Carbon isotope characteristics,origin and distribution of the natural gases from the Tertiary salty lacustrine facies in the West Depression Region in the Qaidam Basin

Since the Meso-Cenozoic, controlled by paleoclimate, a series of fresh to brackish water basins and salt to semi-salt water basins were developed in wet climatic zones and in dry climate zones in China, respectively[1]. The geological and geochemical char…     

Formation mechanism of condensates,waxy and heavy oils in the southern margin of Junggar Basin,NW China

It is a challenge to determine the source and genetic relationship of condensate, waxy and heavy oils in one given complicated petroliferous area, where developed multiple sets of source rocks with different maturity and various chemical features.The central part of southern margin of Junggar Basin, NW China is such an example where there are condensates, light oils, normal density oils, heavy crude oils and natural gases. The formation mechanism of condensates has been seriously debated for long time;however, no study has integrated it with genetic types of waxy and heavy oils. Taking the central part of southern margin of Junggar Basin as a case, this study employs geological and geochemical methods to determine the formation mechanism of condensates,waxy and heavy oils in a complicated petroliferous area, and reveals the causes and geochemical processes of the co-occurrence of different types of crude oils in this region. Based on detailed geochemical analyses of more than 40 normal crude oils, light oils,condensates and heavy oils, it is found that the condensates are dominated by low carbon number n-alkanes and enriched in light naphthenics and aromatic hydrocarbons. Heptane values of these condensates range from 19% to 21%, isoheptane values from1.9 to 2.1, and toluene/n-heptane ratios from 1.5 to 2.0. The distribution of n-alkanes in the condensates presents a mirror image with high density waxy crude oils and heavy oils. Combined with the oil and gas-source correlations of the crude oils, condensates and natural gas, it is found that the condensates are product of evaporative fractionation and/or phase-controlled fractionation of reservoir crude oils which were derived from mature Cretaceous lacustrine source rocks in the relatively early stage. The waxy oils are the intermediate products of evaporative fractionation and/or phase-controlled fractionation of reservoir crude oils, while the heavy oils are in-situ residuals. Therefore, evaporative fractionation and/or phase-controlled fractionation would account for the formation of the condensate, light oil, waxy oil and heavy oil in the central part of southern margin of Junggar Basin, resulting in a great change of the content in terms of light alkanes, naphthenics and aromatics in condensates, followed by great uncertainties of toluene/n-heptane ratios due to migration and re-accumulation. The results suggest that the origin of the condensate cannot be simply concluded by its ratios of toluene/n-heptane and n-heptane/methylcyclohexane on the Thompson's cross-plot, it should be comprehensively determined by the aspects of geological background, thermal history of source rocks and petroleum generation,physical and chemical features of various crude oils and natural gas, vertical and lateral distribution of various crude oils in the study area.     

Geochemical characteristics of Tertiary Sagara oil from an active forearc basin, Shizuoka, Japan

Abstract   The Sagara oil field is located in the Neogene Kakegawa Basin, close to the Izu collision zone at the junction between the main Japanese Islands and the Izu–Bonin Arc. The Sagara oil field is one of the few oil fields situated in a forearc basin on the Pacific side of Japan and is present in a sedimentary basin with poor oil-generating potential. Several crude oils from Sagara oil field were investigated to infer their origin. Organic geochemical characteristics of Sagara oils showed the influences of light biodegradation, migration-contamination, and migration-fractionation. The maturity levels of Sagara oils evaluated based on abundant alkylnaphthalenes corresponded to 0.9–1.2% vitrinite reflectance. Sagara oils were characterized by significant amounts of higher plant biomarkers, a high pristane/phytane ratio and an absence of organic sulphur compounds, suggesting a siliciclastic source rock deposited under nearshore to fluvial–deltaic environments. Numerous faults and fractures in the active forearc basin provided excellent conduits and facilitated upward migration of light hydrocarbons generated at greater depth in the Kakegawa Basin.     

SEISMIC FACIES ANALYSIS CONCEPTS *

Seismic facies analysis makes use of different seismic parameters in order to get other than structural information. A review is given of possibilities and usefulness of seismic facies analysis in oil exploration. A seismic facies unit can be defined as a sedimentary unit which is different from adjacent units in its seismic characteristics. Parameters that should be taken into consideration in the seismic facies analysis are as follows: reflection amplitude, dominant reflection frequency, reflection polarity, interval velocity, reflection continuity, reflection configuration, abundance of reflections, geometry of seismic facies unit, and relationship with other units. Interpretation of seismic facies data may be either direct or indirect. The purpose of the direct interpretation is to find out geological causes responsible for the seismic signature of a seismic facies unit. So, the direct interpretation may be aimed at predicting lithology, fluid content, porosity, relative age, overpressured shales, type of stratification, geometry of the geological body corresponding to the seismic facies unit and its geological setting. The indirect interpretation is intended to reach some conclusions on depositional processes and environments, sediment transport direction, and some aspects of geological evolution (transgression, regression, subsidence, uplift, erosion). The results of the seismic facies analysis may be shown on seismic facies cross-sections and seismic facies maps. Depending on the available seismic data and geological conditions in the area under consideration, the seismic facies maps may be of different types such as general seismic facies maps showing distribution of different seismic facies units, sand-shale ratio maps, direction of cross-bedding and paleo-transport maps etc. Several kinds of seismic facies units and their geological interpretation are discussed as examples of seismic facies analysis.     

TSR promotes the formation of oil-cracking gases: Evidence from simulation experiments

TSR is an interaction between sulfate and hydrocarbons, occurring widely in carbonate reservoirs. Because this process can produce a large amount of noxious acidic gases like H2S, it has drawn seri- ous concern recently. This paper reports an experiment that simulated an interaction between different minerals and hydrocarbon fluids under different temperature and time using a confined gold-tube system. The results showed that the main mineral that initiates TSR is MgSO4, and adding a certain amount of NaCl into the reactive system can also promote TSR and yield more H2S. The H2S produced in TSR is an important incentive for the continuous oxidative degradation of crude oils. For instance, the yield of oil-cracking gases affected by TSR was twice of that not affected by TSR while the yield of TSR-affected methane was even higher, up to three times of that unaffected by TSR. The carbon iso- topes of wet gases also became heavier. All of the above illustrated that TSR obviously motivates the oxidative degradation of crude oils, which makes the gaseous hydrocarbon generation sooner and increases the gas dryness as well. The study on this process is important for understanding the TSR mechanism and the mechanism of natural gas generation in marine strata.     

Source,depositional environment and maturity levels of some crude oils in southwest Niger Delta,Nigeria

A suite of crude oil samples,that had not been previously characterized geochemically,was collected from two oil fields in the southwest Niger Delta Nigeria.The saturate biomarkers were used to evaluate geochemical characteristics such as depositional environments,sources of organic matter and extent of biodegradation using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.Distribution of n-alkanes(Pr/Ph,and isoprenoide/n-alkanes ratios),the abundance of hopanes,oleanane skeleton and C27-C29 steranes in the oils indicate that they were formed from mixed sources(marine and terrestrial kerogen) deposited in an oxic paleoenvironment with no particular maturity trend.These parameters also permit the source grouping of the oils into two families.     

Anachronistic facies in the Lower Triassic of South China and their implications to the ecosystems during the recovery time

The end-Permian mass extinction not only severely distressed the Paleozoic ecosystems but also dramatically changed the sedimentary systems, resulting in a peculiar Early Triassic ecosystem and submarine environment during the recovery time following the mass extinction. The Lower Triassic is characteristic of the wide occurrence of various distinctive sediments and related sedimentary structures, such as flatpebble conglomerates, vermicular limestone, subtidal wrinkle structures, microbialite, carbonate seafloor fans, thin-bedded limestone and zebra limestone-mudstone. These sediments were common in the Precambrian to Early Ordovician marine settings, and then they occurred only in some extreme and unusual environments with the expansion of metazoan faunas. However, the Early Triassic witnessed an "anachronistic" reappearance of some distinctive sedimentary records in normal shallow marine settings. The study of these anachronistic facies should be of great importance for the understanding of the unique ecosystem and marine environment through the great Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition. The anachronistic facies characterized by vermicular limestone have been documented in many localities in South China and occur at various horizons of the Lower Triassic. Most types of re- ported distinctive sediments over the world have been observed in the Lower Triassic of South China. This provides an excellent opportunity for understanding the Early Triassic environment and its co- evolution with the biotic recovery. Among the anachronistic facies the vermicular limestone is the most characteristic and common distinctive sediments in the Lower Triassic of South China but has received relatively few investigations. Taking it as a case study, we will detail the variation of vermicular limestone and its stratigraphic distribution in the Three Gorges area, Hubei Province. The investigation on the vermicular limestone and other distinctive sediments from the Lower Triassic of South China further indicates that the appearance of anachronistic facies immediately following the mass extinction and the elimination from normal shallow marine facies with the radiation of Mesozoic marine faunas imply the natural response of the sedimentary systems and ecosystems to the great Paleozoic-Mesozoic transitional events and their induced harsh environments. Therefore, the ups and downs of the anachronistic facies may act as a proxy for the evolution of ecosystems independent of fossil analyses.     

Genetic features of gas-condensate reservoirs in the Kekeya Field,southwest depression in the Tarim Basin,China

Oils, condensates and natural gases in the Kekeya Field, southeast depression of the Tarim Basin were studied for their geochemical characteristics. According to the distribution analysis of the C₂/C₃ values with C₁/C₂ values, C₂/C₃ values with C₁/C₃ values, as well as C₂/C₃ values with dryness index, there are two different types of natural gases in the studied field, which are spatially regularly distributed. One is the oil cracking gas, located on shallow reservoirs over X ²₅ reservoir, namely Upper oil legs; the other is kerogen cracking gas, located on X ²₇ reservoirs, X₈ reservoirs and E₂ k reservoirs, namely Lower oil legs. In addition, the distribution patterns of molar concentration of oils and condensates with different carbon numbers of the n-alkanes in the Kekeya Field indicate that the crude oils have experienced several kinds of secondary alterations, which were closely related to the charging of gaseous hydrocarbons after petroleum accumulation. These results indicate that, based on the research of δ ¹³C values of individual hydrocarbons, heptane values and isoheptane values of light hydrocarbons and aromatic maturity parameters for oils, condensates and natural gases, oils and gases were charged at different geological time in the Kekeya Field.

     

Genetic features of gas-condensate reservoirs in the Kekeya Field,southwest depression in the Tarim Basin,China

Oils, condensates and natural gases in the Kekeya Field, southeast depression of the Tarim Basin were studied for their geochemical characteristics. According to the distribution analysis of the C₂/C₃ values with C₁/C₂ values, C₂/C₃ values with C₁/C₃ values, as well as C₂/C₃ values with dryness index, there are two different types of natural gases in the studied field, which are spatially regularly distributed. One is the oil cracking gas, located on shallow reservoirs over X ₅ ² reservoir, namely Upper oil legs; the other is kerogen cracking gas, located on X ₇ ² reservoirs, X₈ reservoirs and E₂ k reservoirs, namely Lower oil legs. In addition, the distribution patterns of molar concentration of oils and condensates with different carbon numbers of the n-alkanes in the Kekeya Field indicate that the crude oils have experienced several kinds of secondary alterations, which were closely related to the charging of gaseous hydrocarbons after petroleum accumulation. These results indicate that, based on the research of δ ¹³C values of individual hydrocarbons, heptane values and isoheptane values of light hydrocarbons and aromatic maturity parameters for oils, condensates and natural gases, oils and gases were charged at different geological time in the Kekeya Field.     

Potential petroleum sources and exploration directions around the Manjar Sag in the Tarim Basin

Since the discovery of the Tahe oilfield, it has been controversial on whether the main source rock is in the Cambrian or Middle-Upper Ordovician strata. In this paper, it is assumed that the crude oil from the Wells YM 2 and TD 2 was derived from the Middle-Upper Ordovician and Cambrian source rocks, respectively. We analyzed the biomarkers of the crude oil, asphalt-adsorbed hydrocarbon and saturated hydrocarbon in bitumen inclusions from the Lunnan and Hade areas in the North Uplift of the Tarim Basin. Results show that the ratios of tricyclic terpane C₂₁/C₂₃ in the crude oil, asphalt-adsorbed hydrocarbon and saturated hydrocarbon in bitumen inclusions are less than 1.0, indicating that they might be from Upper Ordovician source rocks; the ratios of C₂₈/(C₂₇+C₂₈+C₂₉) steranes in the saturated hydrocarbon from reservoir bitumen and bitumen inclusions are higher than 25, suggesting that they might come from the Cambrian source rocks, however, the ratios of C₂₈/(C₂₇+C₂₈+C₂₉) steranes in oil from the North Uplift are less than 25, suggesting that they might be sourced from the Upper Ordovician source rocks. These findings demonstrate that the sources of crude oil in the Tarim Basin are complicated. The chemical composition and carbon isotopes of Ordovician reservoired oil in the Tarim Basin indicated that the crude oil in the North Uplift (including the Tahe oilfield) and Tazhong Depression was within mixture areas of crude oil from the Wells YM 2 and TD 2 as the end members of the Cambrian and Middle-Upper Ordovician sourced oils, respectively. This observation suggests that the crude oil in the Ordovician strata is a mixture of oils from the Cambrian and Ordovician source rocks, with increasing contribution from the Cambrian source rocks from the southern slope of the North Uplift to northern slope of the Central Uplift of the Tarim Basin. Considering the lithology and sedimentary facies data, the spatial distribution of the Cambrian, Middle-Lower Ordovician and Upper Ordovician source rocks was reconstructed on the basis of seismic reflection characteristics, and high-quality source rocks were revealed to be mainly located in the slope belt of the basin and were longitudinally developed over the maximum flooding surface during the progressive-regressive cycle. Affected by the transformation of the tectonic framework in the basin, the overlays of source rocks in different regions are different and the distribution of oil and gas was determined by the initial basin sedimentary structure and later reformation process. The northern slope of the Central Uplift-Shuntuo-Gucheng areas would be a recent important target for oil and gas exploration, since they have been near the slope area for a long time.     

利用自然电位与自然伽马测井曲线划分沉积相带及储层分布

自然电位、自然伽马测井曲线形态和特征与沉积相带及其储集砂体关系密切,它们对不同岩性地层特征响应十分敏感.利用自然伽马、自然电位同步减小的较大幅度评价识别渗砂层,指示划分水下分流河道主体沉积微相带;利用自然伽马、自然电位减小的幅度差评价识别低渗砂、致密砂层,指示划分水下分流河道堤泛(侧翼)沉积微相带;并以自然电位比自然伽马减小幅度的相对细小差异识别油水层.在安塞油田沿河湾地区长6自然伽马、自然电位曲线划分沉积相带及储层的应用中,建立了自然伽马、自然电位划分储层的下限标准,有效地评价了特低渗透储层沉积微相带及储层类型,提高和扩大了测井曲线的应用及效果.     

The effects of biodegradation on the compositions of aromatic hydrocarbons and maturity indicators in biodegraded oils from Liaohe Basin

By the aid of GC-MS technique, a series of sequentially biodegraded oils from Liaohe Basin have been analyzed. The results show that the concentrations and relative compositions of various aromatic compounds in the biodegraded crude oils will change with increasing biodegradation degree. The concentrations of alkyl naphthalenes, alkyl phenanthrenes, alkyl dibenzothiophene are decreased, and the concentration of triaromatic steroids will increase with increasing biodegradation degree in biodegraded oils. Those phenomena indicate that various aromatic compounds are more easily biodegraded by bacteria like other kinds of hydrocarbons such as alkanes, but different series of aromatic compounds have a varied ability to resistant to biodegradation. The ratios of dibenzothiophene to phenenthrene (DBTH/P) and methyl dibenzothiophene to methyl phenanthrene (MDBTH/MP) are related to the features of depositional environment for source rocks such as redox and ancient salinity. However, in biodegraded oils, the two ratios increase quickly with the increase of the biodegradation degree, indicating that they have lost their geochemical significance. In this case, they could not be used to evaluate the features of depositional environment. Methyl phenanthrene index, methyl phenanthrene ratio and methyl dibenzoyhiophene ratio are useful aromatic maturity indicators for the crude oils and the source rocks without vitrinite. But for biodegraded oils, those aromatic maturity indicators will be affected by biodegradation and decrease with the increase of the biodegradation degree. Therefore, those aromatic molecular maturity indicators could not be used for biodegraded oils.     

Hydrogen isotope composition of natural gases from the Tarim Basin and its indication of depositional environments of the source rocks

By measuring carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions for C1, C2 and C3 of 74 gas samples, natural gases from the Tarim Basin can be divided into six groups on the basis of their origins: (1) coal-type gas derived from coal measures; (2) coal-type gas generated from the T-J lacustrine mudstones; (3) oil-type gas derived from the Cambrian and low Ordovician marine source rocks; (4) oil-type gas from the source rocks deposited in the marine-transitional facies; (5) mixing gas between gas derived from the Carboniferous transitional source rocks and the Mesozoic humic gas, and (6) mixing gases of thermal genetic gas and little deep gas in the Southwest depression of the Tarim Basin. The δ D values of methane in natural gases originating from different type kerogens are affected by both palaeo-environments of the source rock formation (kerogen types) and thermal maturity, with sedimentary environment (kerogen type) as the main controlling factor. Under the similar thermal maturity, the hydrogen isotope composition of methane is more enriched in deuterium in marine environments than lacustrine one. With the increase of thermal maturity and the increase of carbon atomic numbers of gaseous alkanes, the hydrogen isotopes become enriched in deuterium. The δ D values of ethane and propane (δ D2, δ D3) are controlled mainly by thermal maturity and to a lesser degree by sedimentary environment of the source rock formation. The partial reversal of hydrogen isotopes for gaseous alkanes would be related to the microbial oxidation, mixing of sapropelic and humic gases and / or mixing of gases from similar kerogen sources with various thermal maturities. In the oil-type gas, the sulfate reduction reaction would result in the reversed order of δ D1 and δ D2 (e.g. δ D1>δ D2).     

Central Asian aridification during the late Eocene to early Miocene inferred from preliminary study of shallow marine-eolian sedimentary rocks from northeastern Tajik Basin

The tempo-spatial development of the Cenozoic Asian aridification across the Eocene-Oligocene and its controlling factors are important scientific topics in Earth Sciences, which are pertinent to regional and global tectonic and climatic events. However, sedimentary rocks preserving the record of aridification during this time from central Asia (ACA) are rare. Here we present a preliminary analysis of sedimentary facies of the lower Paleogene in the northeastern Tajik Basin, which reveals that: the lower part of the studied section is dominated by shallow marine deposits of the Paratethys, the middle part is typical of alternations of eolian dune and fluvial deposits, the upper part is represented by eolian loess-sandy loess (L&SL) like facies, and the top exhibits alternations of fluvial-lacustrine and loess like facies. Based on a chronological framework derived from preliminary magnetostratigraphy, published U-Pb dating of a volcanic ash, and regional litho-stratigraphic correlations, we determine that eolian and L&SL facies accumulated in the northeastern Tajik Basin during the Late Eocene and through most of the Oligocene. These sedimentary units indicate that semi-arid to arid environments of ACA had developed at least since the late Eocene. This initial aridification is closely linked to the westward retreat of the Paratethys that was likely driven by a combination of tectonic activity and sea level changes.     

Reply to comments of R. Løvlie and T. Torsvik concerning “bioturbation: minimal effects on the magnetic fabric of some natural and experimental sediments”

The evolution of organic matter, silicate and fluid phases in cover units of the three structural zones of the Vanoise area allows one to distinguish differentP-T cooling paths. These paths depend on whether the cover has been transported (western and northern Vanoise) or not (southern Vanoise). All units first underwent a common high-pressure, low-temperature (HP-LT) metamorphic stage (300°C; 6 kbar) of blueschist type (Fe/Mg carpholite-chloritoid facies). The cover units transported on the extermal, colder zone (coal measure series metamorphosed in albite-chlorite facies), preserved their HP mineralogy (Fe/Mg carpholite, lawsonite) and organic matter content (oils, wet gases and kerogen) while the unit which remained in contact with its more thermally conductive basement (polymetamorphic) now shows extensive greenschist facies overprinting (breakdown of Fe/Mg carpholite and lawsonite, appearance of chlorite, pyrophyllite, chloritoid and clinozoisite; absence of oils and wet gases). These two tectonic evolutions might serve as a more general model for the preservation of HP-LT mineral assemblages.     

Rare gas isotopic compositions in natural gases of Japan

Isotopic and elemental compositions of rare gases in various types of gas samples collected in the Japanese Islands were investigated. Excess³He was found in most samples. Many samples showed a regionally uniform high³He/⁴He ratio of about 7 times the atmospheric ratio. The He concentrations varied from 0.6 to 1800 ppm, and they were low in CO₂-rich gases and high in N₂-rich gases. Ne isotopic deviations from the atmospheric Ne were detected in most volcanic gases. The deviations and the elemental abundance patterns in volcanic gases can be explained by a mixing between two components, one is mass fractionated rare gases and the other is isotopically atmospheric and is enriched in heavy rare gas elements. Ar was a mixture of mass fractionated Ar, atmospheric Ar and radiogenic Ar, and the contribution of radiogenic⁴⁰Ar was small in all samples. Except for He, elemental abundance patterns were progressively enriched in the heavier rare gases relative to the atmosphere. Several samples were highly enriched in Kr and Xe relative to the abundance pattern of dissolution equilibrium of atmospheric rare gases in water. The component which is highly enriched in heavy rare gases may be released from sedimentary materials in the crust.     

Graphical representation of particle shape using triangular diagrams: an Excel spreadsheet method

Analysis of the shape of sedimentary particles can provide information about their transport history and aid facies differentiation and the characterization of depositional environments. Triangular (Sneed and Folk) diagrams, employing ratios of the three orthogonal particle axes, have been advocated as the most appropriate method for unbiased presentation of primary particle shape data. A spreadsheet method for the production of these diagrams is described. Clast data‐sets from a range of environments are presented using this method. An alternative use of the spreadsheet for the presentation of sedimentary fabric shape is suggested. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Facies architecture and Late Pliocene – Pleistocene evolution of a felsic volcanic island, Milos, Greece

The volcanic island of Milos, Greece, comprises an Upper Pliocene –Pleistocene, thick (up to 700 m), compositionally and texturally diverse succession of calc-alkaline, volcanic, and sedimentary rocks that record a transition from a relatively shallow but dominantly below-wave-base submarine setting to a subaerial one. The volcanic activity began at 2.66±0.07 Ma and has been more or less continuous since then. Subaerial emergence probably occurred at 1.44±0.08 Ma, in response to a combination of volcanic constructional processes and fault-controlled volcano-tectonic uplift. The architecture of the dominantly felsic-intermediate volcanic succession reflects contrasts in eruption style, proximity to source, depositional environment and emplacement processes. The juxtaposition of submarine and subaerial facies indicates that for part of the volcanic history, below-wave base to above-wave base, and shoaling to subaerial depositional environments coexisted in most areas. The volcanic facies architecture comprises interfingering proximal (near vent), medial and distal facies associations related to five main volcano types: (1) submarine felsic cryptodome-pumice cone volcanoes; (2) submarine dacitic and andesitic lava domes; (3) submarine-to-subaerial scoria cones; (4) submarine-to-subaerial dacitic and andesitic lava domes and (5) subaerial lava-pumice cone volcanoes. The volcanic facies are interbedded with a sedimentary facies association comprising sandstone and/or fossiliferous mudstone mainly derived from erosion of pre-existing volcanic deposits. The main facies associations are interpreted to have conformable, disconformable, and interfingering contacts, and there are no mappable angular unconformities or disconformities within the volcanic succession.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Nitrogen isotopic geochemical characteristics of crude oils in several basins of China

Nitrogen occupies a high content in crust and in atmospheric circle. It is one of the main elements in organism and an important element in sedimentary circle. Although nitrogen is little in crude oil, to a cer-tain degree, it influences the physical and chemical properties of oil, such as viscosity and density[1]. In reservoir the nitrogen-bearing compounds can form ion bonds or hydrogen bonds with substances on rock and form van der Vaals’ force among moleculae so they affect and alter the …     

Improved approaches to ecotoxicity testing of petroleum products

Crude oils produced in the North West shelf of Western Australia are highly volatile, a characteristic not shared by most of the Northern Hemisphere crude oils on which internationally accepted toxicity test protocols were developed. Because of this volatility and some other factors, the LC50 and EC50 values obtained from acute toxicity tests will be significantly affected by the changes of toxicant concentration in test solutions during the period of exposure. To address these issues all steps of a standard protocol for crude oil toxicity testing have been revised. A systematic study has been performed on factors which affect petroleum hydrocarbon solubilisation in aqueous systems during test solution preparations. The influence of mixing time, agitation energy and volume/interface ratio on a hydrocarbon concentration in a water-soluble fraction (WSF) was studied for heavy, medium and light crude oils. A study of the sensitivity of marine unicellular algae to WSF of crude oils was conducted with Isochrysis sp., Nannochloropsis-like sp. and Nitzchia closterium. Total concentrations of hydrocarbons dissolved in test solutions were estimated by UV-spectrometry and GC/FID chemical analyses. When the toxicant concentration decreased during the exposure period, the EC50 values derived from initial or final concentrations either underestimate or overestimate toxicity, respectively. Therefore, weighted average concentrations (WAC) calculated for the whole test period were recommended for expressing hydrocarbon concentrations in test solutions of crude oils. Toxicity indices calculated from WAC of total hydrocarbons for different crude oils can be compared regardless of the rates of hydrocarbon loss.