Petroleum Fingerprinting with Organic Markers

Abstract

Petroleum fingerprinting is an invaluable tool in forensic geochemistry. This article summarizes applications of fingerprinting in several oil spills and natural oil seepages that we have studied during the last 25 years. It shows how each unique chemical fingerprint can be used to correlate or differentiate oils. Fingerprints can provide information about processes in the environment that impact oils such as weathering and microbial degradation. They can be used to evaluate organic matter that contributed to oils, and classify oils with regard to the geological framework of their source, such as evaluating geological facies, age, lithology, and depositional environment.

Keywords:

• petroleum fingerprinting
• tarballs
• depositional environment
• biomarkers
• diesel
• biodegradation

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Keith Kvenvolden who began and led much of the oil fingerprinting research, Robert

Rosenbauer and Kenneth Peters who made invaluable contributions to the southern California tarball study, Colleen Rostad for her contributions to the Mandan study, and Jeanne Dileo and Florence Wong for their help with the graphics.

This article not subject to US copyright law.