The significance of 24-norcholestanes, triaromatic steroids and dinosteroids in oils and Cambrian–Ordovician source rocks from the cratonic region of the Tarim Basin, NW China

Optical thermal maturity parameters and organic geochemical alteration at low grade diagenesis to anchimetamorphism: A review

“…Dinosterols are generally believed to be biogeochemical markers for dinoflagellates. Therefore, it was concluded that dinoflagellates or closely related precursors which were capable of biosynthesizing these specific compounds were thriving in the oceans long before the first undisputed organicwalled and resistant dinoflagellate cysts appeared in the fossil record (Moldowan et al, 1996;Meijun Li et al, 2012). This assumption was further reinforced by the discovery of dinosteranes in acritarch concentrates of early Cambrian age (Talyzina et al, 2000).…”

Geochemistry of alkylbenzenes in the Paleozoic oils from the Tarim Basin, NW China

“…The former is currently over mature and the latter is mature. It is generally assumed that the Lower-Middle Cambrian was deposited under an oxygen deficit sedimentary environment with more phosphorite and black shale, while the Middle-Upper Ordovician was deposited in an under filled marginal basin and slope environments with more planktonic algal organic facies (Zhang et al, 2000;Sun et al, 2003;Jia et al, 2007;Yu et al, 2011;Li et al, 2012). However, the main contributor to the accumulated oil remains a controversial issue due to the relatively high thermal maturity of the oils, complicated charge history, mixing and secondary alterations and the scarcity of deep wells that have penetrated likely source rock intervals.…”

Source of the condensates from the Hetianhe Field and the genetic relationship between the condensates and their associated gases

“…The distribution of triaromatic dinosteranes and other methyltriaromatic steroids are helpful in oil family classification and oil-source correlation in the Tarim Basin (Li et al, 2012).…”