Abstract
Despite many investigations concerning the insoluble organic matter in sediments (kerogen), its chemical nature and origin are only poorly understood. Here we report the results of a combined microscopy and chemical study of the Messel Oil Shale which shed light on the mechanism of kerogen formation. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the overwhelming presence of cell-wall remains of Tetraedron-like microalgae which are virtually indistinguishable from those of the widely occurring extant Tetraedron minimum (Chlorococcales). Flash-pyrolysis gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy indicated the presence of an insoluble, non-hydrolysable highly aliphatic biopolymer in both fossil and extant Tetraedron species. The bulk of the Messel Oil Shale kerogen probably consists of selectively preserved cell-wall material of Tetraedron algae, mainly made up of this newly discovered biopolymer. We therefore suggest that this polymer, and similar types of recently discovered highly aliphatic biopolymers in other algae and plant cuticles, are important precursors of n-alkanes in crude oils.
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Goth, K., de Leeuw, J., Püttmann, W. et al. Origin of Messel Oil Shale kerogen. Nature 336, 759–761 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/336759a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/336759a0
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