Abstract
Hydrothermal simulation experiments were performed with contemporary sediments from Lake Chapala to assess the source of the lake tars. The precursor-product relationships of the organic compounds were determined for the source sediments and their hydrous pyrolysis products. The pyrolysis products contained major unresolved complex mixtures of branched and cyclic hydrocarbons, low amounts of n-alkanes, dinosterane, gammacerane, and immature and mature hopane biomarkers derived from lacustrine biomass sources. The results support the proposal that the tar manifestations in the lake are not biodegraded petroleum, but were hydrothermally generated from lacustrine organic matter at temperatures not exceeding about 250 °C over brief geological times.
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