Organic Geochemistry Principles and Applications [Paperback]

As this is the first general textbook for the field published in over twenty years, the editors have taken great care to make sure coverage is comprehensive. Diagenesis of organic matter, kerogens, exploration for fossil fuels, and many other subjects are discussed in detail to provide faculty and students with a thorough introduction to organic geochemistry.As this is the first general textbook for the field published in over twenty years, the editors have taken great care to make sure coverage is comprehensive. Diagenesis of organic matter, kerogens, exploration for fossil fuels, and many other subjects are discussed in detail to provide faculty and students with a thorough introduction to organic geochemistry.I Introduction.- 1 Biogeochemical Cycles: A Review of Fundamental Aspects of Organic Matter Formation, Preservation, and Composition.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Organic Matter as an Information Source.- 3. Classification of Living Organisms; the Importance and Diversity of Microbes.- 4. Biogeochemical Cycles and Inventories of Major Bioactive Elements.- 5. Biochemistry and Isotopic Consequences of Incorporation of Bioelements into Biomass; Diagnostic Isotopic Fossils.- 6. Diagnostic Molecular Structures Encoded in Fossil Organic Matter.- 7. Geological History of the Biogeochemical Cycles.- 8. Future Research Directions.- References.- 2 A Review of Macromolecular Organic Compounds That Comprise Living Organisms and Their Role in Kerogen, Coal, and Petroleum Formation.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Inventory of Macromolecular Substances, Their Ocurrence in Organisms, and Their Potential for Survival in Recent Sediments.- 3. Structural Relationships between Kerogen/Coal and Selectively Preserved Resistant Biopolymers.- 4. Consequences for Formation of Oil, Coal, and Gas.- References.- 3 Isotope Fractionation during Primary Production.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Definition of Isotope Terms.- 3. Carbon Isotopes.- 4. Nitrogen Isotopes.- 5. Oxygen Isotopes.- l“0