Molecular fossils and oil-source rock correlations in Tarim Basin, NW China

The distribution of "molecular fossils" (biomarkers) of steroid compounds in extracts from some specific geologic age in the Tarim Basin have been analyzed and are used as the fingerprints for the oil-source rock correlation. Having been affected by maturation, migration, phase fractionation and biodegradation, not any molecular fossils related to source and environment can be used as the fingerprints for oil-source rock correlation. Some special biomarkers widely existed in the extracts from Cambrian and Ordovician rocks in the Tarim Basin and showed obvious difference in each stratum, including dinosteranes (C30), 4-methyl-24-ethyl-cholestanes (C30) and their aromatized steroids, C24-norcholestanes and C28 steranes originated from dinoflagellates and diatom. Few oils such as the heavy oil drilled in the Cambrian reservoir from Tadong 2 well (TD2) correlated well with the extracts from the Cambrian. The amazing similarity of the relative contents of these compounds between the marine oils produced in Tazhong and Tabei uplifts and the extracts from the Upper Ordovician suggests that the Middle-Upper Ordovician is the very likely main source for the marine oils.