SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL
russian geology and geophysics

Founded in
January 1960		 Monthly Vol. 45, ¹ 7 July
2004
   

CONTENTS

 

Special Issue

PROBLEMS OF THE THEORY OF OIL FORMATION AND ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY

  
Preface. A.E. Kontorovich and V.A. Kashirtsev.............................................................................737
  

NAPHTHIDE GENESIS THEORY

  
Evolution of oil generation in the Earth's history. A.E. Kontorovich...................................................738
  
Geochemistry of aquabitumens. V.P. Danilova..............................................................................755
  
Possible control of size distribution of oil and gas fields. L.M. Burshtein..........................................768
  
ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY AND HYDROGEOCHEMISTRY OF THE WEST SIBERIAN
PETROLIFEROUS PROVINCE
  
Hydrochemical zoning of Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits of the West Siberian basin.
B.P. Stavitsky, A.R. Kurchikov, A.E. Kontorovich, and A.G. Plavnik................................................779
  
Maturity of organic matter and petroleum potential of Paleozoic deposits
in the West Siberian basin. A.N. Fomin........................................................................................786
  
Geochemistry and genesis of Paleozoic oils in southeastern West Siberia . E.A. Kostyreva.............794
  
Geochemistry and petroleum potential of organic matter of Triassic-Jurassic deposits in the North
Sos'va region ( West Siberia ). V.I. Moskvin, E.A. Kostyreva, M.A. Levchuk, A.N. Fomin, E.N. Ivanova,
and E.A.Zubova..........................................................................................................................805
  
Geochemistry of low-molecular C5-C8 hydrocarbons  in oils and condensates from West Siberia .
L.S. Borisova and E.A. Fursenko.................................................................................................813
  
Phenanthrenes, aromatic steranes, and dibenzothiophenes in Jurassic deposits of the West Siberian
petroleum province: implications for organic geochemistry. A.E. Kontorovich, V.N. Melenevsky,
E.N. Ivanova, and A.N. Fomin......................................................................................................824
  
Heterocyclic components of dispersed organic matter and oils from West Siberia . L.S. Borisova......835
  

ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE LENA-TUNGUSKA PETROLIFEROUS PROVINCE

  
Genetic families of Late Cambrian and Cambrian oils (naphthides) in the eastern Siberian Platform.
V.A. Kashirtsev..........................................................................................................................846
  
Geochemistry of organic matter of oil source rocks and oils from Upper Precambrian strata
of southern East Siberia . I.D. Timoshina......................................................................................852
  
Organic geochemistry of oil-producing rocks of the Cambrian Kuonamka Formation (eastern Siberian
Platform). T.M. Parfenova, S.F. Bakhturov, and Yu.Ya. Shabanov...................................................862
  
Comparative study of Neoproterozoic oils from the Arabian and Siberian Platforms. N.S. Kim............875
  
  
EVOLUTION OF OIL GENERATION IN THE EARTH'S HISTORY
  
A.E. Kontorovich
  

Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS, 3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia

  
     The study presents elements of the theory of oil generation in the Earth's history. Oil generation, assumed to be associated with organic lipids, is considered as related to the origin and chemical evolution of the biosphere and to the geodynamic and deposition histories of source rocks. The presented reconstruction outlines the Archean and Proterozoic evolution and biochemistry of organic matter and main biochemical changes in bacteria and plants. Two key events of life history caused critical influence on oil generation: (i) the onset of life and the biosphere in the Archean and (ii) the onset of land plants in the Late Paleozoic. Land plants provided a new type of organic matter, the source of oil, and expanded the scope of source rock facies and increased the scale of gas formation. Hydrocarbon generation evolved periodically in several intensity cycles correlated with the directed Earth's evolution.
     Biosphere, types of lithogenesis, cyclic phenomena, biochemistry of bacteria and plants
  
  
GEOCHEMISTRY OF AQUABITUMENS
  
V.P. Danilova
  

Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia

  
     The paper presents data on bitumens from formation waters in nonproductive areas or in nonproductive beds of productive areas (aquabitumens (AB) of group I) in the West Siberian petroleum basin, with a special focus on biomarker hydrocarbons (HC) free from biodegradation traces.The hydrocarbon composition of AB can be used to infer the genetic relations DOM HC -> AB HC -> oil HC, i.e., to find oil precursors. Therefore, this is direct evidence for the probability of the primary oil migration. The Bazhenov Formation is the main source of migrating AB in the West Siberian petroleum basin at the present stage of its history.Formation waters in West Siberia carry a significant amount of migrating oil and hydrocarbon gases. Taking into account numerous elisional water exchange cycles, these oil and gas, though strongly dispersed, might have been responsible for the proven oil and gas resources in the basin.The reported data shed light on some debatable issues of the sedimentation-migration theory of oil generation.
     Aquabitumen, group, family, hydrocarbons, biomarkers
  
  
POSSIBLE CONTROL OF SIZE DISTRIBUTIONOF OIL AND GAS FIELDS
  
L.M. Burshtein
  

Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia

  
     A new model simulates the size distribution of oil and gas fields in natural systems as a function of accumulation and dissipation rates described by equations with random parameters. The obtained model size distributions for large and largest oil and gas fields are approximated to a high accuracy by a truncated Pareto distribution. The conditions in which slowly dissipating fields predominate and most fields reach a steady state correspond to a ~ 2 power Pareto distribution. The distribution of actively forming or actively degrading fields is approximated by distribution with a power considerably below 2 (tested qualitatively against field data), and > 2 power represent the distribution of fields in poor conservation conditions. The percentage of small fields is lower in systems with a greater number of rapidly accumulating fields. If most fields in a system have high accumulation rates, their distribution can become no longer amodal in the observed domain.
     Oil and gas fields, size distribution, Pareto distribution, accumulation, dissipation
  
  
HYDROCHEMICAL ZONING OF JURASSIC AND CRETACEOUS DEPOSITS
OF THE WEST SIBERIAN BASIN
  
B.P. Stavitsky, A.R. Kurchikov, A.E. Kontorovich*, and A.G. Plavnik
  
West Siberian Affiliate of the Institute of Petroleum Geology, Siberian Branch of RAS,56 ul. Volodarskogo, Tyumen',
625000, Russia* Institute of Petroleum Geology, Siberian Branch of RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk ,
630090, Russia
  
     Information on composition of underground waters of the West Siberian basin has been systematized, and an electronic database has been made. Changes of water mineralization and contents of Ca, hydrocarbonate ion, Br, and I in them have been described. It has been shown that the waters are of infiltration and elision genesis, and their chemical composition is governed by interactions in the system water-rock-DOM. Some considerations on genesis and mechanisms of formation of water chemistry in separate parts of the basin are proposed.
     Underground waters, mineralization, chemical composition, West Siberian basin
  
  
MATURITY OF ORGANIC MATTER AND PETROLEUM POTENTIALOF PALEOZOIC
DEPOSITS IN THE WEST SIBERIAN BASIN
  
A.N. Fomin
  

Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia

  
     The paper reports a synthesis of organic petrographic data on the maturity of organic matter ( OM ) in Paleozoic sediments from 318 prospects in the West Siberian petroleum province. The maturity of organic matter in the top of the Paleozoic section varies in the range of MC2 - AC3 catagenic grades. Organic matter on the greatest part of the territory is altered to the AC grade. Petroleum potential is associated mostly with terrigenous-carbonate deposits in the Nyurol'ka basin in which organic matter reaches the MC2 grade. Deposits with MC31 -AC1 organic matter may contain gas pools. The theoretical results have been tested against field exploration data.
     Paleozoic deposits, maturity (catagenic grade) of organic matter, petroleum potential, West Siberia
  
  
GEOCHEMISTRY AND GENESIS OF PALEOZOIC OILS IN SOUTHEASTERN
WEST SIBERIA
  
E.A. Kostyreva
  

Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia

  
     Under consideration is geochemistry of Paleozoic oils and oil-producing rocks in southeastern West Siberia . It is shown that the Devonian deposits had a considerable initial potential of hydrocarbons but at present it is largely exhausted. Emphasis is placed upon the genesis of Paleozoic oils. To clarify it, we carried out a molecular-level comparative study of geochemistry of Paleozoic oils (from intra-Paleozoic horizons and petroliferous horizons of the Paleozoic-Mesozoic boundary zone) and dispersed organic matter from the Paleozoic deposits (chiefly, Devonian and Cambrian) and the Mesozoic bottom (Togur and Tyumen' Formations) of the southeastern West Siberian petroliferous province. Using the cluster analysis applied to the same diagnostic set of biomarker parameters, we subdivided the explored oils and bitumens into three families. Comparative analysis revealed genetic relationships between the families of oils and bitumens. It has been shown that the first family of oils and bitumens is genetically related to marine oil- and gas-producing sequences of Late Proterozoic age (cis-Yenisei zone) and Paleozoic age (interior of the West Siberian geosyneclise), the second family is polygenetic, and the third one is of continental genesis and is genetically related to the Lower-Middle Jurassic deposits accumulated in lacustrine, lacustrine-palustrine, and alluvium environments and resting on the Paleozoic deposits.
     Biomarker hydrocarbons, geochemistry, genesis, Paleozoic, Jurassic, oil, dispersed organic matter, bitumens
  
  
GEOCHEMISTRY AND PETROLEUM POTENTIALOF ORGANIC MATTER OF TRIASSIC
JURASSIC DEPOSITS IN THE NORTH SOS'VA REGION( West Siberia )
  
V.I. Moskvin, E.A. Kostyreva, M.A. Levchuk, A.N. Fomin, E.N. Ivanova, and E.A.Zubova
  

Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia

  
     Insoluble organic matter ( OM ) and bitumens of the Jurassic and Triassic deposits at the western margin of the West Siberian basin were examined for the first time at the molecular level. Biomarker hydrocarbons were studied in a wide range. It has been established that OM of the sea Danilovo Formation and continental Tol', Yany-Man', and Yatra Formations is of mixed nature, with remains of higher land vegetation playing a significant role. The remains are predominant in continental deposits. It has been shown that the organic matter in these sequences was not mature enough to initiate the mass primary migration of hydrocarbons.
     Oil formation, organic matter, biomarker hydrocarbons, bitumen, catagenesis, North Sos'va region, West Siberia
  
  
GEOCHEMISTRY OF LOW-MOLECULAR C5-C8 HYDROCARBONS IN OILS
AND CONDENSATES FROM WEST SIBERIA
  
L.S. Borisova and E.A. Fursenko
  
Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia
  
     We have first generalized data on the composition of low-molecular hydrocarbons in oils and condensates from the Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits of West Siberia and have recognized three genetic types of these petroleum products: (1) marine, genetically related to the oil-producing rocks of the Bazhenov Formation, (2) continental, generated, most likely, from the organic matter of the Lower-Middle Jurassic oil-producing rocks, and (3) mixed. We presented schematic maps of their localization in stratigraphic complexes and identified biodegraded oils and condensates localized in shallow-seated Aptian-Albian-Cenomanian and Berriasian-Hauterivian deposits with low formation temperatures. Vertical migration processes are shown to have played a great role in the formation of oil and gas pools in West Siberia .
     Oil, condensate, organic geochemistry, C5-C8 hydrocarbons, alkanes, isoprenoids, West Siberia
  
  
PHENANTHRENES, AROMATIC STERANES, AND DIBENZOTHIOPHENES
IN JURASSIC DEPOSITSOF THE WEST SIBERIAN PETROLEUM PROVINCE: IMPLICATIONS
FOR ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY
  
A.E. Kontorovich, V.N. Melenevsky, E.N. Ivanova, and A.N. Fomin
  
Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia
  
     Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry of bitumens in various facies of Jurassic rocks from the West Siberian petroleum province was applied to investigate the composition of phenanthrenes, mono- and triaromatic steranes, and sulfur-bearing dibenzothiophenes and their methyl homologs. Phenanthrenes and their methyl homologs form mostly in organic matter (OM) of land origin and phenanthrenes and aromatic steranes predominate in marine OM. Steroids of buried marine OM mostly transform into triaromatic steranes and those of terrestrial OM into monoaromatic steranes. The distribution of phenanthrenes, aromatic steranes, and dibenzothiophenes shows regular dependence on the maturity of organic matter.
     Phenanthrenes, monoaromatic steranes, triaromatic steranes, dibenzothiophenes, maturity and type of organic matter
  
  
HETEROCYCLIC COMPONENTS OF DISPERSED ORGANIC MATTER AND OILS
FROM WEST SIBERIA
  
L.S. Borisova
  
Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia
  
     The composition and structure of asphaltenes in oils and dispersed organic matter (DOM) from the Jurassic and Cretaceous deposits of West Siberia were studied by physical and physicochemical methods. The results obtained show that asphaltenes can be used to solve some theoretical and applied problems of oil and gas geology and geochemistry such as identifying oil source strata and revealing genetic relationship in the series DOM-organic matter (OM) of underground waters-oil. We have detected the same asphaltenes in aquagene DOM and oils and have established a genetic relationship between the asphaltenes of bitumens from underground waters and from coeval rock deposits. These asphaltenes can be used as a genetic indicator as they reflect the structure of OM genetically related to marine or terrestrial vegetation. The parameters of asphaltenes of aquagene and terrigene DOM are shown to change synchronously with the degree of catagenesis. Some aspects of oil sedimentation-migration theory are refined.
     Oil, dispersed organic matter, asphaltenes, kerogen, West Siberia
  
  
GENETIC FAMILIES OF LATE CAMBRIAN AND CAMBRIAN OILS (NAPHTHIDES)
IN THE EASTERN SIBERIAN PLATFORM
  
V.A. Kashirtsev
  
Institue of Oil and Gas Problems, Siberian Branch of the RAS,1 ul. Oktyabr'skaya, Yakutsk , 677891, Russia
  
     Two genetic families of “ancient” oils, the main currently prospected resources, are known on the Siberian Platform. The available information on organic geochemistry of naphthide deposits and syngenetically bituminized sequences in the east of the platform permits recognition of two additional genetical families to which rather large deposits of oil can be related.
     Sedimentary formations, naphthide formation, biomarker molecules, isotopic composition of hydrocarbons, Siberian Platform
  
  
GEOCHEMISTRY OF ORGANIC MATTER OF OIL SOURCE ROCKS AND OILS FROM
UPPER PRECAMBRIAN STRATAOF SOUTHERN EAST SIBERIA
  
I.D. Timoshina
  
Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia
  
     This paper is concerned with oils from Upper Precambrian and Lower Cambrian deposits of the Baikit, Katanga , and Nepa-Botuobiyan petroliferous areas (PA) and organic matter (OM) from the Upper Precambrian oil source formations of the Baikit PA, Yenisei Range , and Patom Upland. The studied oils are shown to be similar in some parameters to oils of the Huqf basin ( Oman ) and differ from oils of the McArthur basin ( Australia ), from some oils of Precambrian basins of the East European Platform, and from Phanerozoic oils. In southern East Siberia , oils are subdivided into two families according to their contents of sulfur and 12- and 13-methylalkanes, cholestane/ethylcholestane and Hh34/Hh35 homohopane ratios, and isotopic compositions of carbon. One family is localized in the Riphean deposits of the Baikit anteclise, and the other, in the Vendian and Lower Cambrian deposits of the Nepa-Botuobiyan anteclise and Katanga saddle. The existence of two oil families evidences different compositions, accumulation conditions, and diagenesis settings of OM in Riphean ecological niches on the Siberian craton.Study was also given to the OM of Upper Precambrian oil source formations in the Yenisei-Baikit and Baikal-Patom zones of naphthide generation, which might have been the source of modern hydrocarbon pools in the Baikit and Nepa-Botuobiyan anteclises. In zones of moderate catagenesis, the OM , like the Upper Proterozoic and Lower Cambrian oils of the central Lena-Tunguska PA, is enriched in 12C . Comparison of the compositions of steranes in oils from the Baikit PA and in few bitumen samples from the Shuntara, Madra, and Iremeken Formations of the Yenisei-Baikit zone of naphthide generation showed that these hydrocarbons are of different genesis. The deposits of the Yenisei-Baikit zone were intensely transformed under the thermal effect, which hampers study of their OM bitumens. Therefore, the conclusion about the absence of OM-oil relationship drawn for single samples cannot be extended to all thick strata of the Yenisei Range .
     Riphean, Vendian, oil, isotopic composition of carbon, biomarkers, East Siberia
  
  
ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY OF OIL-PRODUCING ROCKS OF THE CAMBRIAN
KUONAMKA FORMATION (eastern Siberian Platform)
  
T.M. Parfenova, S.F. Bakhturov, and Yu.Ya. Shabanov
  
Institute of Petroleum Geology , Siberian Branch of the RAS,3 prosp. Akad. Koptyuga, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia
  
     Applying modern analytical methods, we investigated organic matter from the Lower-Middle Cambrian rocks of the Kuonamka Formation in the eastern Siberian Platform. We divided the rocks into groups and subgroups according to the content of organic carbon and studied the contents and distribution of saturated biomarker hydrocarbons in them. The concentration of organic matter is shown to be correlated with the distribution of relic hydrocarbons. We also estimated the sedimentation conditions, petroleum potential, and catagenesis of black shales.
     Aquagene organic matter, bitumens, saturated biomarker hydrocarbons, oil-producing deposits, Cambrian, Siberian Platform
  
  
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NEOPROTEROZOIC OILS FROM THE ARABIAN
AND SIBERIAN PLATFORMS
  
N.S. Kim
  
Novosibirsk State University, 2 ul. Pirogova, Novosibirsk , 630090, Russia
  
     Ancient oils from East Siberia and southern Oman were analyzed for aliphatic biomarker hydrocarbons (n-alkanes, 12- and 13-methylalkanes, and aliphatic isoprenoids) and cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons of sterane and terpane series using gas-liquid chromatography and chromatography/mass spectrometry. For the terpane series, the abundances of hopanes, homohopanes, moretanes, and tri- and tetracyclic terpanes were studied. Based on the analytical data, the oil generation conditions and the composition of their initial organic matter have been established. All studied Proterozoic oils show a predominance of low-molecular n-alkanes, a pristane/phytane ratio of <1, high concentrations of 12- and 13-methylalkanes and tricyclic cheilanthanes, and a predominance of ethylcholestanes among the steranes. In the hopane series, C35 homohopane dominates over its C34 homologue. These oils are catagenetically mature. They formed, most likely, from planktonic and bacteriogenic shallow-sea organic matter buried in anoxic environment.
     Biomarker hydrocarbons, geochemistry, genesis, Neoproterozoic, oil, Arabian Platform, Siberian Platform