The ratios of dibenzothiophene to phenanthrene and pristane to phytane as indicators of depositional environment and lithology of petroleum source rocks

Abstract The ratio of dibenzothiophene to phenanthrene and the ratio of pristane to phytane, when coupled together, provide a novel and convenient way to infer crude oil source rock depositional environments and lithologies. Such knowledge can significantly assist in identifying the source formation(s) in a basin thereby providing valuable guidance for further exploration. The ability to infer this information from analysis of a crude oil is especially valuable as frequently the earliest samples in a new area may be shows and/or drill stem test samples from exploratory wells which are characteristically drilled on structural highs stratigraphically remote from the source formation(s). A cross-plot of dibenzothiophene/phenanthrene versus the pristane/phytane ratios measured on seventy-five crude oils from forty-one known source rocks ranging in age from Ordovician to Miocene consistently classified the oils into the following environment/ lithology groups: marine carbonate; marine carbonate/ mixed and lacustrine sulfate-rich; lacustrine sulfate-poor; marine and lacustrine shale; and fluvial/deltaic carbonaceous shale and coal. The dibenzothiophene/phenanthrene ratio alone is an excellent indicator of source rock lithology with carbonates having ratios > 1 and shales having ratios The dibenzothiophene to phenanthrene and the pristane to phytane ratios can also be used to classify source rock paleodepositional environments. The classification scheme is based on the premise that these ratios reflect the different Eh-pH regimes resulting from the significant microbiological and chemical processes occurring during deposition and early diagenesis of sediments. The dibenzothiophene/phenanthrene ratio assesses the availability of reduced sulfur for incorporation into organic matter and the pristane/phytane ratio assesses the redox conditions within the depositional environment. Interpretation of these ratios has been aided by quantitative biomarker analysis and by carbon isotope data for pristane and phytane obtained by gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry.