US Patent 9128210 Method to characterize shales at high spatial resolution

Apparatus and methods of characterizing a subterranean formation sample including collecting a sample from a formation, and analyzing the formation to obtain an image with 100 nm or less resolution, wherein the analyzing comprises atomic force microscopy (AFM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), and thermal analysis. Kerogen maturity, mineralogy, kerogen content, mechanical properties, and transition temperatures—including registered maps of those quantities—may be obtained in 5 minutes or less. Some embodiments may use a scanning electron microscope.