Hydrocarbons of Biological Origin from a One-Billion-Year-Old Sediment

Eglinton, G.; Scott, Peter; Belsky, T.; Burlingame, Alma L.; Calvin, Melvin

doi:10.1126/science.145.3629.263

Cited by 197 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The WC series samples are overmature, with the T max values ranging from 552 to 603°C. R o values of the samples from the Permian section of the Wangcang area measured by Liang et al 1) are in the range of 1.88%-2.39%. Micrinites are dominant macerals in the kerogens of the P 2 d source rocks.…”

Section: Source Rock Samplesmentioning

confidence: 90%

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The comparison of biomarkers released by hydropyrolysis and Soxhlet extraction from source rocks of different maturities

Liao

Fang

et al. 2012

Chin. Sci. Bull.

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The Permian Dalong Formation (P 2 d) source rocks from the mature Guangyuan outcrop section and the overmature Wangcang outcrop section in Sichuan Basin were selected. The Soxhlet extraction and kerogen catalytic HyPy were conducted on the P 2 d source rocks. The biomarkers obtained by both methods were compared to discuss their difference and the influence extent of thermal maturation on covalently bound biomarkers. The results show that covalently bound biomarkers can hardly be correlated to the corresponding free biomarkers due to severe thermal alterations and/or interference of migrated hydrocarbons in both outcrop sections and thermal maturation have much lower influence on covalently bound biomarkers in kerogens than on free biomarkers in Soxhlet extracts. The application of HyPy in study of biomarker geochemistry can reduce the thermal maturation effect on biomarkers (R o ≤2.4%) to a greater extent and the interference of migrated hydrocarbons between interbedded layers. The covalently bound biomarkers released by HyPy are useful in the study of biomarker geochemistry and oil-source correlation on high-overmature source rocks.

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Section: Source Rock Samplesmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Biomarkers are organic compounds derived from biomass and extensively exist in sediments and sedimentary rocks [1,2]. These organic molecules, especially steranes and terpanes, with complex structure and biogenetic indication, have been widely applied in the study of petroleum geochemistry.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The comparison of biomarkers released by hydropyrolysis and Soxhlet extraction from source rocks of different maturities

Liao

Fang

et al. 2012

Chin. Sci. Bull.

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“…Biomarkers become incorporated into sediments, either freely as bitumen or bound into macromolecular organic matter (kerogen), where they may be preserved for billions of years (Eglinton et al, 1964;. Where these compounds occur intact and uncontam-0301-9268/$ -see front matter © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Molecular fossils of biogenic lipids (i.e., biomarkers) preserved over geologic time in sedimentary rocks of low metamorphic grade can be used to describe ancient microbiota and environmental conditions (Eglinton et al, 1964;. Because biomarkers are the hydrocarbon skeletons of biogenic precursor lipids, those that are created through known biosynthetic and diagenetic pathways convey information about the identity and physiology of their source organisms Brocks and Pearson, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular biogeochemistry of modern and ancient marine microbes

Waldbauer¹

2010

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Biological activity has shaped the surface of the earth in numerous ways, but life's most pervasive and persistent global impact has been the secular oxidation of the surface environment. Through primary production -the biochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to synthesize biomass -large amounts of oxidants such as molecular oxygen, sulfate and ferric iron have accumulated in the ocean, atmosphere and crust, fundamentally altering the chemical environment of the earth's surface. This thesis addresses aspects of the role of marine microorganisms in driving this process. In the first section of the thesis, biomarkers (hydrocarbon molecular fossils) are used to investigate the early history of microbial diversity and biogeochemistry. Molecular fossils from the Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa, document the presence in the oceans of a diverse microbiota, including eukaryotes, as well as oxygenic photosynthesis and aerobic biochemistry, by ca. 2.7Ga. Experimental study of the oxygen requirements of steroid biosynthesis suggests that sterane biomarkers in late Archean rocks are consistent with the persistence of microaerobic surface ocean environments long before the initial oxygenation of the atmosphere. In the second part, using Prochlorococcus (a marine cyanobacterium that is the most abundant primary producer on earth today) as a model system, we explored how microbes use the limited nutrient resources available in the marine environment to make the protein catalysts that enable primary production. Quantification of the Prochlorococcus proteome over the diel cell-division cycle reveals that protein abundances are distinct from transcript-level dynamics, and that small temporal shifts in enzyme levels can redirect metabolic fluxes. This thesis illustrates how molecular techniques can contribute to a systems-level understanding of biogeochemical processes, which will aid in reconstructing the past of, and predicting future change in, earth surface environments. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSI have incurred many debts of gratitude and appreciation over the course of this work. None are greater than those to my advisors, Penny Chisholm and Roger Summons, who allowed and enabled me to pursue such a wide range of scientific interests and offered their help and advice every step of the way. I have been very lucky to have had the chance to learn so much during my Ph.D., and none of that would have been possible without their guidance and support.I have also had the great fortune to know and work with all the members of the Chisholm and Summons labs, who have made this an enjoyable and rewarding place to be. I am especially grateful to Laura Sherman for her skill and dedication in analyzing biomarkers in the late Archean cores -it was truly getting blood from a stone. I was lucky to collaborate with Sébastien Rodrigue, whose expertise and collegiality made the diel experiment even more fruitful than I could have hoped. IntroductionThe coevolution of life and earth surface environments is central to the history and functionin...

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“…Biological markers or biomarkers (Eglinton et al, 1964;Eglinton and Calvin, 1967) are molecular fossils, which were derived from once living organisms through the earth history. They occur in sediments, rocks, and crude oils and display little or no change in structure from their precursors (Peters et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%