref name=":0" />  In order to determine the likelihood of oil/gas generation, therefore, the thermal history of the source rock must be calculated.  This is performed with a combination of [[geochemical]] analysis of the source rock (to determine the type of [[kerogen]]s present and their maturation characteristics) and [[basin modelling]] methods, such as [[back-stripping]], to model the [[temperature|thermal gradient]] in the sedimentary column.