Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comprehensive diagnostic review of the 13C-enriched crude oils exemplified by TD2Є and TZ62S in Tarim Basin, NW China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Chinese Journal of Geochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

    We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

    Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Abstract

The crude oils typically from the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks of Tarim Basin, NW China, such as TD2Є and TZ62S, are 13C-enriched with the stable carbon isotopic ratios (VPDB) approaching −28 ‰. In this paper, the main research viewpoints on this issue are summarized, and combined with results from organic and inorganic carbon isotope stratum curves of the outcrop at the Ya’erdang Mountain in Tarim Basin. In addition, more alternative interpretations are discussed. On one hand, the inverse fractionation features of stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes of these crude oils may imply their protogenous nature. On the other hand, the anisotropy of source rocks and contribution from older stratum source rocks need verifying as well. For the sake of the final resolution of this issue, some further study topics are recommended.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andrusevich VE, Engel MH, Zumberge JE, Brothers LA (1998) Secular episodic changes in stable carbon isotope composition of crude oils. Chem Geol 152:59–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berner RA (1991) A model for atmospheric CO2 over Phanerozoic time. Am J Sci 291:339–376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berner RA (1994) GEOCARB II: a revised model of atmospheric CO2 over Phanerozoic time. Am J Sci 294:56–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berner RA (1998) The carbon cycle and CO2 over Phanerozoic time: the role of land plants. Philos Trans R Soc Ser 353:75–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berner RA, Kothavala K (2001) Geocarb III: a revised model of atmospheric CO2 over Phanerozoic time. Am J Sci 301:182–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Close HG, Bovee R, Person A (2011) Inverse carbon isotope patterns of lipids and kerogen record heterogeneous primary biomass. Geobiology 9:250–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson D, Grice K, Alexander R (2005) Effect of maturation on the indigenous δD signatures of individual hydrocarbons in sediments and crude oils from the Perth Basin (Western Australia). Org Geochem 36:95–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derry LA (2010) On the significance of δ13C correlations in ancient sediments. Earth Planet Sci Lett 296:497–501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan R, Deng SH, Zhang XL (2011) Significant carbon isotope excursions in the Cambrian and their implications for global correlations. Sci China Earth Sci 54:1686–1695

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glumac B, Walker KR (1998) A late Cambrian positive carbon-isotope excursion in the southern Appalachians: relation to biostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, environments of deposition, and diagenesis. J Sedim Res 68:1212–1222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grotzinger JP, Fike DA, Fischer WW (2011) Enigmatic origin of the largest-known carbon isotope excursion in Earth’s history. Nat Geosci 4:285–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo Q, Strauss H, Liu C, Zhao Y, Yang X, Peng J, Yang H (2010) A negative carbon isotope excursion defines the boundary from Cambrian Series 2 to Cambrian Series 3 on the Yangtze Platform, South China. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 285:143–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes JM, Strauss H, Kaufman AJ (1999) The abundance of 13C in marine organic matter and isotopic fractionation in the global biogeochemical cycle of carbon during the past 800 Ma. Chem Geol 161:103–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jia W, Wang Q, Peng P, Xiao Z, Li B (2013) Isotopic compositions and biomarkers in crude oils from the Tarim Basin: oil maturity and oil mixing. Org Geochem 57:95–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang G, Wang X, Shi X, Xiao S, Zhang S, Dong J (2011) The origin of decoupled carbonate and organic carbon isotope signatures in the early Cambrian (ca. 542–520 Ma) Yangtze platform. Earth Planet Sci Lett 317:96–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Knauth LP, Kennedy MJ (2009) The late Precambrian greening of the Earth. Nature 460:728–732

    Google Scholar 

  • Kump LR, Arthur MA (1999) Interpreting carbon-isotope excursions: carbonates and organic matter. Chem Geol 161:181–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Pang X, Jin Z, Yang H, Xiao Z, Gu Q, Zhang B (2010) Petroleum source in the Tazhong Uplift, Tarim Basin: new insights from geochemical and fluid inclusion data original. Org Geochem 1:531–553

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li S, Xiao Z, Lv X, Zhang B, Zhang H (2011) Geochemical characteristics and origin of hydrocarbons from Lower Ordovician in Tazhong area, Tarim Basin. Xinjiang Pet Geol 32:372–376 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mi J, Zhang S, Tu J, Li X (2006) Formation of Hadexun oilfield in Tarim Basin, NW China. Geochimica 35:405–412 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Saltzman MR, Ripperdan RL, Brasier MD, Lohmann KC, Robison RA, Chang WT, Peng SC, Ergaliev EK, Runnegar B (2000) A global carbon isotope excursion (SPICE) during the late Cambrian: relation to trilobite extinctions, organic-matter burial and sea level. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 162:211–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sansjofre P, Ader M, Trindade RIF, Elie M, Lyons J, Cartigny P, Nogueira ACR (2011) A carbon isotope challenge to the snowball Earth. Nature 478:93–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schimmelmann A, Sessions AL, Boreham CJ, Edwards DS, Logan GA, Summons RE (2004) D/H ratios in terrestrially sourced petroleum systems. Org Geochem 35:1169–1195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shabanov YY, Korovnikov IV, Pereladov VS, Pak KL, Feflov AF (2008) The section of the Kuonamka Formation of the Molodo River—a candidate for a global stratigraphy of the lower boundary of the Middle Cambrian (East Siberian Platform). Cambrian sections of the Siberian Platform—stratotype candidates for an international stratigraphic scaling (Stratigraphy and Palaeontology). Material of the 13th international field conference of the Cambrian subdivision working group, Yakutia, pp 60–70

  • Stanley SM (2010) Relation of Phanerozoic stable isotope excursions to climate, bacterial metabolism, and major extinctions. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107:19185–19189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swanson-Hysell NL, Rose CV, Calmet CC, Halverson GP, Hurtgen MT, Maloof AC (2010) Cryogenian glaciation and the onset of carbon-isotope decoupling. Science 328:608–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian Y, Zhao J, Yang C, Liao Z, Zhang L, Zhang H (2012) Multiple-sourced features of marine oils in the Tarim Basin, NWChina – Geochemical evidence from occluded hydrocarbons inside asphaltenes. J Asian Earth Sci 54–55:174–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Wang T, He F, Wang J (2005) Stable carbon isotope and its significance in hydrocarbon accumulation in Tahe Oilfield, Tarim Basin. Xinjiang Pet Geol 26:155–157 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang D (2000) Stable isotope geochemistry of oil and gas. Pet Ind Press Beijing 164(171–173):179–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z, Xiao Z (2004) A comprehensive review concerning the problem of marine crudes sources in Tarim Basin. Chin Sci Bull 49(supportI):1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiao Z, Lu Y, Sang H, Pan Z, Li Y (2005) A typical Cambrian oil reservoir: origin of oil reservoir in Well TZ62, Tarim Basin. Geochimica 34:155–160 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhai X, Gu Y, Qian Y, Jia C, Wang J, Lin J (2007) Geochemical characteristics of the Cambrian oil and gas in well Tashen1, the Tarim Basin. Pet Geol Exp 29:329–333 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang S, Wang Z, Wang F, Liang D, Xiao Z, Huang H (2004) Oil accumulation history in Tadong 2 oil reservoir in Tarim Basin, NW China—a case study of oil stability and cracking. Pet Explor Dev 31:25–31 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang S, Zhang B, Li B, Zhu G, Su J, Wang X (2011) History of hydrocarbon accumulations spanning important tectonic phases in marine sedimentary basins of China: Taking the Tarim Basin as an example. Pet Explor Dev 38:1–15 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang A, Wu D, Guo L, Wang Y (1987) The geochemistry of marine black shale formation and its metallogenic significance. Science Press, Beijing, pp 81–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z, Liu W, Zheng J, Wang Q, Cheng G, Yang H (2006a) Characteristics of carbon isotopic composition of soluble organic components of deep source rocks in Tarim Basin. Acta Sedimentol Sin 24:733–769 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z, Liu W, Zheng J, Wang Q, Cheng G (2006b) Carbon isotopic reversed distribution of the solution organic components for the Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks in Tabei and Tazhong areas, Tarim Basin. J Miner Petrol 26:69–74 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z, Liu W, Wang Z, Zheng J, Wang Q, Cheng G (2008) Vertical distribution characteristics and its geological significance for carbon isotopic composition of oils and its group components of deep marine oil reservoirs in Tabei uplift, Tarim Basin. Acta Sedimentol Sin 26:709–714 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu MY, Zhang JM, Li GX, Yang AH (2004) Evolution of C isotopes in the Cambrian of China: implications for Cambrian subdivision and trilobite mass extinctions. Geobios 37:287–301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu MY, Babcock LE, Peng SC (2006) Advances in Cambrian stratigraphy and paleontology: Integrating correlation techniques, paleobiology, taphonomy and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Palaeoworld 15:217–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are very grateful to Prof. Peng Ping’an for much helpful suggestions. Many thanks to Dr. Jia wanglu and Dr. Luhong from the State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry (SKLOG) for their helps during the field profile work. This study is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41272149) and National oil and gas Projects (Grant No. 2011ZX05008-002).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Hu Liu, Zewen Liao, Yankuan Tian, Bin Cheng & Xiaohong Chang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Hu Liu, Bin Cheng & Xiaohong Chang

  3. Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, PetroChina Tarim Oilfield Company, Korla, 841000, Xinjiang, China

    Haizu Zhang

Authors
  1. Hu Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zewen Liao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Haizu Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yankuan Tian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bin Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Xiaohong Chang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zewen Liao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Liu, H., Liao, Z., Zhang, H. et al. Comprehensive diagnostic review of the 13C-enriched crude oils exemplified by TD2Є and TZ62S in Tarim Basin, NW China. Chin. J. Geochem. 34, 62–68 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-014-0021-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-014-0021-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation