Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 18 July 1980:
Vol. 209. no. 4454, pp. 403 - 404
DOI: 10.1126/science.209.4454.403
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Genesis of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Marine Sediments

JOHN M. HUNT 1, JEAN K. WHELAN 1, and ALAIN Y. HUC 2

1 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543
2 Laboratoire Géologie Appliquée, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ERA-601, Orléans, France 45046

Distribution patterns of isopentane and normal pentane in marine sediments show a reversal in slope at a subsurface temperature of about 90°C. The data indicate that three types of reactions are involved in pentane formation: (i) biological origin at the sediment surface, (ii) low-temperature (< 90°C) chemical reactions yielding predominately secondary carbon structures, and (iii) high-temperature (> 90°C) cracking reactions at great depth yielding predominately straight carbon chains.

Submitted on February 26, 1980
Revised on May 2, 1980


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Generation and Migration of Light Hydrocarbons.
J. M. Hunt and J. M. Hunt (1984)
Science 226, 1265-1270
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)