FAMILIES OF CRUDE OILS AND CONDENSATES IN THE BEAUFORT-MACKENZIE BASIN.

Crude oils and condensates from Canada's Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin were analyzed chemically in order to establish a genetic classification scheme. The chemical properties of crude oils and condensates are a function of thermal and biological processes as well as the type of source organic matter. By examining many chemical parameters, the effects of biodegradation and primary or secondary thermal alteration were circumvented as much as possible. Classification or grouping of oils into families is the first logical step in oil/source rock correlations, and the identification of the areal distribution of potential petroleum source rocks within a basin and the type and properties of the product expected is clearly of economic significance.