MOLECULAR GEOCHEMISTRY ASSISTS EXPLORATION

Gary H. Isaksen Exxon Production Research Co. Houston Molecular geochemistry has found its place within petroleum exploration as an important tool for the assessment of thermal maturity, organic facies, and the degree of biodegradation in addition to its obvious importance for correlation work. This paper is concerned with the assessment of organic facies from measurements of molecular properties of organic rich sediments. Sediments allow molecular assessments of the extractable organic matter