Chapter from:
AAPG Memoir 68:Regional and Petroleum Geology of the Black Sea and Surrounding Region, Edited by A.G. Robinson
AAPG Memoir 68: Regional and Petroleum Geology of the Black Sea and Surrounding Region. Chapter 16: Results of Geochemical Analysis of Seeps and Potential Source Rocks from Northern Turkey and the Turkish Black Sea, by A. Sami Derman and Y. Haluk Iztan, Pages 313-330

A. Sami Derman
Y. Haluk Iztan
Turkish Petroleum Corp.
Ankara, Turkey

ABSTRACT

Hydrocarbon shows have been known in northern Turkey for more than 100 years. Close to the Black Sea, several source rock units, mainly from outcrops but also from wells, have been tested for source rock potential. Organic geochemical studies on subsurface and surface samples indicate that there are several potential hydrocarbon source rock units in the region: the Kartal Formation (Early Devonian), Yilanli Formation (Middle Devonian-Early Carboniferous), Alacaagzi and Zonguldak Formations (Carboniferous), Himmetpasa  Formation (Middle Jurassic), Caglayan and Ulus Formations (Cretaceous), Yemislicay Formation (Late Cretaceous) and Kusuri Formation (Eocene). The Zonguldak and Himmetpasa formations are composed of predominantly gas-prone vitrinite macerals. The coal samples from the Alacaagzi Formation have a different maceral composition consisting predominantly of sporinite, which is capable of producing oil. Four surface oil seeps, one seep from offshore of Rize, one oil show from Igneada-1 well, one gas seep from the Ulus Basin, and one gas sample from the Akcakoca-1 well, have been analyzed using classical organic geochemical techniques (pyrolysis, gas chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). An attempt has been made to correlate possible source rock in the area with the Armutcuk oil seep. Results of geochemical analysis of the oil seeps from different localities in the Black Sea region indicate that they have been derived from different units.