ORIGIN AND OCCURRENCE OF 25-NORHOPANES - A STATISTICAL STUDY

The alkane fraction of more than 200 rocks, biodegraded oils and non-biodegraded oils, have been analysed by means of computerized GC-MS, in order to investigate the effect of natural biodegradation on the occurrence of "demethylated hopanes", i.e. 17alpha-25-norhopanes. The results obtained indicate that 25-norhopanes are preexisting biomarkers the concentration of which is enhanced by selective biodegradation of more readily degradable homologs, i.e. regular hopanes, rather than by demethylation of hopanes in reservoirs. However, the use of 25-norhopane enrichment as a palaeobiodegradation indicator in apparently non-biodegraded oils is still valuable providing the initial background content in the corresponding source rocks is known. Furthermore, 25-norhopanes appear to be diagnostic of specific environmental conditions (marine and lacustrine source rocks. dysoxic and not very hypersaline). Lastly, one other (novel) bacterially resistant rearranged hopanoic compound, namely a C29 neohopane, is applicable for both biodegradation and maturation evaluation.