Benthic macro red alga: A new possible bio-precursor of Jurassic mudstone source rocks in the northern Qaidam Basin, northwestern China

Whether benthic macroalga can be an important type of bio-precursor of source rocks is a contentious issue in source-rock studies, and has not been well understood. This paper represents a case study of Jurassic mudstone source rocks from the northern Qaidam Basin, northwestern China, in which the benthic macro red algae were recognized for the first time based on combined organic petrological and biomarker works. We found not only cystocarps in the algae, representative of rhodophyta, but also diahopanes, which are diagnostic biomarkers of such algae. Thus, as many reservoired oils in the northern Qaidam Basin contain abundant diahopanes, it may indicate that the red algae have contributed to hydrocarbon accumulation. This was confirmed by integrated geological and geochemical analyses. Hence, this study provides new evidence for macroalga-generated hydrocarbons.