Hydrocarbon potential of coal-bearing deposits of South Sakhalin

This report presents new geochemical data on the initial hydrocarbon potential of coal-bearing complexes in South Sakhalin. By the results of pyrolytic analysis, the yield of hydrocarbons (HCs) from the rocks amounts to 0.8-240 mg HC/g of rock. It is shown that lipoid coals and coaly rocks of Paleogene age may be considered as mother rocks of oil (HI of 263-619 mg HC/g C(org)). The rocks of Early-Miocene age (HI of 70-247 mg HC/g C(org)) are mainly gas sources. The hydrocarbon potential of organic matter in Paleogene coals and coaly rocks of South Sakhalin is higher then that of similar rocks of West Kamchatka considered as oil sources for several oil fields. The data obtained are important for characterization of the prospects of the oil-and-gas content in sedimentary basins of the Sea of Okhotsk.