Molybdenum and Copper Isotope Systems as Petroleum and Paleoceanographic Tracers

随着多收集器电感耦合等离子体质谱的出现，金属同位素体系已成为同位素地球化学的一个新的分支学科。然而，金属同位素作为一种油-油和油源岩对比工具的开发还处于探索阶段。这项研究建议利用研究充分的含单一(瑞典锡尔扬地区)和多(加拿大西部沉积盆地)源岩的石油系统，全面评估作为石油示踪剂的钼和铜同位素系统。实验生产的石油(来自源岩的水合热解)将建立每一源岩的端元同位素组成，并揭示源岩与其产出油之间是否发生同位素分馏。来自实验石油和天然石油以及潜在源岩(S)的同位素和多元素数据将识别石油中可追溯到主要源岩(S)的多代理地球化学特征。这项开创性的工作将为应用于其他重要但不太为人所知的加拿大石油系统铺平道路。

With the advent of multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, metal isotope systems have emerged as a new subdiscipline of isotope geochemistry. However, development of metal isotopes as an oil-oil and oil-source rock correlation tool is in the exploratory stage. This study proposes to fully assess the molybdenum and copper isotope systems as petroleum tracers using well-studied petroleum systems containing single (Siljan region, Sweden) and multiple (Western Canada Sedimentary Basin) source rocks. Experimentally produced oil (from hydrous pyrolysis of source rocks) will establish end-member isotopic compositions for each source rock and reveal if isotope fractionation occurs between a source rock and its produced oil. Isotope and multi-element data from experimental and natural oil, and potential source rock(s), will identify a multi-proxy geochemical signature in oils that can be traced to the major source rock(s). This pioneering work will pave the way for applications to other important but less-well-understood Canadian petroleum systems.