FOSSIL RESIN BIOMARKERS AND THEIR APPLICATION IN OIL TO SOURCE-ROCK CORRELATION, GIPPSLAND BASIN, AUSTRALIA

Abstract

Diterpanes occur widely in the resins of modern conifers, suggesting that sedimentary diterpanes are chemical markers for fossil resins, particularly those derived from conifers. In this paper, the use of the relative abundance of these chemical fossils for establishing genetic relationships between the organic matter in sediments and crude oils has been demonstrated using sediments and crude oils from the Gippsland Basin.

The crude oils were characterised by their remarkably uniform distributions of diterpanes and similar relative amounts of diterpanes and hopanes. In contrast, the sediments showed much greater variability, with only one sediment horizon, an organic-rich shale, showing the same properties as the crude oils.