Sedimentary 12- n -Propylcholestanes, Molecular Fossils Diagnostic of Marine Algae

19 January 1990

journal article
research article
Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science

Vol. 247 (4940) , 309-312
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.247.4940.309

Abstract

Certain C₃₀-steranes have been used for identifying sedimentary rocks and crude oils derived from organic matter deposited in marine environments. Analysis of a C₃₀-sterane from Prudhoe Bay oil indicates that these C₃₀-steranes are 24-n-propylcholestanes that apparently are derived from precursor sterols 24-n-propylidene-cholesterols and 24-n-propylcholesterol. These widely occurring sterols are biochemically synthesized in modern oceans by members of an order (Sarcinochrysidales) of chrysophyte algae. These data thus imply that C₃₀-sterane biomarkers in sedimentary rocks and crude oils have a marine origin. Screening of a few organic-rich sedimentary rocks and oils from throughout the Phanerozoic suggests that these C₃₀-steranes first appeared and, therefore, their source algae evolved between Early Ordovician and Devonian.

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