Spectral characteristics of hydrocarbon-bearing materials in Karamay, northwest China: implications for remote detection of onshore oil seeps.

Remote sensing techniques are widely used during petroleum exploration. However, limitations in spectral and spatial resolution mean that these techniques are used mainly to detect hydrocarbons either indirectly or under laboratory conditions. To investigate the spectral signatures of natural hydrocarbon-bearing features, we took spectral measurements from oil seeps and associated hydrocarbon-bearing materials in Karamay city, northwest China. The hydrocarbon content of 16 hydrocarbon-bearing samples was also determined to study the relationship between hydrocarbon content and spectral absorption. The results reveal a positive correlation between spectral absorption intensities at 1725 nm and hydrocarbon contents of >1 wt%. Thus, surface hydrocarbon content can be direct detection above a detection limit of around 1 wt% using this method. This result is not only instructive for petroleum exploration, but also important for environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]