Impact of drill core contamination on compound-specific carbon and hydrogen isotopic signatures

Substantial maturity influence on carbon and hydrogen isotopic composition of n-alkanes in sedimentary rocks

“…Laboratory contaminants remained below detection limits in the cumulative system blanks that experienced the whole sequence of procedures along with samples. Since contamination from drilling fluids can affect the results of CSIA (Schinteie et al, 2019), the syngeneity of biomarkers was assessed by comparison of exterior and interior (E/I) hydrocarbon contents (Brocks et al, 2008). Therefore, ~3 mm of all external surfaces were removed using a solvent-cleaned precision diamond wafering saw (Buehler IsoMet 1000) or a wet table saw (Nortel Machinery Inc.), depending on sample size and shape.…”