Fossil spores and pollen in crude oils

Abstract

Crude oils from both inland and coastal shelf basins were analyzed for their spores and pollen content. The inland petroliferous basins include the Tarim, Junggar, Turpan, Qaidam, and Jiuquan basins in West China. The coastal shelf petroliferous basins include the Liaohe, Beibu Gulf, and Zhujiang Mouth basins in the East and South China Seas. Pollen and spores from crude oils were extracted using a Soxhlet apparatus. Those in potential source rocks were extracted using standard palynological processing techniques. The fossils were then compared by age and assemblage to others around the world to ensure that correlation between potential source rocks and crude oils in China would be accurate. Abundant fossil spores and pollen in crude oils, such as 183 species from the Tarim Basin, 211 species from the Junggar Basin, and 103 species from the Qaidam Basin, were identified. These spores and pollen can provide important information for assessing petroleum source rocks.