Fate

of
Organic Matter

 Physicochemical transformation of OM is
controlled by:
Biological activity in an early stage
Temperature
Pressure
Organic-inorganic interaction at different stages of
sediment evolution
Stages of evolution involved:
Diagenesis
Catagenesis
Metagenesis
Metamorphism

 Sediments deposited in subaquatic

environments contain large amount of
Water (porosity ~80% in clay mud at 5 cm
depth with a water content of ~60% by
weight of total sediments)
Minerals
Dead OM (contemporaneous
autochthonous/ allochthonous/ reworked)
Numerous living micro-organisms
This system is out of equilibrium and
hence UNSTABLE

DIAGENESIS
Diagenesis is a process through which the
system tends to approach equilibrium
under conditions of shallow burial and
through which the sediments normally
become consolidated.
Depth interval concerned is in the order of
few hundred meters; in rare cases it may
reach 2000 m.
The increase of temperature and pressure
is small and transformations occur under
mild conditions

During early diagenesis

One of the main agents of transformation is microbial
activity
Aerobic microorganisms living in the uppermost layer of
sediments consume free oxygen
Anaerobes reduce sulfates to obtain the required oxygen
Decomposition of OM provides the energy and the OM is
converted into CO2, NH3, &H2O
Conversion is usually carried out completely in sands
and partly in mud
At the same time Eh decreases abruptly & pH increases
slightly
Certain solids viz. organo-detrital CaCO3 & SiO2 dissolve
and reach saturation and reprecipitate together with
authigenic minerals e.g., sulfides of Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, etc.

Within the sediment

Organic material proceeds also towards
equilibrium
Biopolimers (proteins, carbohydrates) are
destroyed by microbial activity to form
polycondensed structures (geopolymers)
The most important HC forms is CH4
CO2, H2O & some heavy heteroatomic
compounds are produced during the later stages
of diagenesis
At the end of diagenesis of sedimentary OM
Extractable humic acid decreases to minor
amount
Most carboxyl groups are removed
Vo ~0.5%

CATAGENESIS
Consecutive deposition of sediments result in
burial of previous sediments to a depth reaching
several km of overburden in subsiding basins,
resulting in considerable increase in temperature
and pressure. Tectonics may also contribute to
this increase
Temperature: 50C 150C
Geostatic pressure: 300 1000 or 1500 bars
Such increase again places the system out of
equilibrium resulting in new change
Composition and texture of the mineral phases
are conserved
Some changes take place in the clay fraction
Main inorganic modification brings in
compaction resulting in expulsion of water

 Porosity and permeability decrease

markedly
Salinity of the interstial water increases;
may reach saturation
OM experiences major changes
Through progressive evolution, kerogen
produces first liquid petroleum then in a
later stage wet-gas and condensates
Both liquid-oil and condensates are
accompanied by significant amount of CH 4
Massive organic deposits progress
through the various ranks of coal, and also
produce HC, mostly CH4

At the late stage of catagenesis

Aliphatic carbon chains in kerogen
completely disappear
Development of an ordering of basic
kerogen units begins
Vo ~2.0% (corresponds to beginning of
anthracite rank)
No petroleum generates further (only
limited amount of CH4 generates further)

METAGENESIS AND METAMORPHISM

This is the last stage of evolution of sediments in deep
troughs and in geosynclinal zones
Temperature and pressure reach high values
Rocks are exposed to the influence of magma and
hydrothermal effects
Minerals are severely transformed
Clay mineral lose their interlayer water and gain a higher
stage of crystalinity
Goethite (iron oxide containing water) changes to
haematite
Severe pressure dissolution occur and recrystallization
too
OM is composed of only CH4 and carbon residue
Coal is transformed to METAANTHRACITE (Vo > 4.0%)
Constituents of the residual kerogen are converted to
graphitic carbon

Thermal Maturity Indicators

Reservoir Geology

Geological Time Scale

Distribution of discovered oil and gas

fields based on geologic age

Thankyou!