Geochemical and isotopic evidence for the age,orogenic setting and petrogenesis of the Nychum Volcanic association,North Queensland

Rb‐Sr and K‐Ar age determinations agree with palaeobotanical evidence in assigning an age of 270 Ma (Lower Permian) to the Nychum Volcanics, North Queensland. Geological and geochemical evidence (moderate ‐REE, La/Yb, Th, Zr/Y, Hf/Yb, Sc/Ni) indicate that the volcanics were erupted on a thin, active continental margin. Five magma groups are present: high‐alumina basalts, andesite‐dacites, acid rocks, tholeiitic andesites, and pitchstone with a high La/Yb ratio. The high‐alumina basalts and calc‐alkaline andesites have a parent‐daughter (source rock‐partial melt) relationship. The acid rocks share high HREE, Zr, Hf, Zn, Sc, Fe/Mg and low Al with, and may be fractionated from, the tholeiitic subduction‐zone andesites. Low‐pressure fractional crystallisation is evident in all five magma groups.     

Source of the River Shannon,Ireland

The Shannon is the longest river in the British Isles (280 km) and drains an area of about 15,530 km². The source of the river is Shannon Pot, a karst rising in County Cavan, which is one of the most famous springs in Ireland. Water tracer experiments have shown that the rising drains an immediate area of about 12.8 km² on the slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain, of which about 60% is underlain by limestone. However, two sinks 10–11 km east of the rising and ca. 200 m higher have also been shown to be hydrologically connected during high flow conditions. This suggests that Shannon Pot may once have had a substantially larger catchment area.     

A new palaeoenvironmental model for the evolution of the Byzovaya Palaeolithic site,northern Russia

Recently, the sediment stratigraphy and geochronology of the well‐known Palaeolithic site Byzovaya in northern Russia were investigated. New technological analyses of the artefacts suggest a Middle Palaeolithic Mousterian culture, and occupation by Neanderthals, not Modern humans as previously thought. We present here a new and detailed documentation of the stratigraphy, including the geological context of the artefacts and faunal remains. From sedimentological criteria we confidently interpret the find‐bearing strata as debris‐flow deposits, covered by aeolian sediments. The chronology is based on radiocarbon and luminescence (OSL) dates from the find‐bearing and overlying strata. The results are utilized to reconstruct the geological history at the excavation area. The stratigraphy varies considerably across the excavation area. The most intact and undisturbed part of the sequence was found inside the most recent Excavation II. In this part the artefacts and bones appear to have been permanently sealed and protected by aeolian sand. The older Excavation I shows a more complicated stratigraphy, as the finds may have been temporarily exposed during the early Holocene owing to ravine incision and slumping activity. The individual radiocarbon dates that were collected from different parts of the site and from various stratigraphic positions are re‐investigated in this study. By using Bayesian statistics the conclusion is that the site was occupied during a restricted period around 30.6–34.7 ka. A series of partly unpublished OSL dates of coversand from different sites demonstrates a regional aeolian signal during the Lateglacial in northern Russia, 15–14 ka.     

The petrology of some volcanic rocks from the British Tertiary province: The islands of Rhum,Eigg, Canna,and Muck

On Rhum, Eigg, Canna and Muck Tertiary volcanics rest upon a Mesozoic or Pre-Mesozoic basement. Aphyric, olivine-phyric, and plagioclase-phyric basalts are recognized. The aphyric basalts are mildly alkaline or transitional types with either a few percent normative nepheline or normative hypersthene. They have anomalously low concentrations of Rb, Sr and K₂O compared to Tertiary tholeiites from the same province.Aphyric hawaiites, and mugearties are found on all the islands, but are particularly abundant on Rhum. The volcanics from Bloodstone Hill, Rhum, originally described as mugearites are anomalous in that they are quartz normative and contain both augite and hypersthene, in contrast to the normal one-pyroxene rocks of the alkali basalt-trachyte association (Muir and Tilley, 1961). These volcanics have closer affinities to the icelandites, the presence of basic plagioclase xenocrysts suggesting an hybrid origin.Olivine and plagioclase are involved in the low-pressure fractionation of the transitional basalts, whereas pyroxene and titanomagnetie play only minor roles. Consequently, the suppression of titanomagnetite crystallization results in an initial trend towards iron enrichment. The presence of both oversaturated and undersaturated derivitives following the hawaiite stage of differentiation, reflects variation in the amount of extracted pyroxene and titanomagnetite.Felsites and pitchstones intrude the volcanic pile on Eigg. The felsites carry corroded quartz crystals and rare alkali feldspar. The more crystal rich pitchstones generally contain augite, hypersthene, zoned plagioclase and titanomagnetite. One from Rudh an Tancaird contains alkali feldspar, titanomagnetite and ferrohedenbergite.Whole rock analyses and microprobe analyses of feldspars and pyroxenes indicate that the acid volcanics are not genetically related to the basalt-hawaiite-mugearite lineage. The felsites appear to have been derived from Torridonian arkose by partial melting, but the pitchstones could only be derived by anatexis of Lewisian gneiss basement (see Dunham, 1968) substantially more basic than that outcropping on Rhum.It is suggested that the low concentrations of Rb, Sr, and K₂O in the alkaline and transitional basalts, mitigates against extensive pre-eruptive differentiation. Possibly the basalts could have been derived by partial melting of a mantle depleted in these elements.     

The Loch Lomond Readvance on north Arran,Scotland: glacier reconstruction and palaeoclimatic implications

Geomorphological mapping of northern Arran provides evidence for two advances of locally nourished glaciers, the younger being attributable to the Loch Lomond Stade (LLS) of ca. 12.9–11.5 k yr BP, primarily through the mutually exclusive relationship between glacial limits and Lateglacial periglacial features. The age of the earlier advance is unknown. Inferred LLS glacier cover comprised two small icefields and eight small corrie or valley glaciers and totalled 11.1 km². ELAs reconstructed using area–altitude balance ratio methods range from 268 m to 631 m for individual glaciers, with an area‐weighted mean ELA of 371 m. ELAs of individual glaciers are strongly related to snow‐contributing areas. The area‐weighted mean ELA is consistent with a north–south decline in LLS ELAs along the west coast of Great Britain. This decline has an average latitudinal gradient of 70 m 100 km^?1, equivalent to a mean southwards ablation‐season temperature increase of ca. 0.42°C 100 km^?1. Mean June–August temperatures at the regional climatic ELA, estimated from chironomid assemblages in SE Scotland, lay between 5.7 ± 0.1°C and 4.1 ± 0.2°C. Empirical relationships between temperature and precipitation at modern glacier ELAs indicate equivalent mean annual precipitation at the ELA lay between 2002 ± 490 mm and 2615 ± 449 mm. These figures suggest that stadial precipitation on Arran fell within a range between +8% and ?33% of present mean annual precipitation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pilot study experiments sourcing quartzite,Gunnison Basin,Colorado

This paper reports the results of pilot‐study efforts to develop methods to profile quartzite, a rock type to which geochemical and other sourcing techniques have only rarely been applied. The long‐term goal of the research is to fingerprint sources of quartzite in the Gunnison Basin, southwest Colorado, used by Paleoindian people ca. 11,500–8,000 years ago to make stone tools. Success would facilitate reconstruction of Paleoindian mobility in the Southern Rocky Mountains and potentially anywhere prehistoric people used quartzite. The goals of this paper are more modest: to demonstrate that a small‐scale exploration of sourcing techniques suggests reason for optimism that quartzites may be amenable to source discrimination. For the same twenty Gunnison Basin quartzite samples, this study evaluated petrography, ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF), wavelength dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (WD‐XRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry—both acid‐digestion (AD‐ICP‐MS) and laser ablation (LA‐ICP‐MS)—as means to differentiate among the specimens and the sources they represent. Although more testing is needed to verify and refine our results, the study suggests there is potential for petrography, INAA, and both versions of ICP‐MS to discriminate among quartzites from different source localities in the Gunnison Basin. The greatest potential for discriminating among different sources of quartzite in the Gunnison Basin may lie in a methodology combining petrographic analysis and LA‐ICPMS. Future testing is required to evaluate this two‐fold approach. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dating Palaeolithic sites in southwestern Crete,Greece

Discussions of dispersals of early hominins from Africa assume that Southwest Asia and the Arabian Peninsula were the primary passageways for migrations to Eurasia. The Mediterranean is usually viewed as a barrier to early hominin movements because pre‐sapiens hominins were thought to lack the technical means or the cognitive skills to construct boats. The discovery of early Palaeolithic artefacts in an archaeological survey on the Greek island of Crete challenges this view. Here we show that Palaeolithic artefacts in the Plakias region in southwestern Crete are associated with geological contexts that can be dated to the late Middle or early Late Pleistocene. Because Crete has been separated from the mainland throughout the Pleistocene, the presence of Pleistocene age artefacts there suggests that early hominins were able to cross open water. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accumulation and Reformation of Silurian Reservoir in the Northern Tarim Basin

Silurian sandstone in Tarim Basin has good reservoir properties and active oil and gas shows, especially thick widely-distributed bituminous sandstone. Currently, the Silurian was found containing both bitumen and conventional reservoirs, with petroleum originating from terrestrial and marine source rocks. The diversity of their distribution was the result of "three sources, three stages" accumulation and adjustment processes. "Three sources" refers to two sets of marine rocks in Cambrian and Middle-Upper Ordovician, and a set of terrestrial rock formed in Triassic in the Kuqa depression. "Three stages" represents three stages of accumulation, adjustment and reformation occurring in Late Caledonian, Late Hercynian and Late Himalayan, respectively. The study suggests that the Silurian bitumen is remnants of oil generated from Cambrian and Ordovician source rocks and accumulated in the sandstone reservoir during Late Caledonian-Early Hercynian and Late Hercynian stages, and then damaged by the subsequent two stages of tectonic uplift movements in Early Hercynian and Pre-Triassic. The authors presumed that the primary paleo-reservoirs formed during these two stages might be preserved in the Silurian in the southern deep part of the Tabei area. Except for the Yingmaili area where the Triassic terrestrial oil was from the Kuqa Depression during Late Himalayan Stage, all movable oil reservoirs originated from marine sources. They were secondary accumulations from underlying Ordovician after structure reverse during the Yanshan-Himalayan stage. Oil/gas shows mixed-source characteristics, and was mainly from Middle-Upper Ordovician. The complexity and diversity of the Silurian marine primary properties were just defined by these three stages of oil-gas charging and tectonic movements in the Tabei area.     

Some tectonic implications of sandstone petrofacies in the Coffs Harbour Association,New England Orogen,New South Wales

The Coffs Harbour Association, New England Orogen, consists of thick, monotonous units of Late Palaeozoic greywacke, laminated siltstone and mudstone, and massive argillite. The rocks of the association have a common provenance, being derived predominantly from a volcanic arc source consisting of mainly dacite, with minor andesite and rhyolite. The Coramba beds in the Coffs Harbour Block are divided into four petrofacies based on QFL data and the occurrence of detrital hornblende. Upwards, the petrofacies are: A—volcanolithic, B—feldspathic, C—horn‐blende‐feldspathic, D—hornblende‐volcanolithic. The petrofacies and vertical variation in non‐volcanic detritus indicate minor erosion and exposure of a non‐volcanic source, followed first by recommencement of volcanism, penecontemporaneously with sedimentation, then further erosion of the non‐volcanic source area. There was little temporal change in the character of volcanic detritus shed from the source area. Equivalents of the four petrofacies are recognised in other blocks of the association, although because of structural complexity, a complete A‐D sequence has not been found. The Coffs Harbour sandstones are similar to sands in modern ocean basins derived from an arc system of either continental margin or island arc type. The sandstones are not similar to recycled orogenic provenances, such as found in accretionary prisms or trench‐slope basins; the compositions suggest that the sandstones were deposited in either a forearc or backarc setting.     

Depositional and post‐depositional history of warm stage deposits at Knocknacran,Co. Monaghan,Ireland: implications for preservation of Irish last interglacial deposits

Organic‐rich deposits, uncovered during overburden removal from mantled gypsum karst at Knocknacran opencast gypsum mine, Co. Monaghan, are the best candidate to date for a last interglacial record in Ireland. The two till and organic‐rich deposits (preserved at different quarry elevations) were emplaced on to a Tertiary dolerite surface during high‐energy flood events and subsequently folded and faulted by movement towards sinkholes in underlying gypsum. Uranium–thorium disequilibrium dating suggests that the organic‐rich deposits in the upper section were hydrologically isolated at ca. 41 ka and those in the lower section at ca. 86 ka. Interpretation of the pollen content, although tentative because of the depositional and post‐depositional history of the material, suggests that the organic material originated in a warm stage possibly warmer than the post‐Eemian interstadials. The unusual setting of preservation may indicate that in situ, last interglacial deposits have generally been removed by erosion in Ireland. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stratigraphy of upper Viséan carbonate platform rocks in the Carlow area,southeast Ireland

The stratigraphy of the upper Viséan (Asbian to Brigantian) carbonate succession in southeast Ireland is revised on the basis of seven quarry and two borehole sections. Six lithological units have been distinguished, two units (units 1 and 2) in the upper Asbian Ballyadams Formation, and four units (units 4 to 6) in the Brigantian Clogrenan Formation (both formations are dated precisely using foraminiferans, calcareous algae and rugose corals). The boundary between the Ballyadams and Clogrenan formations is redefined 19 m below the horizon proposed by the Geological Survey of Ireland, and thus, lithological characteristics of both formations are redescribed. The upper part of the Ballyadams Formation is characterized by well‐developed large‐scale cyclicity, with common subaerial exposure surfaces. Fine‐ to medium‐grained thin‐bedded limestones with thin shales occur in the lower part of cycles, passing up into medium‐grained pale grey massive limestones in the upper part. The Clogrenan Formation is composed mainly of medium‐ to coarse‐grained thick limestone beds with variable presence of shales; but no large‐scale cyclicity. There is a decrease in the number of subaerial exposure surfaces towards the top of the formation and common chert nodules; macrofauna occurs mostly concentrated in bands. The six units recognized in the Carlow area are comparable with other units described for the same time interval (Asbian–Brigantian) from south and southwest Ireland, demonstrating the existence of a stable platform for most parts of southern Ireland, controlled principally by glacioeustatics. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Origin of Crude Oil in the Lunnan Region,Tarim Basin

<正>The oil source of the Tarim Basin has been controversial over a long time.This study characterizes the crude oil and investigates the oil sources in the Lunnan region,Tarim Basin by adopting compound specific isotopes of n-alkanes and biomarkers approaches.Although the crude oil has a good correlation with the Middle-Upper Ordovician(O_(2+3)) source rocks and a poor correlation with the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician((?)-O_1) based on biomarkers,theδ~(13)C data of n-alkanes of the Lunnan oils show an intermediate value between(?)-O_1 and O_(2+3) genetic affinity oils,which suggests that the Lunnan oils are actually of an extensively mixed source.A quantification of oil mixing was performed and the results show that the contribution of the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks ranges from 11%to 70%(averaging 36%),slightly less than that of the Tazhong uplift.It is suggested that the inconsistency between the biomarkers andδ~(13)C in determining the oil sources in the Lunnan Region results from multiple petroleum charge episodes with different chemical components in one or more episode(s) and different sources.The widespread marine mixed-source oil in the basin indicates that significant petroleum potential in deep horizons is possible.To unravel hydrocarbons accumulation mechanisms for the Lunnan oils is crucial to further petroleum exploration and exploitation in the region.     

A precisely‐dated lake‐level rise marked by diatomite formation in northeastern Ireland

The intercorrelation of palaeoclimate events from various studies is often hindered by a lack of precise chronological control. Tephra isochrons can overcome this problem by providing direct site linkages. This paper outlines a study of Holocene peat and diatomite deposits that accumulated within the floodplain of Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland. The Icelandic Hekla 4 tephra has been identified at the base of diatomite deposits at a number of sites and provides firm dating evidence for a widespread flooding event in the area at ca. 2300 BC . The evidence is consistent with other studies in Ireland and elsewhere for increased wetness at this time. The results demonstrate that the terrestrial deposits around Lough Neagh contain an important record of Holocene lake‐level change. Dendrochronological evidence from the Lough Neagh area provides additional information about lake‐level fluctuations over the past two millennia. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The geochemistry of Dinantian volcanism in south Kintyre and the evidence for provincialism in the southern Scottish mantle

Scottish Dinantian transitional to mildly alkaline volcanism is represented by abundant outcrops in the Midland Valley, Southern Uplands and Highlands provinces. Dinantian volcanic rocks from Kintyre in the Scottish Highlands range in composition from basalt through basaltic hawaiite, hawaiite, mugearite and benmoreite to trachyte, the compositions of the evolved types being largely due to differentiation from the basaltic parents.Recent geochemical investigations of Scottish Caledonian granitoids, Siluro-Devonian Old Red Sandstone (ORS) lavas and xenolith suites from numerous vents and dykes of Permo-Carboniferous to Tertiary age have revealed that the Scottish crust and upper mantle both increase in age and are increasingly enriched in incompatible elements towards the north and northwest. The upper mantle and lower crust below the Highlands province are therefore largely considered to be more enriched and in parts older than those below the Midland Valley and Southern Uplands. Dinantian alkali basalts from these latter two provinces have Nd values predominantly in the range +3 to +6, initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of 0.7029–0.7041 and ²⁰⁷Pb/ ²⁰⁴Pb values of 15.48–15.60. However, similar basalts from Kintyre and Arran in the Highlands have lower Nd (+0.1 to +3.4) and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb (for given ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios; 15.49–15.51) and slightly higher ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7033–0.7046). This regional variation correlates well with the differences seen between Midland Valley and Highland magmas in the ORS calc-alkaline suite (Thirlwall 1986) and it is suggested that both the ORS and Dinantian basic rocks are derived from similar types of mantle, although no lithospheric slab component is present in the later Dinantian suites. Isotopically-distinct portions of mantle therefore appear to have been present below the Highland and Midland Valley-Southern Upland provinces from at least Caledonian to Carboniferous times. The combined incompatible element and Sr-Nd-Pd isotopic evidence from Kintyre and Arran basaltic rocks does not allow unequivocal distinction between a lithospheric mantle and a sublithospheric mantle source. The observed correlation between isotopic composition of Dinantian basalts and the chemical composition of the lithosphere, together with the apparent involvement of long-term separated source reservoirs suggests that Kintyre and Arran lavas were derived largely from a lithospheric mantle source. On the other hand, the isotopic enrichment of Kintyre basaltic rocks is not extreme; trace element and isotopic compositions are still comparable to modem OIB. Sublithospheric mantle could therefore also be a viable source for Kintyre and Arran Dinantian volcanism.     

Isotopic Evidence for Long‐Distance Mammal Procurement,Chaco Canyon,New Mexico,USA

Previous research on the prehistoric communities of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico (ca. A.D. 800–1250) provides evidence of an extensive procurement system of nonlocal food and economic goods. In this paper, we use oxygen and strontium isotope analyses to establish whether animal protein followed a similar pattern. We contextualized our isotopic analyses of the archaeofaunas from recent excavations at Pueblo Bonito with data on modern faunas across an area of approximately 100,000 km² around the site. Our results show that most archaeological deer, rabbits, and prairie dogs were obtained from >40 km away from Pueblo Bonito with the latter two likely being garden hunted. The Chuska Mountains west of Chaco Canyon and more distant San Juan Mountains to the north were the main source areas. These results closely align with previous results on architectural wood, corn, and other key resources. The importation of small game animals suggests that the local supplies could not meet the needs of the community. Long‐distance meat procurement may have been embedded within a more complex network of ritual‐goods exchange or tribute that helped to offset the transport costs. Resource depletion may have contributed to the eventual abandonment of the region during the Medieval Warm Period.     

Identification and origin of bitumen in Neolithic artefacts from Demirköy Höyük (8100 BC): Comparison with oil seeps and crude oils from southeastern Turkey

Two ring-like artefacts from the aceramic Neolithic site of Demirköy Höyük in southeastern Turkey were analysed using geochemical techniques in order to determine whether they were prepared using a bitumen amalgam or not. The artefacts, dated 8100 BC, are early evidence of the innovative use of a petroleum-based material to prepare pieces of ornaments (beads, rings, etc.) for the elite of a Neolithic settlement. In order to trace the source of the presumed bitumen, two oil seeps, Boğazköy and Yeşilli, were sampled. To complete the genetic references, geochemical data on crude oils from the main oil fields from the area were compiled.Basic geochemical data show that bitumen is present in the artefacts. Sterane and terpane patterns, as well as carbon isotopic data on C₁₅₊ saturated and C₁₅₊ aromatic hydrocarbons, allowed us to conclude that the Demirköy Höyük bitumen and the Boğazköy oil seep were generated from a Silurian source rock. The detailed geochemical characteristics show, however, that the Demirköy Höyük bitumen does not correlate perfectly with the Boğazköy oil. This discrepancy suggests several explanations: the real bitumen source may be elsewhere in the vicinity and has not been discovered or was at the Boğazköy oil seep location but with slightly different properties in Neolithic times, or has disappeared. Another possibility is that the slight molecular differences are due to weathering effects, which affected the pristine bitumen within the archaeological sample.     

A comparison of the lead phosphates from the Oxidised Zone,broken hill ore body,with those of some other Australian localities

A method of using the X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer has been adopted for the analyses of lead phosphates, and eight samples of phosphates from Broken Hill and three from the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, were analysed by this means. Of these, five were found to be mimetite and six pyromorphite, several being rich in calcium. Dividing the sources into geochemical areas we find that the specimens from Broken Hill have no vanadium and a low alkaline metal earth content while those from the Flinders Ranges have a small, but noticeable vanadium content and high alkaline metal earth content. A poorer X‐ray diffraction fit of a calcium‐rich mimetite to the hexagonal structure indicates that the monoclinic structure could be of more importance in the members of this composition.     

A survey of the inorganic chemistry of bottled mineral waters from the British Isles

The inorganic chemistry of 85 samples of bottled natural mineral waters and spring waters has been investigated from 67 sources across the British Isles (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland). Sources include boreholes, springs and wells. Waters are from a diverse range of aquifer lithologies and are disproportionately derived from comparatively minor aquifers, the most represented being Lower Palaeozoic (10 sources), Devonian Sandstone (10 sources) and Carboniferous Limestone (9 sources). The waters show correspondingly variable major-ion compositions, ranging from Ca–HCO₃, through mixed-cation–mixed-anion to Na–HCO₃ types. Concentrations of total dissolved solids are mostly low to very low (range 58–800 mg/L). All samples analysed in the study had concentrations of inorganic constituents well within the limits for compliance with European and national standards for bottled waters. Concentrations of NO₃–N reached up to half the limit of 11.3 mg/L, although 62% of samples had concentrations <1 mg/L. Concentrations of Ba were high (up to 1010 μg/L) in two spring water samples. Such concentrations would have been non-compliant had they been classed as natural mineral waters, although no limit exists for Ba in European bottled spring water. In addition, though no European limit exists for U in bottled water, should a limit commensurate with the current WHO provisional guideline value for U in drinking water (15 μg/L) be introduced in the future, a small number of groundwater sources would have concentrations close to this value. Two sources had groundwater U concentrations > 10 μg/L, both being from the Welsh Devonian Sandstone. The highest observed U concentration was 13.6 μg/L.     

Characteristics of Oil Sources from the Chepaizi Swell,Junggar Basin,China

<正>So far there has been no common opinion on oil source of the Chepaizi swell in the Junggar Basin.Therefore,it is difficult to determine the pathway system and trend of hydrocarbon migration, and this resulted in difficulties in study of oil-gas accumulation patterns.In this paper,study of nitrogen compounds distribution in oils from Chepaizi was carried out in order to classify source rocks of oils stored in different reservoirs in the study area.Then,migration characteristics of oils from the same source were investigated by using nitrogen compounds parameters.The results of nitrogen compounds in a group of oil/oil sand samples from the same source indicate that the oils trapped in the Chepaizi swell experienced an obvious vertical migration.With increasing migration distance,amounts and indices of carbazoles have a regular changing pattern(in a fine linear relationship).By using nitrogen compounds techniques,the analyzed oil/oil sand samples of Chepaizi can be classified into two groups.One is the samples stored in reservoir beds of the Cretaceous and Tertiary,and these oils came from mainly Jurassic source rock with a small amount of Cretaceous rock;the other is those stored in the Jurassic,Permian and Carboniferous beds,and they originated from the Permian source.In addition,a sample of oil from an upper Jurassic reservoir(Well Ka 6), which was generated from Jurassic coal source rock,has a totally different nitrogen compound distribution from those of the above-mentioned two groups of samples,which were generated from mudstone sources.Because of influence from fractionation of oil migration,amounts and ratios of nitrogen compounds with different structures and polarities change regularly with increasing migrating distance,and as a result the samples with the same source follow a good linear relationship in content and ratio,while the oil samples of different sources have obviously different nitrogen compound distribution owing to different organic matter types of their source rocks.These conclusions of oil source study are identical with those obtained by other geochemical bio-markers. Therefore,nitrogen compounds are of great significance in oil type classification and oil/source correlation.