Biomarker distribution of source rocks in the dongpu depression and its relation to the generation of immature oil

In order to understand thermal stabilities of various biomarkers in sedimentary rocks, and to utilize them to subdivide the stage of diagenesis and to define the immature oil-generating threshold in the eastern part of China, serial cores from various depths and core samples from well WHI-I, heated in a simulation experiment at various temperatures, have been analysed. As a result, the relative thermal stabilities for alkybenzenes, alkylithophenes, benzohopanes, hopenes, diasterenes, ββ-hopanes, steranes and terpanes have been recognized and it has been suggested that the immature oil-generating threshold could be defined at the depth at which there are no hopenes in sedimentary rocks.