Basin modelling

Basin modelling is the term broadly applied to a group of geological disciplines that can be used to analyse the formation and evolution of sedimentary basins, often but not exclusively to aid evaluation of potential hydrocarbon reserves.

At its most basic, a basin modelling exercise must assess:

1. The burial history of the basin (see back-stripping).
2. The thermal history of the basin (see thermal history modelling).

By doing so, valuable inferences can be made about such matters as hydrocarbon generation and timing, maturity of potential source rocks and migration paths of expelled hydrocarbons.