Comparative Study of Oils from Greater Ughelli and Coastal Swamp Depobelts

Embilakpo Michelle Nabena, Selegha Abrakasa

Abstract: An inter-depobelt camparative study of a suite of oils was carried out based on the generic properties of oils; the oils are from Utorugu and Agbada in the Greater Ughelli depobelt and Clough Creek and Nembe Creek from Coastal Swamp depobelt. Oils were subjected to GC-MS analysis and EICs of m/z 57, were used to derive various generic parametric ratios for the study. The study showed Clough and Nembe Creeks are immature relative to Agbada and Utorugu oils, and it corresponds to differences in geological time frame for the deposition of the depobelts. Agbada and the Nembe Creek oils in the Eastern Niger Delta show less oxic origin compare to Utorugu and Clough Creek oil of the Western Niger Delta. The oils showed similar characteristics for waxiness and Terrigenous-aquatic ratio. The radar plot showed that Nembe and Clough Creeks oils have close profiles for the various parametric ratio, implying the same source, the PCA score plot describes the variableness that showed close variability of the Nembe Creek and Agbada oils based on organic precusors relative to the Nembe and Clough Creeks oils based on all generic parameters used. The study also highlights the fact that oils from same depobelt can be significantly different.

Keywords: Agbada, Clough Creek, generic, inter-depobelts, Nembe Creek, Niger delta basin, Oils, Utorugu