Stable Carbon and Hydrogen Isotope Signatures of Chemical Fossils to Infer Palaeoenvironmental Change

化学化石的稳定碳和氢同位素特征推断古环境变化。目的是选择性地测量沉积物和石油中单个化学化石（生物标志物）的稳定碳和氢同位素组成。生物标志物来自藻类、细菌和高等植物中的生物化学物质，其同位素组成反映了有关前体生物生存的气候和环境的重要信息。将通过从不同年代的沉积物剖面中截取的样品中某些生物标志物的不同稳定同位素组成来确定古环境变化的时期。这些信息将用于更好地识别澳大利亚提供良好石油来源的岩石。

Stable Carbon and Hydrogen Isotope Signatures of Chemical Fossils to Infer Palaeoenvironmental Change. Aims are to selectively measure the stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic composition of individual chemical fossils (biomarkers) in sediments and petroleum. Biomarkers are derived from biochemicals in algae, bacteria and higher plants and their isotopic compositions reflects important information about the climate and environment under which the precursor organisms lived. Periods of palaeoenvironmental change will be established through the varied stable isotope compositions of certain biomarkers within samples sectioned from sediment profiles of different age. This information will then be used to better identify rocks in Australia offering good sources of petroleum.