Abstract
Surface adsorbed gas surveys and geo-microbiological surveys are known techniques of petroleum exploration and aim towards risk reduction in exploration by way of identifying the areas warm with hydrocarbons and to establish intense exploration priorities amongst the identified warm areas. The present investigation aims to explore correlation between the adsorbed gas distribution pattern with the distribution of the counts of methane, ethane, propane and butane microbial oxidizers in the sub soil samples to establish the role of the latter in identifying the upward migration of hydrocarbons especially in the known petroliferous Krishna-Godavari Basin, India. A total of 135 soil samples were collected near oil and gas fields of Tatipaka, Pasarlapudi areas of Krishna Godavari Basin, Andhra Pradesh. The soil samples were collected from a depth of 2–2.5 m. The samples collected, were analyzed for indicator hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria, adsorbed light gaseous hydrocarbons and carbon isotopes (δ13Cmethane). The microbial prospecting studies showed the presence of high bacterial population for methane (3.94 × 105 cfu/gm), ethane (3.85 × 105 cfu/gm), propane (4.85 × 105 cfu/gm) and butane oxidizing bacteria (3.63 × 105 cfu/gm) in soil samples indicating microseepage of hydrocarbons. The light gaseous hydrocarbon analysis showed 83 ppb, 92 ppb, 134 ppb, 187 ppb and 316 ppb of C1, C2, C3, nC4 and nC5, respectively, and the carbon isotopic composition of δ13C1 of the samples ranged between − 36.6 ‰ to −22.7‰ (Pee Dee Belemnite) values, which presents convincing evidence that the adsorbed soil gases collected from these sediments are of thermogenic origin. Geo-microbial prospecting method and adsorbed soil gas and carbon isotope studies have shown good correlation with existing oil/ gas fields of K.G basin. Microbial surveys indicating microseepage of hydrocarbons can, therefore, independently precede other geochemical and geophysical surveys to delineate areas warm with hydrocarbons and mapped microbiological anomalies may provide focus for locales of hydrocarbon accumulation in the K.G basin.
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