Correlation of crude oils and oil components from reservoirs and source rocks using carbon isotopic compositions of individual n-alkanes in the Tazhong and Tabei Uplift of the Tarim Basin,China

Carbon isotopic compositions were determined by GC–IRMS for individual n-alkanes in crude oils and the free, adsorbed and inclusion oils recovered by sequential extraction from reservoir rocks in the Tazhong Uplift and Tahe oilfield in the Tabei Uplift of Tarim Basin as well as extracts of the Cambrian–Ordovician source rocks in the basin. The variations of the δ¹³C values of individual n-alkanes among the 15 oils from the Tazhong Uplift and among the 15 oils from the Triassic and Carboniferous sandstone reservoirs and the 21 oils from the Ordovician carbonate reservoirs in the Tahe oilfield demonstrate that these marine oils are derived from two end member source rocks. The major proportion of these marine oils is derived from the type A source rocks with low δ¹³C values while a minor proportion is derived from the type B source rocks with high δ¹³C values. Type A source rocks are within either the Cambrian–Lower Ordovician or the Middle–Upper Ordovician strata (not drilled so far) while type B source rocks are within the Cambrian–Lower Ordovician strata, as found in boreholes TD2 and Fang 1. In addition, the three oils from the Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs in the Tahe oilfield with exceptionally high Pr/Ph ratio and δ¹³C values of individual n-alkanes are derived, or mainly derived, from the Triassic–Jurassic terrigenous source rocks located in Quka Depression.The difference of the δ¹³C values of individual n-alkanes among the free, adsorbed and inclusion oils in the reservoir rocks and corresponding crude oils reflects source variation during the reservoir filling process. In general, the initial oil charge is derived from the type B source rocks with high δ¹³C values while the later oil charge is derived from the type A source rocks with low δ¹³C values.The δ¹³C values of individual n-alkanes do not simply correlate with the biomarker parameters for the marine oils in the Tazhong Uplift and Tahe oilfield, suggesting that molecular parameters alone are not adequate for reliable oil-source correlation for high maturity oils with complex mixing.     

Evidence for euphotic zone anoxia during the deposition of Aptian source rocks based on aryl isoprenoids in petroleum,Sergipe–Alagoas Basin,northeastern Brazil

Four crude oil samples from the Sergipe–Alagoas Basin, northeastern Brazil, were analyzed using full scan gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC–qMS) for biomarkers, in order to correlate them using aromatic carotenoids thereby enhancing knowledge about the depositional environment of their source rocks. The geochemical parameters derived from saturated fractions of the oils show evidence of little or no biodegradation and similar thermal maturation (Ts/(Ts + Tm) for terpanes, C₂₉ αββ/(αββ + ααα), C₂₇, and C₂₉ 20S/(20S + 20R) for steranes). Low pristane/phytane ratios and the abundance of gammacerane and β-carotane are indicative of an anoxic and saline depositional environment for the source rocks. Moreover, we identified a large range of diagenetic and catagenetic products of the aromatic carotenoid isorenieratene, including C₄₀, C₃₃, and C₃₂ diaryl isoprenoids and aryl isoprenoid derivatives with short side chains and/or additional rings. These results indicate anoxia in the photic zone during the deposition of the source rocks.     

Molecular correlation of free oil,adsorbed oil and inclusion oil of reservoir rocks in the Tazhong Uplift of the Tarim Basin,China

The free, adsorbed and inclusion oils were recovered by sequential extraction from eleven oil and tar containing reservoir rocks in the Tazhong Uplift of Tarim Basin. The results of gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry analyses of these oil components and seven crude oils collected from this region reveal multiple oil charges derived from different source rocks for these oil reservoirs. The initially charged oils show strong predominance of even over odd n-alkanes in the range n-C₁₂ to n-C₂₀ and have ordinary maturities, while the later charged oils do not exhibit any predominance of n-alkanes and have high maturities. The adsorbed and inclusion oils of the reservoir rocks generally have high relative concentrations of gammacerane and C₂₈ steranes, similar to the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks. In contrast, the free oils of these reservoir rocks generally have low relative concentrations of gammacerane and C₂₈ steranes, similar to the Middle-Upper Ordovician source rocks. There are two interpretations of this result: (1) the initially charged oils are derived from the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks while the later charged oils are derived from the Middle-Upper Ordovician source rocks; and (2) both the initially and later charged oils are mainly derived from the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks but the later charged oils are contaminated by the oil components from the Silurian tar sandstones and the Middle-Upper Ordovician source rocks.     

Scarcity of the C30 sterane biomarker, 24-n-propylcholestane,in Lower Paleozoic marine paleoenvironments

24-n-Propylcholestane (24-npc), a C₃₀ sterane compound derived from sterol precursors which are the major sterol constituents of modern pelagophyte microalgae, occurs in certain Neoproterozoic rocks and oils and throughout the Phanerozoic rock record. This broad distribution leads 24-npc to be widely considered a reliable indicator of open to partially restricted marine depositional conditions for source rocks and oils. Here we report two significant hiatuses in the occurrences of 24-npc in the Lower Paleozoic marine rock record: the first in the Middle–Late Cambrian and the second in the Late Ordovician–early Silurian transition for a range of lithofacies (carbonates and siliciclastic rocks), organic carbon contents (both organic-lean and organic-rich), and paleoceanographic environments (shelf and deeper water marine settings) and observed offshore of two paleocontinents, Laurentia and Baltica. The Ordovician–Silurian gap is at least 9 million years, and possibly up to 20 million years, in duration. Robust older occurrences of 24-npc steranes in some Neoproterozoic rocks and oils suggest that oceanographic conditions in our intervals of Lower Paleozoic time were unfavorable for the proliferation of pelagophyte algae as phytoplankton. Caution should therefore be applied when interpreting a lacustrine versus marine depositional environmental setting for source rocks and oils in these intervals of Early Paleozoic time using lipid biomarker assemblages.     

Geochemical assessment of hydrocarbon migration phenomena: Case studies from the south-western margin of the Dead Sea Basin

Calcite veins with fluid and solid bitumen inclusions have been discovered in the south-western shoulder of the Dead Sea rift within the Masada-Zohar block, where hydrocarbons exist in small commercial gas fields and non-commercial fields of heavy and light oils. The gas–liquid inclusions in calcite are dominated either by methane or CO₂, and aqueous inclusions sometimes bear minor dissolved hydrocarbons. The enclosed flake-like solid bitumen matter is a residue of degraded oil, which may be interpreted as “dead carbon”. About 2/3 of this matter is soot-like amorphous carbon and 1/3 consists of n-C₈C₁₈ carboxylic acids and traces of n-alkanes, light dicarboxylic acids, and higher molecular weight (>C₂₀) branched and/or cyclic carboxylic acids. Both bitumen and the host calcites show genetic relationship with mature Maastrichtian chalky source rocks (MCSRs) evident in isotopic compositions (δ¹³C, δ³⁴S, and δ¹⁸O) and in REE + Y patterns. The bitumen precursor may have been heavy sulfur-rich oil which was generated during the burial compaction of the MCSR strata within the subsided blocks of the Dead Sea graben. The δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values and REE + Y signatures in calcites indicate mixing of deep buried fluids equilibrated with post-mature sediments and meteoric waters. The temperatures of fluid generation according to Mg–Li-geothermometer data range from 55 °С to 90 °С corresponding to the 2.5–4.0 km depths, and largely overlap with the oil window range (60–90 °С) in the Dead Sea rift (Hunt, 1996; Gvirtzman and Stanislavsky, 2000; Buryakovsky et al., 2005). The bitumen-rich vein calcites originated in the course of Late Cenozoic rifting and related deformation, when tectonic stress triggers damaged small hydrocarbon reservoirs in the area, produced pathways, and caused hydrocarbon-bearing fluids to rise to the subsurface; the fluids filled open fractures and crystallized to calcite with entrapped bitumen. The reported results are in good agreement with the existing views of maturation, migration, and accumulation of hydrocarbons, as well as basin fluid transport processes in the Dead Sea area.     

The impact of severe biodegradation on the molecular and stable (C,H, N,S) isotopic compositions of oils in the Alberta Basin,Canada

Although the effects of biodegradation on the composition and physical properties of crude oil have been well studied, effects of in-reservoir petroleum biodegradation on molecular and isotopic compositions of crude oils are not yet clearly understood. The Alberta Basin, in western Canada, is one of the world’s largest petroleum accumulations and constitutes an ideal example of a natural suite of sequentially biodegraded oils. The basin hosts moderately to severely biodegraded petroleum, regionally distributed and in single, more or less continuous, oil columns. In this study, a series of oil samples from the Alberta heavy oil and oil sands provinces, with varying degrees of biodegradation, were analyzed to assess the impact of progressive biodegradation on the molecular and C, H, N, and S isotopic compositions of oils. The results of the molecular characterization of the hydrocarbon fraction of the studied oils show that the oils have suffered biodegradation levels from 2 to 10⁺ (toward the Alberta–Saskatchewan border) on the Peters and Moldowan scale of biodegradation (abbreviated PM 2 to PM 10) and from tens to hundreds on the Manco scale. Within single reservoirs, increasing biodegradation was observed from top to bottom of the oil columns at all sites studied. The whole oil stable isotopic compositions of the samples varied in the ranges δ¹³C = −31.2‰ to −29.0‰, δ²H = −147‰ to −133‰, δ¹⁵N = 0.3–4.7‰ and δ³⁴S = 0.4–6.4‰. The maximum differences between δ values of samples (Δ) within single oil columns were Δ¹³C = 1.4‰, Δ²H = 7‰, Δ¹⁵N = 1.7‰ and Δ³⁴S = 1.0‰. Regional variations in the isotopic compositions of oil samples from different wells (averaged values from top to bottom) were 1.2‰ for δ¹³C, 12‰ for δ²H, 4.1‰ for δ¹⁵N and 5.5‰ for δ³⁴S and hence generally significantly larger variations were seen than variations observed within single oil columns, especially for N and S. It appears that even severe levels of biodegradation do not cause observable systematic variations in carbon, nitrogen or sulfur isotope composition of whole oils. This indicates that sulfur and nitrogen isotopic compositions may be used in very degraded oils as indicators for oil charge from different source rock facies.     

Geochemical characteristics of Tertiary saline lacustrine oils in the Western Qaidam Basin,northwest China

Based on the systematic analyses of light hydrocarbon, saturate, aromatic fractions and C isotopes of over 40 oil samples along with related Tertiary source rocks collected from the western Qaidam basin, the geochemical characteristics of the Tertiary saline lacustrine oils in this region was investigated. The oils are characterized by bimodal n-alkane distributions with odd-to-even (C₁₁–C₁₇) and even-to-odd (C₁₈–C₂₈) predominance, low Pr/Ph (mostly lower than 0.6), high concentration of gammacerane, C₃₅ hopane and methylated MTTCs, reflecting the high salinity and anoxic setting typical of a saline lacustrine depositional environment. Mango’s K₁ values in the saline oils are highly variable (0.99–1.63), and could be associated with the facies-dependent parameters such as Pr/Ph and gammacerane indexes. Compared with other Tertiary oils, the studied Tertiary saline oils are marked by enhanced C₂₈ sterane abundance (30% or more of C₂₇–C₂₉ homologues), possibly derived from halophilic algae. It is noted that the geochemical parameters of the oils in various oilfields exhibit regular spatial changes, which are consistent with the depositional phase variations of the source rocks. The oils have uncommon heavy C isotopic ratios (−24‰ to −26‰) and a flat shape of the individual n-alkane isotope profile, and show isotopic characteristics similar to marine organic matter. The appearance of oleanane and high 24/(24 + 27)-norcholestane ratios (0.57–0.87) in the saline oils and source rocks confirm a Tertiary organic source.     

Origin of the unusually high dibenzothiophene oils in Tazhong-4 Oilfield of Tarim Basin and its implication in deep petroleum exploration

Unusually high dibenzothiophene (DBT) concentrations are present in the oils from the Tazhong-4 Oilfield in the Tazhong Uplift, Tarim Basin. Positive-ion electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) was used in combination with conventional geochemical approaches to unravel the enrichment mechanisms. Significant amounts of S₁ species with relatively low DBE values (0–8), i.e., sulfur ethers, mercaptans, thiophenes and benzothiophenes, were detected in three Lower Ordovician oils with high thermal maturity, which were suggested to be the products of thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) in the reservoir. The occurrence of TSR was also supported by the coexistence of thiadiamondoids and abundant H₂S in the gases associated with the oils. Obviously low concentrations of the DBE = 9 S₁ species (mainly equivalent to C₀–C₃₅ DBTs) compared to its homologues were observed for the three oils which were probably altered by TSR, indicating that no positive relationship existed between TSR and DBTs in this study. The sulfur compounds in the Tazhong-4 oils are quite similar to those in the majority of Lower Ordovician oils characterized by high concentrations of DBTs and dominant DBE = 9 S₁ species with only small amounts of sulfur compounds with low thermal stability (DBE = 0–8), suggesting only a small proportion of sulfur compounds were derived from TSR. It is thermal maturity rather than TSR that has caused the unusually high DBT concentrations in most of the Lower Ordovician oils. We suggest that the unusually high DBT oils in the Tazhong-4 Oilfield are caused by oil mixing from the later charged Lower Ordovician (or perhaps even deeper), with high DBT abundances from the earlier less mature oils, which was supported by our oil mixing experiments and previous relevant investigations as well as abundant authigenic pyrite of hydrothermal origin. We believe that TSR should have occurred in the Tazhong Uplift based on our FT-ICR MS results. However, normal sulfur compounds were detected in most oils and no increase of δ¹³C₂H₆–δ¹³C₄H₁₀ was observed for the gas hydrocarbons, suggesting only a slight alteration of the oils by TSR currently and/or recently. We suspect that the abnormal sulfur compounds in the Lower Ordovician oils might also be a result of deep oil mixing, which might imply a deeper petroliferous horizon, i.e., Cambrian, with a high petroleum potential. This study is important to further deep petroleum exploration in the area.     

Improved understanding of the petroleum systems of the Niger Delta Basin,Nigeria

Biomarker and n-alkane compound specific stable carbon isotope analyses (CSIA) were carried out on 58 crude oil samples from shallow water and deepwater fields of the Niger Delta in order to predict the depositional environment and organic matter characteristics of their potential source rocks. Using a source organofacies prediction approach from oil geochemistry, the presence in the western deepwater oils relatively abundant C₂₇ steranes, C₃₀ 24-n-propyl cholestane, low oleanane index, relatively low pr/ph ratios, gammacerane, and positive to nearly flat C₁₂–C₃₀ n-alkane compound specific stable carbon isotope profiles, suggests that the source facies that expelled these oils contain significant marine derived organic matter deposited under sub-oxic and stratified water column conditions. This contrasts with the terrigenous organic matter dominated source rocks accepted for shallow water Niger Delta oils. Oils in the shallow water accumulations can be separated into terrigenous and mixed marine-terrigenous families. The terrigenous family indicates expulsion from source rock(s) containing overwhelmingly higher plant source organic matter (average oleanane index = 0.48, high C₂₉ steranes) as well as having negative sloping n-alkane isotope profiles. Oxic source depositional conditions (pr/ph > 2.5) and non-stratified conditions (absence to low gammacerane content) are inferred for the terrigenous family. The mixed marine-terrigenous family has biomarker properties that are a combination of the deepwater and terrigenous shallow water oils. Bitumen extracts of the sub-delta Late Cretaceous Araromi Formation shale in the Dahomey Basin are comparable both molecularly and isotopically to the studied western deepwater oil set, but with an over all poor geochemical correlation. This poor geochemical match between Araromi shale and the western deepwater oils does not downgrade the potential of sub-delta Cretaceous source rock contribution to the regional oil charge in the deepwater Niger Delta.     

Occurrence and composition of solid bitumens from the Bulonggoer Devonian paleo-oil reservoir,North Xinjiang,China

The Bulonggoer paleo-oil reservoir (BPR) on the northwest Junggar Basin is the first Devonian paleo-oil reservoir discovered in North Xinjiang, China. Solid bitumens occur within sandstone pores and as veins filling fractures. Samples of both types were analyzed using stable carbon isotope and reflectance measurements, as well as molecular biomarker parameters.The extremely positive δ¹³C values and biomarker indicators of depositional environment/lithology, such as pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph), C₂₉/C₃₀ hopane, diasteranes/regular steranes and dibenzothiophene/phenanthrene ratios, indicate a siliciclastic source for the BPR and their deposition in a highly reducing hypersaline environment. The presence of long chain n-alkanes and abundant tetracyclic diterpanes, C₂₀–C₂₁ tricyclic terpanes and perylene are indicators of higher plant organic matter input. Moreover, the bimodal distribution of C₂₇ > C₂₈ < C₂₉ regular steranes and abundant methyltriaromatic steroids also support a contribution of microalgae as well as higher plants organic matter. The similar molecular composition and thermal maturity parameters indicate that the reservoir and veined solid bitumens were altered from a common paleo-petroleum, which originated from peak oil window matured source rocks.All solid bitumens from the BPR are characterized by relatively low bitumen reflectance values (Rb% < 0.7), suggesting that they were generated from low temperature processes rather than oil thermal cracking. Comparatively, the Rb% values for veined bitumens are higher than reservoir bitumens, indicating that the veined bitumens occurred earlier and experienced higher thermal conditions.     

Evaluation of the petroleum composition and quality with increasing thermal maturity as simulated by hydrous pyrolysis: A case study using a Brazilian source rock with Type I kerogen

Hydrous pyrolysis (HP) experiments were used to investigate the petroleum composition and quality of petroleum generated from a Brazilian lacustrine source rock containing Type I kerogen with increasing thermal maturity. The tested sample was of Aptian age from the Araripe Basin (NE-Brazil). The temperatures (280–360 °C) and times (12–132 h) employed in the experiments simulated petroleum generation and expulsion (i.e., oil window) prior to secondary gas generation from the cracking of oil. Results show that similar to other oil prone source rocks, kerogen initially decomposes in part to a polar rich bitumen, which decomposes in part to hydrocarbon rich oil. These two overall reactions overlap with one another and have been recognized in oil shale retorting and natural petroleum generation. During bitumen decomposition to oil, some of the bitumen is converted to pyrobitumen, which results in an increase in the apparent kerogen (i.e., insoluble carbon) content with increasing maturation.The petroleum composition and its quality (i.e., API gravity, gas/oil ratio, C₁₅₊ fractions, alkane distribution, and sulfur content) are affected by thermal maturation within the oil window. API gravity, C₁₅₊ fractions and gas/oil ratios generated by HP are similar to those of natural petroleum considered to be sourced from similar Brazilian lacustrine source rocks with Type I kerogen of Lower Cretaceous age. API gravity of the HP expelled oils shows a complex relationship with increasing thermal maturation that is most influenced by the expulsion of asphaltenes. C₁₅₊ fractions (i.e., saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes) show that expelled oils and bitumen are compositionally separate organic phases with no overlap in composition. Gas/oil ratios (GOR) initially decrease from 508–131 m³/m³ during bitumen generation and remain essentially constant (81–84 m³/m³) to the end of oil generation. This constancy in GOR is different from the continuous increase through the oil window observed in anhydrous pyrolysis experiments. Alkane distributions of the HP expelled oils are similar to those of natural crude oils considered to be sourced from similar Brazilian lacustrine source rocks with Type I kerogen of Lower Cretaceous age. Isoprenoid and n-alkane ratios (i.e., pristane/n-C₁₇ and phytane/n-C₁₈) decrease with increasing thermal maturity as observed in natural crude oils. Pristane/phytane ratios remain constant with increasing thermal maturity through the oil window, with ratios being slightly higher in the expelled oils relative to those in the bitumen. Generated hydrocarbon gases are similar to natural gases associated with crude oils considered to be sourced from similar Brazilian lacustrine source rocks with Type I kerogen of Lower Cretaceous, with the exception of elevated ethane contents. The general overall agreement in composition of natural and hydrous pyrolysis petroleum of lacustrine source rocks observed in this study supports the utility of HP to better characterize petroleum systems and the effects of maturation and expulsion on petroleum composition and quality.     

Intrinsic biodegradation of diesel fuel in an interval of separate phase hydrocarbons

Emerging acceptance of the limitations of separate phase product recovery has spawned interest in the intrinsic alteration of residual separate phase petroleum products. In this study the geochemical changes in a continuous core through soil containing a separate phase diesel fuel #2 (SPD) in contact with groundwater are investigated. Chemical heterogeneities are shown to exist which can be attributed to weathering, particularly intrinsic biodegradation. The results show that the aliphatic hydrocarbon content is reduced and the δ¹³C ratio of the aliphatic hydrocarbons increased from top to bottom in the core. Both changes are thought to be due to preferential biodegradation of (isotopically lighter) n-alkanes. A slight increase in the relative abundance of shorter chain n-alkanes (<n-C₁₇) was also observed. The distribution of the dominant aromatic hydrocarbons (C₀–C₃ alkyl-naphthalenes) is remarkably consistent throughout the core, although naphthalene is depleted below the oil–water interface. In spite of low oil saturation (S₀), little or no evidence of biodegradation is noted at the uppermost boundary of the SPD. However, intrinsic biodegradation is evident approximately 0.3 m above the oil–water interface in spite of higher S₀. The extent of the chemical changes attributable to biodegradation (described above) gradually increases below the oil–water interface, eventually reaching a maximum at the bottom of the SPD profile (∼1.2 m below the interface) where S₀ is again reduced. The relatively higher level of biodegradation observed at and below the oil–water interface may be attributed to the reduced S₀ in this zone. An estimate of the mass reduction in diesel fuel between the uppermost and bottommost parts of the core is calculated to be 23% (by weight), due predominantly to the biodegradation of n-alkanes.     

The controls on the composition of biodegraded oils in the deep subsurface – Part 3. The impact of microorganism distribution on petroleum geochemical gradients in biodegraded petroleum reservoirs

A combined geochemical, geological and microbiological analysis of an actively biodegrading 24.5 m thick oil column in a Canadian heavy oil reservoir has been carried out. The reservoir properties associated with the cored vertical well are characterised by a 15.75 m thick oil column and an 8.75 m zone of steadily decreasing oil saturation below the oil column, referred to as the oil–water transition zone (OWTZ), grading down into a thin water leg. The oil column exhibits systematic gradients in oil physical properties and hydrocarbon composition and shows variations in biodegradation level throughout the reservoir consistent with the notion that the biodegradation of oil is focussed in a bioreactor zone at the base of the oil column. Through the oil column, the dead oil viscosity measured at 20 °C ranged from 50,000 cP (0.05 McP) at the top of the oil column to 1.4 McP at the oil–OWTZ contact, and continued to increase to 10.5 McP within the OWTZ. The saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons are characterised by systematically decreasing bulk fraction and component concentrations down through the oil column. Different compound classes decreased to levels below their detection limit at different depths within the OWTZ, defining a likely bioreactor extent of over 5 m in depth with, for example, n-alkanes being reduced to their detection limit concentration at the bottom of the oil column/top of the OWTZ, while branched isoprenoid alkanes were not completely degraded until well into the OWTZ.Core samples from the oil column and the lower part of the OWTZ were estimated to contain ca. 10⁴–10⁵ bacterial cells/g, based on qPCR of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, while samples from a narrow interval in the OWTZ immediately below the oil column contained on the order of 10⁶–10⁷ cells/g of sediment. Interestingly, these latter numbers are typical of those observed in active deep subsurface biosphere systems with the notion that microbial activity and abundance in the deep subsurface is elevated at geochemical interfaces. The numbers of organisms are not constant throughout the OWTZ. The highest bacterial abundance and geochemical gradients of, for example, methylphenanthrene biodegradation define a zone near the oil–water contact as likely the most active in terms of biodegradation. The largest bacterial abundances in the upper part of the OWTZ are in line with the trend of bacterial abundance with depth that has emerged from extensive analysis of microbial cells in deep subsurface sediments, implying that in terms of deep biosphere cell abundance, oil reservoirs are similar to other deep subsurface microbial environments. This is puzzling, given the atypical abundance of organic carbon in petroleum reservoirs and may imply a common large scale control on microbial abundance and activity in the deep biosphere, including in oilfields.     

渤海湾盆地南堡凹陷原油成因类型及其分布规律

南堡凹陷近年油气勘探取得了重大突破,为揭示该区滩海与陆地油气成因及分布规律,对67个原油和油砂样品进行了详细的地球化学研究。南堡凹陷原油具有低硫、中高蜡含量特征,陆相成因特点显著。共分为4种类型原油:(1)陆地沙三段深部层系原油,具有高4-甲基甾烷丰度、低奥利烷丰度与低甲基菲指数值和轻微偏高成熟度特征;(2)陆地Es1—Ed原油与Ng和Nm原油,其特征与第一类原油相反;上第三系原油普遍遭遇生物降解;(3)滩海东营组原油,以较高伽马蜡烷/C30藿烷和高甾烷/藿烷值区别于陆地原油;(4)滩海奥陶系潜山原油,具有低丰度甾萜类生物标志物、相对高丰度孕甾烷、三环萜烷与重排甾烷系列等特征,显示较高成熟度。上述4种成因类型原油指示南堡凹陷陆地、滩海均存在多层导有利烃源岩;同层位中滩海Es1-Ed存在较陆地更为优越的有利烃源岩,南堡滩海地区具有广泛的油气勘探前景。     

Thermal and maturation history of Jurassic source rocks in the Kuqa foreland depression of Tarim Basin,NW China

Kuqa foreland depression of the Tarim Basin is one of the largest gas production provinces in China. Thermal history reconstruction using vitrinite reflectance data indicates that the palaeo-heat flow in Kuqa depression was relatively high (50–55 mW/m²) during the Mesozoic, but gradually decreased during the Cenozoic to reach the present value of 40–50 mW/m². The cooling of the Kuqa depression is probably attributed to the crust thickening and the rapid sedimentary rate. The Jurassic source rocks entered conventional oil window at 100 Ma, and began to generate gas at approximately 75 Ma in the Kelasu area. Thermal maturation of the Jurassic source rocks accelerated significantly since 23.3 Ma, especially in the recent 5.2 Ma. In this foreland depression, source rock maturation, which is likely controlled mainly by burial history, also influenced by the presence of fault thrusting and salt-bearing formations.     

High grade metamorphism of sedimentary rocks during Palaeozoic rift basin formation in central Australia

Exhumation of middle and lower crustal rocks during the 450–320 Ma intraplate Alice Springs Orogeny in central Australia provides an opportunity to examine the deep burial of sedimentary successions leading to regional high-grade metamorphism. SIMS zircon U–Pb geochronology shows that high-grade metasedimentary units recording lower crustal pressures share a depositional history with unmetamorphosed sedimentary successions in surrounding sedimentary basins. These surrounding basins constitute parts of a large and formerly contiguous intraplate basin that covered much of Neoproterozoic to early Palaeozoic Australia. Within the highly metamorphosed Harts Range Group, metamorphic zircon growth at 480–460 Ma records mid-to-lower crustal (~ 0.9–1.0 GPa) metamorphism. Similarities in detrital zircon age spectra between the Harts Range Group and Late Neoproterozoic–Cambrian sequences in the surrounding Amadeus and Georgina basins imply that the Harts Range Group is a highly metamorphosed equivalent of the same successions. Maximum depositional ages for parts of the Harts Range Group are as low as ~ 520–500 Ma indicating that burial to depths approaching 30 km occurred ~ 20–40 Ma after deposition. Palaeogeographic reconstructions based on well-preserved sedimentary records indicate that throughout the Cambro–Ordovician central Australia was covered by a shallow, gently subsiding epicratonic marine basin, and provide a context for the deep burial of the Harts Range Group. Sedimentation and burial coincided with voluminous mafic magmatism that is absent from the surrounding unmetamorphosed basinal successions, suggesting that the Harts Range Group accumulated in a localised sub-basin associated with sufficient lithospheric extension to generate mantle partial melting. The presently preserved axial extent of this sub-basin is > 200 km. Its width has been modified by subsequent shortening associated with the Alice Springs Orogeny, but must have been > 80 km. Seismic reflection data suggest that the Harts Range Group is preserved within an inverted crustal-scale half graben structure, lending further support to the notion that it accumulated in a discrete sub-basin. Based on palaeogeographic constraints we suggest that burial of the Harts Range Group to lower crustal depths occurred primarily via sediment loading in an exceptionally deep Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician intraplate rift basin. High-temperature Ordovician deformation within the Harts Range Group formed a regional low angle foliation associated with ongoing mafic magmatism that was coeval with deepening of the overlying marine basin, suggesting that metamorphism of the Harts Range Group was associated with ongoing extension. The resulting lower crustal metamorphic terrain is therefore interpreted to represent high-temperature deformation in the lower levels of a deep sedimentary basin during continued basin development. If this model is correct, it indicates that regional-scale moderate- to high-pressure metamorphism of supracrustal rocks need not necessarily reflect compressional thickening of the crust, an assumption commonly made in studies of many metamorphic terrains that lack a palaeogeographic context.     

Distribution and significance of novel low molecular weight sterenes in an immature evaporitic sediment from the Jinxian Sag,North China

An unusual series of C₂₂–C₂₇ monounsaturated sterenes and C₂₄–C₃₀ tetracyclic terpanes (17,21-secohopanes) were detected in relatively high concentrations in an immature evaporitic marl sediment of the Jinxian Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, North China. The site of unsaturation in these novel sterenes is assigned tentatively to the D ring on the basis of mass spectral interpretation, which also distinguishes them from reported unsaturated sterenes. Other hydrocarbon biomarker or stable isotope characteristics are indicative of microbial (e.g. methyl hopanes), phytoplankton or higher plant (depleted δ¹³C values of isoprenoids and hopanes) inputs and an anoxic carbonate depositional environment (hexacyclic hopanes; tetracyclic terpanes). The hydrocarbon composition showed no obvious biodegradation and the relatively high concentration of unsaturated terpenoids (e.g. gammacerene) and low values of other established maturity parameters (T_s/T_m = 0.23; R_o = 0.44%; T_max = 417 °C), are consistent with sediments of low maturity. The novel, low molecular weight sterenes and the tetracyclic terpanes may be early diagenetic products of microbial sources in a carbonate environment.     

Ordovician igneous and metamorphic units in southeastern Puna: New U–Pb and Sm–Nd data and implications for the evolution of northwestern Argentina

New field, petrological, geochemical, and geochronological data (U–Pb and Sm–Nd) for Ordovician rock units in the southeastern Puna, NW Argentina, indicate two lithostratigraphic units at the eastern–northeastern border of salar Centenario: (1) a bimodal volcanosedimentary sequence affected by low- to medium-grade metamorphism, comprising metasediments associated with basic and felsic metavolcanic rocks, dated 485 ± 5 Ma, and (2) a plutonic unit composed of syenogranites to quartz-rich leucogranites with U–Pb zircon ages between 462 ± 7 and 475 ± 5 Ma. Felsic metavolcanic and plutonic rocks are peraluminous and show similar geochemical differentiation trends. They also have similar Sm–Nd isotopic compositions (T_DM model ages of 1.54–1.78 Ga; ε_Nd(T) values ranging from −3.2 to −7.5) that suggest a common origin and derivation of the original magmas from older (Meso-Paleoproterozoic?) continental crust. Mafic rocks show ε_Nd(T) ranging from +2.3 to +2.5, indicating a depleted mantle source. The data presented here, combined with those in the literature, suggest Ordovician magmatism mainly recycles preexisting crust with minor additions of juvenile mantle-derived material.     

Quantitative assessment and significance of gas washing of oil in Block 9 of the Tahe Oilfield, Tarim Basin, NW China

Some Ordovician and Triassic oils in Block 9 are characterized by light oils,which have distinctly differentiated from heavy oils in other blocks in the Tahe Oilfield,Tarim Basin.Based on the whole oil gas chroma- tograms,this paper estimates the effect of oil migration and fractionation and the amount of depletion(Q)in terms of the n-alkanes depletion model.The results showed that the amount of depletion in the Ordovician reservoir is highest in the east of this block,e.g.the depletion is 97% in Well T904.The amount of Q gets lower to the west,e.g.the depletion is 53.4%in Well T115 and there is no sign of depletion in Well S69.It is suggested that the direction of gas washing is from the east to the west.The compositions and isotopic characteristics of associated gas in Ordovician oils indicated that the gas might be derived from Cambrian source rocks of the Caohu Depression which lies to the east of Block 9.In contrast,no obvious depletion of n-alkanes in Triassic oils was found,suggesting that the migration pathway of natural gas has been limited to the Ordovician karst fracture system formed in the Early Hercynian Orogeny.Different depletions of the Ordovician and Triassic oils can reveal fault activities in this region.     

庙西凹陷严重生物降解原油序列中三环萜烷的异常分布成因初探

对渤海湾盆地一系列生物降解原油的色谱-质谱分析结果表明,庙西凹陷PL15-8D与PL9-4井四个严重生物降解原油三环萜烷系列分布较为异常,主要表现为以C₂₃为主峰的后峰型、C₂₀与C₂₃为主峰的微弱双峰型以及以C₂₀与C₂₄为主峰的双峰型分布模式。强烈的生物降解作用导致C₁₉~C₂₃三环萜烷优先于C₂₄₊三环萜烷被不同程度地侵蚀,是形成这一异常分布的根本原因。三环萜烷系列相对丰度与绝对浓度的变化规律表明,不同碳数三环萜烷的生物降解作用同时发生,但其降解速率有明显差别,即抗生物降解能力不同。三环萜烷系列化合物（除C₂₀三环萜烷以外）的抗生物降解能力具有随碳数增加而增强的趋势,而C₂₀三环萜烷抗降解能力似乎强于C₂₁~C₂₃三环萜烷。原油中未检测到脱甲基三环萜烷,表明三环萜烷的降解并非通过微生物的脱甲基化作用,推测其降解途径是微生物氧化三环萜烷C环支链末端的甲基,形成对应的羧酸化合物。四个原油样品甾烷、藿烷与三环萜烷被微生物严重侵蚀,不能用于油源对比研究,而三芳甾烷未受生物降解影响,可作为研究区严重生物降解原油油源对比的有效指标。