A geochemical investigation of crude oils from Eastern Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea

Abstract

A thorough petroleum exploration of the Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB), South China Sea, began in 1983. At present, several oilfields have been found in the PRMB, mainly distributed in Dongsha Massif, Huizhou and Xijiang Depressions as well as Huilu Lowhigh, and one of them has been developed recently. The crude oils found in the basin can be classified into two types. One is normal waxy type, and the other is cyclic type, which may be caused by minor biodegration and is restricted to the Liuhua District of Dongsha Massif. However, on the basis of geochemical characteristics, all the crude oils are thermally mature, indicating that they are derived from source rocks which have entered the main oil generation period but their maturity is not high enough to reach the overmature stage. Moreover, in the biomarker distribution, the oils also share many similarities. Almost all the oils contain abundant C 30 4-methylsteranes with 24-ethyl side chain, ubiquitous oleanane and lower concentration of gammacerane, and possess high ratios of Ni/V, pristane to phytane and C 30 hopane over total C 29 steranes as well as high paraffin wax and low sulphur content, indicating that they originated from terrestrial organic matter deposited in lacustrine and marsh coal-forming environments. However, some characteristics resemble Brazilian offshore oils of salinewater lacustrine environment. The oils found in the PRMB can also be classified into three main genetic types based on the relative values of pristane over phytane ratio, C 29 sterane preference and the composition of the carbon isotope. Type I oils occurred in the Huizhou and the Xijiang Depressions and their adjacent Dongsha Massif. It has higher ratios of pristane to phytane (1.80–5.54 and 3.21 on the average scale) and heavier carbon isotopic composition, indicating that their source rocks contain much more abundant terrestrial higher plant input. Type II, encountered in Huilu Lowhigh and its bounding area of Dongsha Massif, has moderate ratios of pristane to phytane (1.78–2.94 and 2.39) and C 29 sterane similar to Type I. Type III is distributed in the Liuhua District of Dongsha Massif and has lower pristane to phytane ratios (ranging from 1.49 to 1.97), smaller C 29 sterane preference, higher C 30 4-methylsterane content and lighter carbon isotopic composition (less than −29%) even though they have undergone minor biodegration, implying that the source rocks of the oils are enriched with lacustrine organism input.