Molecular correlation of free oil, adsorbed oil and inclusion oil of reservoir rocks in the Tazhong Uplift of the Tarim Basin, China

The free, adsorbed and inclusion oils were recovered by sequential extraction from eleven oil and tar containing reservoir rocks in the Tazhong Uplift of Tarim Basin. The results of gas chromatography (GC) and GC–mass spectrometry analyses of these oil components and seven crude oils collected from this region reveal multiple oil charges derived from different source rocks for these oil reservoirs. The initially charged oils show strong predominance of even over odd n-alkanes in the range n-C12 to n-C20 and have ordinary maturities, while the later charged oils do not exhibit any predominance of n-alkanes and have high maturities. The adsorbed and inclusion oils of the reservoir rocks generally have high relative concentrations of gammacerane and C28 steranes, similar to the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks. In contrast, the free oils of these reservoir rocks generally have low relative concentrations of gammacerane and C28 steranes, similar to the Middle-Upper Ordovician source rocks. There are two interpretations of this result: (1) the initially charged oils are derived from the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks while the later charged oils are derived from the Middle-Upper Ordovician source rocks; and (2) both the initially and later charged oils are mainly derived from the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rocks but the later charged oils are contaminated by the oil components from the Silurian tar sandstones and the Middle-Upper Ordovician source rocks.