Tertiary deltaic and lacustrine organic facies: comparison of biomarker and kerogen distributions

Abstract

Biological marker and kerogen compositional data in Tertiary deltaic and lacustrine settings were compared and contrasted. The two settings are represented by (a) coals and organic-carbon-rich shales in a ick deltaic sequence from the Far East, constituting three distinct organic facies, and (b) humic coals and spropelic oil shales in a restricted intermontane (freshwater) lacustrine sequence from western Montana (U.S.A.), constituting two distinct organic facies. Wedistinguish the organic facies in each depositional setting by systematic differences in gross compound class distributions, kerogen and infrared spectral characteristics, molecular character of pyrolyzates, sterane carbon number distribution and sterane/hopane ratios. The kerogens of the three deltaic organic facies are characterized by varying quantities of vitrinite, resinite, sporinite, cutinite and fluorescent amorphinite. Triterpane distributions reveal numerous terrigenous compounds, including oleanane, oleanenes and unidentified C 30 (presumably) resin-derived components. The two organic facies of the freshwater lacustrine setting are distinguishedased upon either a vitrinite or an alganite/fluorescent amorphinite predominance in the kerogen. Numerous characteristics facies-related markers are also present, including dehydroabietane (land plant resins) and 4-methylsteranes (perhaps from freshwater dinoflagellate input). The available molecular and petrographic data are evaluated, and characteristics are proposed for distinguishing five organic facies of these two depositional settings. The successful simultaneous use of molecular geochemistry and organic petrography in this study provides a format for refining the organic facies concept.