The oil sands deposits in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) comprise of at least 85% of the total immobile bitumen in place in the world and are so concentrated as to be virtually the only such deposits that are economically recoverable for conversion to oil. The major deposits are in three geographic and geologic regions of Alberta: Athabasca, Cold Lake and Peace River. The bitumen reserves have oil gravities ranging from 8 to 12° API, and are hosted in the reservoirs of varying age, ranging from Devonian (Grosmont Formation) to Early Cretaceous (Mannville Group). They were derived from light oils in the southern Alberta and migrated to the north and east for over 100 km during the Laramide Orogeny, which was responsible for the uplift of the Rocky Mountains. Biodegradation is the only process that transforms light oil into bitumen in such a dramatic way that overshadowed other alterations with minor contributions. The levels of biodegradation in the basin increasing from west (non-biodegraded) to east (extremely biodegraded) can be attributed to decreasing reservoir temperature, which played the primary role in controlling the biodegradation regime. Once the reservoir was heated to approximately 80 °C, it was pasteurized and no biodegradation would further occur. However, reservoir temperature could not alone predict the variations of the oil composition and physical properties. Compositional gradients and a wide range of biodegradation degree at single reservoir column indicate that the water-leg size or the volume ratio of oil to water is one of the critical local controls for the vertical variations of biodegradation degree and oil physical properties. Late charging and mixing of the fresh and degraded oils ultimately dictate the ¿ nal distribution of compositions and physical properties found in the heavy oil and oil sand ¿ elds. Oil geochemistry can reveal precisely the processes and levels that control these variations in a given field, which opens the possibility of model-driven prediction of oil properties and sweet spots in reservoirs.

Oils from two lacustrine rift basins in east China are thoroughly investigated using geochemical method to understand controls on alkylphenol occurrence and distribution in oils. Oils in the Lujiapu Depression, Kailu Basin are derived from the Cretaceous source rocks, and those in the Dongying Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, from the Tertiary source rocks. All oils are experienced relatively short distance of migration and have similar maturity in each basin. Differences in homologue distributions from different oilfields are most likely caused by organic facies variation of source rocks. The oils in the Lujiapu Depression are characterized by high proportion of C 3 alkylphenols (prefixes refer to the number of alkylcarbons joined to the aromatic ring of the phenol molecule) and low proportion of cresols and C 2 alkylphenols compared to oils from the Dongying Depression. Alkylphenol isomer distribution is possibly affected by depositional environment especially for C 3 alkylphenols. Dysoxic freshwater environment is favorable for the formation of propyl or isopropyl substituted C 3 alkylphenols, while highly reducing saline water is more suitable for trimethyl substituted C 3 alkylphenols. Variations in alkylphenol concentrations within a petroleum system are controlled mainly by secondary migration processes with alkylphenol concentrations decreasing along migration direction. Interestingly, coupled with geological factors, a subtle change of alkylphenol concentrations can be applied to differentiate carrier systems. When oil migrates through sandy beds, concentrations of total alkylphenols decrease dramatically with migration distance, while such change is less significant when oil migrates vertically along faults. However, most isomer ratios potentially related to migration distance are not as effective as those alkylcarbazoles in migration diagnosis due to complicated affecting factors.

Kailu Basin in which the Western Lujiapu Depression is located is a typical continental rift basin. Biomarker parameters of the oils indicate that depositional facies and environments vary between the Bao 1 and Bao 14 fault blocks with a higher saline environment in the Bao 1 fault block, but such difference has no significant impact on carbazole abundance and distribution. Maturity and migration distance are the main controls on carbazole abundance and distribution in the Western Lujiapu Depression. The commonly used migration indices, such as ratios of nitrogen shield isomers to nitrogen exposed isomers (1‐/4‐methylcarbazole ratio, 1,8‐/2,4‐dimethylcarbazole (DMC) ratio and half‐shield/exposed‐DMC ratio), absolute concentrations of alkylated carbazoles and BC ratio (= benzo [a]carbazole/ (benzo[a]carbazole + benzo[c]carbazole)) increase at the low mature range and decrease at a higher mature range with increasing maturity. At relatively low maturity stage (Rc<0.77%), maturation has reversal effects with migration on the ratios of nitrogen shield isomers to nitrogen exposed isomers, which may cover migration influence and makes these parameters fail to indicate migration effects. Valid migration indicators at this maturity stage are concentrations of alkylated carbazoles and BC ratios, which can provide ideal tools for migration direction assessment even within short migration distance. Maturity effects should be taken into account when carbazole compounds are applied to indicate migration direction, and at different maturity stages, these commonly used parameters have different validity in tracing migration direction. Coupled with our previous study in the Eastern Lujiapu Depression, a conceptual model of the variation of nitrogen migration indices can be established for terrestrial rifted basins, that is, strong fractionation lateral migration model through sandy beds, weak fractionation vertical migration model along faults, and maturity impacts on migration assessment.

Migration fractionation diagnosis is complicated in rifted basins where migration distance is generally short and lateral migration in sandy beds and vertical migration along faults are co-existed. Quantitative data from GC-MS analysis makes it possible to distinguish lateral and vertical migration effects. Oils discovered from the Jiaolige oilfield, eastern Lujiapu Depression are derived from single source rock with similar maturity, which is an ideal case to study the migration fractionation effects, Compositional differences among oils are largely caused by the migration fractionation either laterally in sand beds or vertically along the faults. Subtle maturity differences are assessed by the classic saturated hydrocarbon parameters which have certain influence on nitrogen compounds. In a certain maturity range, the ratios of shield and semi-shield isomers to the exposed isomers of alkylcarbazoles change with maturity in an opposite direction with migration fractionation, which may conceal the migration influence. However, migration and maturation have the same effects on absolute concentrations of alkylated carbazoles and benzocarbazole [ay([a]+[c]) ratios, which provides an ideal tool for migration direction assessment. Continuous variations among different samples reflect increased migration distance in sandy beds, while abrupt changes may indicate the change of migration conduit systems. Integrated both geochemical interpretation and geological constrains, not only migration direction can be determined, but also the conduit systems through the sandy beds or the faults can be recognized.