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Recent oolites from the Bahama Banks are shown to contain 1.23–4.13 wt% organic carbon of algal origin, chiefly in the form of proto‐kerogen. Characterization of the ogranic matter by routine optical and chemical means revealed that, although it is immature, it has a very high potential for generating petroleum hydrocarbons. It is suggested that with rise in temperature due to burial, and perhaps to catalytic influence of the host sediments, this proto‐kerogen of algal‐amorphous facies would, through time, generate significant amounts of hydrocarbons. In those oolite deposits with adequate porosity, the hydrocarbons could accumulate as petroleum.

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