U-Pb dating of calcite cement and diagenetic history in microporous carbonate reservoirs: Case of the Urgonian Limestone, France

Microporous carbonates can constitute excellent hydrocarbon reservoirs if their micro-pore and/or nanopore structure is sufficiently developed and continuous. In such deposits, assessing the exact timing of reservoir property stabilization is critical to better understand the postdepositional processes favorable to the creation or preservation of porosity. However, placing reliable and accurate chronological constraints on the formation of microporosity in these reservoirs is a major challenge. In this study we performed absolute U-Pb dating of calcite cements occurring in the Urgonian microporous limestone (northern Tethys margin) of southeastern France. U-Pb ages ranging between 96.7 +/- 4.9 Ma and 90.5 +/- 1.6 Ma were obtained on the major calcitic phase responsible for the cementation, and therefore the stabilization of microporosity, indicating that this diagenetic process occurred synchronously at the regional scale following an extended subaerial exposure. Our results show that (1) the mineralogical stabilization process responsible for the formation of an excellent pervasive microporous network took place relatively early, and (2) the so-acquired reservoir quality was preserved for more than 90 m.y. These observations emphasize the importance of long exposure periods and associated meteoric influx for the formation and preservation of good microporous reservoirs.