A biomarker study to correlate oils and source rocks from the Carnarvon Basin

Summary

A novel application of recently discovered aromatic biomarkers has been used to characterise crude oils and their source rocks in a manner that enables genetic relationships to be recognised.

A detailed analysis of data from Upper Jurassic sediments from Koolinda-1 shows variations in the plant-type fingerprint that have been interpreted in terms of changes in the plant habitats associated with tectonic events and climatic change.

The plant fingerprints of 20 crude oils were determined and compared with the sediments from Koolinda-1, and a remarkable correlation was observed.

The project was continued in the project M0251.

Keywords: biomarkers, oil, source rock, principal component analysis, Carnarvon Basin