Hydrocarbons occluded by asphaltenes

Homologous series of n-alkenes and dimethylalkanes with the odd or even number of carbon atoms in the molecule have been identified in chloroform extracts from the organic matter of Upper Paleozoic deposits of the Vilyui syneclise penetrated by the superdeep well SV-27 at depths below 5 km. It is presumed that these unusual hydrocarbons resulted from the destruction of asphaltene occlusions under severe P-T conditions at great depths and that the hydrocarbon generation began in the zone of postdiagenetic transformations of sediments. This hypothesis was tested in the sections of deposits whose organic matter underwent catagenesis of different grades. On the basis of these results, zones of emergence, transition, and destruction of occlusions have been recognized.