1. A method of estimating a mechanical property value of a rock formation comprising: generating a correlation model, where the correlation model correlates at least one mechanical property with a porosity value and a composition value relative to a first rock type; generating an evolution model, where the evolution model utilizes thermal-history data and burial-history data for the rock formation; using the evolution model to generate an estimation of a past porosity value and a past composition value for the rock formation at a point of time in the geologic past; and identifying in the correlation model a mechanical property value at the point of time in the past based on the estimated past porosity and past composition values.