Effects of biodegradation upon porphyrin biomarkers in Upper Mississippian tar sands and related oils, southern Oklahoma

Conference · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5944174

Michael, G E

Organic molecules present in oils which show a structural relationship to their biological precursors are referred to as biomarkers. These compounds are becoming widely used in oil exploration for making oil-oil, oil-source rock correlations and undertaking maturation and migration studies in basin analysis. Treibs first discovered the presence of porphyrins in oils, shales, and coals over 50 years ago. Porphyrins are predominantly derived from chlorophyll precursors present in plants and bacteria. Studies of changes in porphyrin distributions with increasing maturation due to the effects of increased time of burial and temperature have been performed. However, little is known as to how their distributions change with migration, biodegradation, or water washing of oils. In the present study, 16 tar sand samples were extracted from drill core at depths ranging from 16 to 256 ft obtained from a tar sand quarry in the Ardmore basin, Carter County, Oklahoma. Surrounding oil samples and possible source rocks have also been analyzed to determine the source of the oil in the tar sands. The effects of biodegradation on the porphyrin distributions can be discerned from the effects of migration and maturation by comparing other biomarker distributions within the sands, related oils, and suspected source rocks. Biodegradation of the tar sand samples can be observed within the alkane and other biomarker distributions. The relative effects of biodegradation on biomarkers such as alkanes, steranes, and terpanes have been well documented. By using this information, it is possible to determine the extent of biodegradation or water washing necessary to alter the porphyrin distributions.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman
• OSTI ID: 5944174
• Report Number(s): CONF-870606-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 71:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
BIODEGRADATION
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION VI
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
MATURATION
MINERAL RESOURCES
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SANDS
OKLAHOMA
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PALEOZOIC ERA
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PORPHYRINS
RESOURCES
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
USA