Direct constraints on shale fluid overpressure evolution from U-Pb dating of bed-parallel fracture-filling calcite

Abstract Fluid overpressure is a common phenomenon in sedimentary basins, and overpressure induced by hydrocarbon generation has attracted considerable attention. However, direct temporal constraints are lacking, and the evolutionary process remains poorly understood. Here, we provide absolute chronological constraints on the paleo–fluid pressure evolution in shales of the Sichuan Basin, China, by integrating in situ U-Pb dating with fluid inclusion analysis of bed-parallel calcite veins. Our results reveal that overpressure due to hydrocarbon generation during deep burial evolved in a two-stage, stepwise exponential manner with increasing thermal maturity. During the kerogen gas generation phase (236–156 Ma; Ro [vitrinite reflectance] = 1.3%–2.0%), fluid pressure increased slowly, and the pressure coefficient decreased gradually. Subsequently, during the advanced burial stage, both fluid pressure and the pressure coefficient increased abruptly by up to threefold, associated with oil-cracking gas generation (148–84 Ma; Ro >2.0%). Strong hydrocarbon generation, combined with low permeability, enables fluid overpressure to persist from deep burial through uplift to the present day. Our findings show that under tectonically quiescent conditions, fluid pressure in shale driven solely by hydrocarbon generation increases in a stepwise exponential manner rather than a continuous nonlinear trend and remains largely preserved even during uplift unless disrupted by faulting. This successful application highlights the broad potential of absolute geochronological constraints for refining models of fluid evolution in sedimentary basins.