Hydrothermally derived petroleum: Examples from Guaymas basin, Gulf of California, and Escanaba Trough, northeast Pacific Ocean

Journal Article · Wed Feb 28 23:00:00 EST 1990 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA)

OSTI ID:6990121

Kvenvolden, K A ^[1]; Simoneit, B R.T. ^[2]

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1. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA (USA)
2. Oregon State Univ., Corvallis (USA)

In the Guaymas Basin, a spreading axis in the Gulf of California, petroleum having a wide range of compositions forms by hydrothermal alteration of organic matter in Quaternary sediment composed mainly of marine diatomaceous ooze and muddy turbidites. In Escanaba Trough, at the southern end of the Gorda Ridge spreading axis offshore northern California, petroleum is formed by hydrothermal processes acting on mainly terrigenous organic material in Quaternary turbiditic river-derived sediment. Comparisons of the distributions of hydrocarbons - n-alkanes, isoprenoids, terpanes, steranes, and aromatics - show that chemical differences among four petroleum samples are such that two samples from Guaymas Basin can be distinguished from two samples from Escanaba Trough. Distinguishing characteristics resulting from differences in sources include n-alkane distributions and certain sterane ratios; distinguishing characteristics resulting from differences in thermal histories of the organic matter include hopane and sterane epimer ratios and various distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These oils differ from conventionally derived petroleum in that they are admixtures of products generated over a wide range of thermal regimes, and their generation, expulsion, and migration occurred simultaneously over an instantaneous geological time period. The potential economic significance of hydrothermal derived petroleum is uncertain, but the fact that petroleum can form at active oceanic spreading axes adds a new facet to understanding the processes of petroleum generation, expulsion, and migration. 7 figs., 5 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6990121
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA), Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA) Vol. 74:3; ISSN AABUD; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
CENOZOIC ERA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GULF OF CALIFORNIA
HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION
LATIN AMERICA
MATURATION
MEXICO
MIGRATION
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC MATTER
PACIFIC OCEAN
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
QUATERNARY PERIOD
RESOURCES
SEAS
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SOURCE ROCKS
SURFACE WATERS