GEOCHEMICAL JOURNAL
Online ISSN : 1880-5973
Print ISSN : 0016-7002
ISSN-L : 0016-7002
Geochemical characteristics of high-maturity crude oils in the Xihu Depression, East China Sea Basin
Huiyuan XuDujie HouBing CaoXiaodong ChenTing Xu
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2016 Volume 50 Issue 2 Pages 163-178

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Abstract

Molecular compositions, isotopes and biomarkers were analyzed to evaluate organic matter source and generation of crude oils in the Xihu Depression. This study also focused on identifying coal and mudstone contribution to crude oil by using effective geochemical parameters. Compared to oil from mudstone, oil from coal appeared to have obviously heavier carbon isotopic values, higher concentrations of diterpenoids and phenanthrenes, and to exhibit C29 sterane predominance over C27 and C28 steranes. These factors imply input of organic matter by terrestrial higher plants. Selected samples from the Pinghu slope belt (PHSB) and Huangyan tectonic belt (HYTB) exhibited geochemical characteristics typical of a terrestrial oxidizing depositional environment, including high concentrations of diterpenoids, which implies pronounced evidence of higher plant input to source facies. Despite the similarities between northern and southern Pinghu oil samples, biomarker parameters indicate greater levels of higher plant input to northern Pinghu oils than to southern Huangyan oils. The mudstone and coal contributions for hydrocarbons vary by facies and by generation-dependent parameters such as carbon isotope values, relative sterane concentrations, and gammacerane index values. Isotope and biomarker results show the genetic correlations and differences between the Pinghu and Huangyan oils in the Xihu Depression. The oils in the Pinghu and Huangyan fields likely originated from coals and mudstones, respectively.

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© 2016 by The Geochemical Society of Japan
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