Compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis as a tool for correlating coal-sourced oils and interbedded shale-sourced oils in coal measures: an example from Turpan basin, north-western China

Molecular geochemical methods have shown that it is often difficult to differentiate between coal- and interbedded shale-sourced oils, even though coals and interbedded shales may exhibit considerable organic influx variation (e.g. land plant vs algal organic matter) due to the changes of depositional setting. However, compound-specific stable carbon isotopic compositions are sensitive to the source input variations. Typically, specific molecules are more depleted in ¹³C with increasing content of aqueous biota. This hypothesis is examined and exemplified by comparing the stable carbon isotopic ratios of n-alkanes from source rock extracts and related oils of the Turpan basin, north-western China. Stable carbon isotopic values of n-alkanes extracted from coals and interbedded shales show that δ¹³C values of n-alkanes with less than 20 carbon atoms vary only slightly. However, there are dramatic changes in the isotopic compositions of higher molecular weight n-alkanes. Furthermore, n-alkanes from coal extracts are enriched in ¹³C relative to that of interbedded shales with excursions up to 2–3‰. This comparison enables the differentiation of coal- and interbedded shale-sourced oils, and provides information useful in assessing the hydrocarbon system of a basin.