Free Biomarkers are commonly used as tracers of organic matter type and maturity in sedimentary systems. Covalently bound biomarkers in macromolecules can be used as tracers, but first have to be released intact by hydrogenation

Organic sulfur compounds will be characterised in ultra-high resolution by FT-ICR-MS to improve our understanding about origin and fate of these compounds in sedimentary systems.

Until today it is unknown whether the produced oil on Gotland island is sourced from only one black shale unit. Are there further contributors which may lead to new exploration strategies?

The aim for this study is to reconstruct the timing of petroleum generation, the changing gas/oil ratio (GOR) of the petroleum and its physical properties during maturation. The timing and extent of petroleum generation depends on both the thermal history of the source rock and the reaction kinetics of hydrocarbon generation from kerogen.

Natural gas mixtures trapped in mineral-hosted fluid inclusions provide valuable information about the origin, generation and migration of gases in the geological record. A new on-line method for simultaneous measurements of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of fluid inclusion gases was developed at the GFZ.