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Organic–inorganic interactions in petroleum-producing sedimentary basins

Nature volume 426, pages 327–333 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Petroleum deposits form as a consequence of the increased temperatures that accompany progressive burial of organic matter deep within sedimentary basins. Recent advances in petroleum geochemistry suggest that inorganic sedimentary components participate in organic transformations associated with this process. Water is particularly important because it facilitates reaction mechanisms not available in dry environments, and may contribute hydrogen and oxygen for the formation of hydrocarbons and oxygenated alteration products. These findings suggest that petroleum generation and stability is influenced by subsurface chemical environments, and is a simple function of time, temperature and the composition of sedimentary organic matter.

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Figure 1: Chemical evolution of kerogen and petroleum during thermal maturation in sedimentary basins.
Figure 2: Reaction pathways responsible for the stepwise oxidation of aqueous n-alkanes at elevated temperatures and pressures.
Figure 3: Evidence for the production of oxygenated organic alteration products at levels deep within sedimentary basins.
Figure 4: Variations in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide with subsurface temperature in natural gas from the US Gulf Coast (modified from ref. 79).

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  1. Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, MS #4, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, 02543, Massachusetts, USA

    Jeffrey S. Seewald

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Seewald, J. Organic–inorganic interactions in petroleum-producing sedimentary basins. Nature 426, 327–333 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02132

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