Study on the Suppression of Vitrinite Reflectance: A Thermal Simulation Experiment

Vitrinite reflectance is the most widely used parameter for reconstructing the thermal history of sedimentary basins and evaluating the maturation of source rocks. However, suppression of vitrinite reflectance has also been reported, which could affect the accuracy of evaluating the degree of thermal evolution. In this article, the influence of hydrocarbon generation on vitrinite reflectance during thermal evolution is studied based on thermal simulation experiments in a closed system. The results show that hydrocarbon absorption and overpressure can lead to the suppression of vitrinite reflectance. For R ₀ values between 0.6% and 2.1%, the suppression of vitrinite reflectance is primarily attributed to the impregnation of the telocollinite texture with hydrocarbons generated from type I kerogen. At R ₀ values exceeding 2.1%, overpressure becomes the dominant cause of the anomalous reflectance. Under closed-system conditions, the retention of volatile products within the pore network of vitrinite hinders the structural reorganization, leading to reflectance suppression.