Northern Apennines Marl

Northern Apennines Marl This sample is from Miocene strata in the Perticara basin (Italy) which consists of gypsum deposits interbedded with bituminous marl layers deposited during the Mediterranean salinity crisis (54). Detailed information on the hydrocarbons and OSC in the bitumen of this sample have been reported elsewhere (9.16.54). 

Units consisting of linear carbon skeletons occur less abundantly in the resins of the Northern Apennines Marl bitumen than in those of the Jurf ed Darawish-156 bitumen. Mass chromatograms of m/z 87 and 101 (Figure 11)... 

Figure 9. Partial total ion chromatograms of the flash pyrolysates (358 and 610°C) of the polar fraction of the Northern Apennines Marl bitumen.

Figure 12. Total ion chromatogram (a) and m/z 57 mass chromatogram (b) of the hydrocarbons obtained upon desulfurisation of the polar fraction of the Northern Apennines Marl bitumen. Numbers indicate total number of carbon atoms of n-alkanes. The inset in Figure 12b shows a partial mass chromatogram of m/z 113.

In summary, Raney Ni desulfurisation of the polar fraction of the Northern Apennines Marl further supports the presence of (poly)sulfide-linked phytanyl, docosanyl and cholestanyl moieties (some of them with additional intramolecular sulfur linkages) in the resin fraction as proposed from the pyrolysis experiments. In addition, a number of other structural units are revealed e.g. pentakishomohopane, carotenoids, n-alkanes and isoprenoid alkanes. The reason why these structural units are not revealed by the pyrolysis experiments may be (i) their much lower relative abundance (e.g.9 other n-alkanes and isoprenoid alkanes), (ii) their attachment in the macromolecules by more than one (poly)sulfide linkage, which make their release from the macromolecule by flash pyrolysis unlikely ([Pg.522]

Fig. 2. Schematic stratigraphy of the northern Apennines Epi-Ligurian sequences. (A) Upper Eocene-Lower Miocene succession. (B) Bismantova-Termina succession. S1-S4, depositional sequences B1-B3, arenite petrofacies. Bl, hybrid arenites B2, arkosic arenites B3, feldspathic lithic arenites 1, marls 2, resedimented arkosic and lithic arenites 3, hybrid arenites 4, silty marls. Modified from Amorosi Spadafora (1995).

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