Diagenesis- and thermal maturity-evolution of the Silurian unconventional hydrocarbon deposits (Tassili n’Ajjer plateau, Algeria): Clay mineralogy, graptolite reflectance, and K–Ar dating

The need for determining the thermal maturity of Lower Paleozoic rocks has increased with the intensified unconventional shale oil/gas resources exploration within North Africa, Arabian Peninsula, and the adjoining regions. Indeed, Lower Paleozoic strata represent an increasingly important resource that is related to the globally widespread occurrence of graptolite-bearing marine sediments in an expansive shelf area of the Gondwana. However, some crucial information for basin analysis remains poorly understood even across the largest hydrocarbon-producing province in Algeria.