. High-resolution acoustic mapping of gas charged sediments and living benthic foraminifera assemblages from the NE region of the Guanabara Bay (RJ, Brazil). Journal of Sedimentary Environments, 1 (3): 360-384. AbstractThis work was performed in the NE region of the Guanabara Bay, a highly impacted Brazilian coastal system, located in Rio de Janeiro State. It aimed to: i) identify and map the areas with occurrence of gas in the sediment, as well as its acoustic signature; ii) characterize the physical properties of the sediments and; iii) document the response of microbenthic organisms (living benthic foraminifera) to changes in quantity and quality of organic matter. Seismic surveys at the frequency of 12 kHz identified a large area with about 50% gas charged sediments in the study area.The main acoustic signatures of the shallow gas were black shadow and gas blanket. In addition, features related to gas seepages to the water column (acoustic plumes and pockmarks) and gas percolation within the sediments (intrasedimentary plumes, turbidity pinnacles) were also identified. The gas has a biogenic origin and results from the high acumulation rate between 0.03 to 0.9 cm.year -1 and from the decomposition of large amount of organic matter (10-20%). Vertical distribution of gas ranges from few centimeters to 9 m below the water-sediments interface. These occurrences are related to both gas migration from lower sedimentary layers to Holocene muds above, and to recent generation in near-surface sediments as the area display favorable conditions for gas production. Cores ranging from 150-240 cm in length have predominantly muddy sediments and variations in the P-wave velocity followed the changes in sediment density, controlled mainly by the presence of gas in sediments, bioclasts accumulation, textural variation and percentage of organic matter. Journal of Sedimentary Environments

Total organic carbon (TOC), total sulfur (S) and Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyzes were performed in 41 samples collected along the SP-60-PR core, from the Irati Formation, northwestern of Paraná Basin. This work aims to show how organic matter content evolved vertically in the Irati Formation and therefore to contribute to the identification of the most attractive levels to generate hydrocarbons, in thermally immature sediments. The results of these analyses allowed to recognize sharp changes in the types of organic matter and paleoenvironmental conditions, giving rise to eight chemicalstratigraphic units, labeled as A, B and C (Taquaral Member) and D, E, F, G and H (Assistência Member). The units A and C display low organic carbon content and predominance of organic matter type IV, which indicate an oxic environment. The unit B, with higher TOC content, has organic matter predominantly of type II and should be associated to a disoxic environment. The Assistência Member, mainly with organic matter type II, is differentiated from the previous units by their sharply higher TOC content and hydrogen index values, suggesting a more restricted environment, characterized by disoxic to anoxic conditions. The bituminous shale of the units E and H have the highest TOC, sulfur and hydrogen index values, representing the units where conditions of the autochthonous organic matter (type II) preservation was more efficient (anoxic environment). Despite being found organic matter thermally immature in the Assistência Member, the layer with the highest generation potential is the unity H. The comparison with data of other studied wells evidenced a strong reduction in the potential generator of the Irati Formation toward the north of Paraná Basin.

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This assessment of the volumetric potential of the oil shales of Tremembé Formation (Oligocene, Taubaté Basin, Brazil) was based on the sedimentological study of 2457 total organic carbon and 1007 Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses of core samples from nine survey wells drilled in the central portion of Taubaté Basin. Along a 240-m-thick package in the upper part of Tremembé Formation, thirteen chemostratigraphic units with thicknesses varying from 10 to 35 m were identified. The upper interval (unit L), 30 m thick, exhibited the highest organic content and original generation potential and was thus studied in detail. In unit L, oil yield maps were constructed, seeking to identify the most attractive areas for industrially exploiting the oil shales, and volumetric calculations employing a probabilistic Monte Carlo method were conducted to quantify the potentially recoverable oil volume. Three exploratory scenarios based on yield values (S1 + S2) were considered for calculating the oil volumes, seeking to offer different exploratory scenarios for decision making. For the scenario that considered only average yields above 100 mg HC/g rock, the recoverable oil volume is 525 million bbl (P90) to 884 million bbl (P10); for the scenario that considered only average yields above 80 mg HC/g rock, the recoverable oil volume is 1.4 billion bbl (P90) to 2.6 billion bbl (P10); and for the scenario that considered only average yields above 60 mg HC/g rock, the recoverable oil volume is 3.6 billion bbl (P90) to 5.4 billion bbl (P10).