Isotopic dating techniques and their applications to the geochronology of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation:An overview

The present paper gives a general review of the isotopic dating techniques including K-Ar,Ar-Ar,U-Pb and Rb-Sr methods and their applications to the geochronology of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in China and foreign countries.With the innovation and development,the authigenic illite ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar method is still an indispensable technique in the chronology of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation.The integration of fluid inclusion technique and authigenic K-feldspar laser microprobe ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar dating technique has made a successful breakthrough in the ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar geochronology of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation.The isotopic dating techniques including U-Pb,Pb-Pb,Rb-Sr,Sm-Nd and Re-Os methods for the trace metals from bitumen and kerogen are all successful radioactive isotopic techniques for the geochronology of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in petroleum geology.Particularly,U-Pb age dating of the speleothems may be another new breakthrough in the geochronology of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in carbonate reservoirs.