PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS-ANALYSIS OF QUANTITATIVE PYROLYSIS-GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY AND ORGANIC PETROGRAPHIC DATA OF KEROGENS

Principal components analysis (PCA) of quantitative Py-GC and organic petrographic data was performed on a set of 14 kerogens representing dissimilar organic facies. PCA proved to be a useful and objective means by which the complex pyrograms could be compared. Kerogens from dissimilar depositional settings (marine, lacustrine, and terrestrial) were easily discerned. However, subtle differences, which were not readily apparent from a visual examination of the pyrograms, were revealed among kerogens from similar organic facies. The degree of discrimination between kerogen samples was related to the number of independent variables (i.e. pyrolysates) which were used in a given PCA. PCA offers an objective means by which complex Py-GC data can be compared and by which trends can be more easily recognized and quantified.