Prediction of source rock characteristics based on terpane biomarkers in crude oils: a multivariate statistical approach

Journal Article · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(87)90343-7· OSTI ID:7017385

Zumberge, J E

The distributions of eight tricyclic and eight pentacyclic terpanes were determined for 216 crude oils located worldwide with subsequent simultaneous RQ-mode factor analysis and stepwise discriminate analysis for the purpose of predicting source rock features or depositional environments. Five categories of source rock beds are evident: nearshore marine; deeper-water marine; lacustrine; phosphatic-rich source beds; and Ordovician age source rocks. The first two factors of the RQ-mode factor analysis describe 45 percent of the variation in the data set; the tricyclic terpanes appear to be twice as significant as pentacyclic terpanes in determining the variation among samples. Lacustrine oils are characterized by greater relative abundances of C/sub 21/ diterpane and gammacerane; nearshore marine sources by C/sub 19/ and C/sub 20/ diterpanes and oleanane; deeper-water marine facies by C/sub 24/ and C/sub 25/ tricyclic and C/sub 31/ plus C/sub 32/ extended hopanes; and Ordovician age oils by C/sub 27/ and C/sub 29/ pentacyclic terpanes. Although thermal maturity trends can be observed in factor space, the trends to do necessarily obscure the source rock interpretations. Also, since bacterial degradation of crude oils rarely affects tricyclic terpanes, biodegraded oils can be used in predicting source rock features. The precision to which source rock depositional environments are determined might be increased with the addition of other biomarker and stable isotope data using multivariate statistical techniques.

• Research Organization: Ruska Labs. Inc., Houston, TX (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7017385
• Journal Information: Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta; (United States), Vol. 51:6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
58 GEOSCIENCES
PETROLEUM
BIOLOGICAL MARKERS
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
SOURCE ROCKS
CARBON ISOTOPES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
HYDROCARBONS
ISOTOPE RATIO
MATURATION
ORDOVICIAN PERIOD
ORIGIN
CHEMISTRY
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
ISOTOPES
MINERAL RESOURCES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PALEOZOIC ERA
RESOURCES
023000* - Petroleum- Properties & Composition
020200 - Petroleum- Reserves
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580400 - Geochemistry- (-1989)