Vitrinite reflectance
- Great Britain
- Premium
Vitrinite reflectance is used to assess the thermal maturation of a hydrocarbon source rock.
Key information
- Coverage:
- Great Britain
- Availability:
- Premium
- Price:
On request. Subject to number of users, licence fee and data preparation fee.
- Format:
- Excel spreadsheet or GIS point data (ESRI, MapInfo, others available by request)
- Uses:
- National-level use
- Themes:
- Energy, Geoscience information
Vitrinite reflectance is used to assess the thermal maturation of a hydrocarbon source rock.
Vitrinite is a maceral — microscopic woody tissue, such as stems, bark, root and twigs — that is formed through the thermal alteration of lignin and cellulose in plant cell walls. Rocks buried at depth are subject to higher temperatures and, as this increases, vitrinite is altered through a process known as aromatisation, which increases its reflective properties.
Vitrinite reflectance data map of the UK. BGS © UKRI – Contains OS data © Crown copyright 2020.
