Biomarkers in Source Rocks from Barreirinha Formation (Devonian): Distribution and Paleoenvironment Significance

Abstract

The Barreirinha Formation-Upper Devonian, is the main petroleum source rock of the Amazon Basin, deposited during the great Devonian Transgression, contributing to significant accumulations of organic matter (OM) in anoxic conditions, which allowed its preservation. The present work had the objective of characterizing the molecular composition of biomarkers in outcrops samples of the Barreirinha Formation, aiming to evaluate the paleoenvironment, thermal evolution, and the preservation of OM total organic carbon (TOC) and Rock-Eval pyrolysis indicate considerable amounts of immature OM deposited in a low oxygenation environment. Gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) data corroborate that the OM was deposited in a suboxic to the oxic environment and low salinity (absence or low relative abundance of β-carotane and gammacerane). 24-N-Propyl-cholestane was detected and identified by synthetic pattern co-injection. High concentrations of tetracyclic polyprenoids (TPPs) in ascending order from base to top, high hopane/sterane ratios, to suggest that the samples had a high molecular weight n-alkanes, C29 steranes, low thermal evolution, and anoxic depositional paleoenvironment.