RESINITE-RICH COALS OF NORTHEAST GREENLAND - A HITHERTO UNRECOGNIZED,HIGHLY OIL-PRONE JURASSIC SOURCE-ROCK

Resinite-rich, high sulphur coals present at Hochstetter Forland and i n other areas of northeast Greenland constitute excellent petroleum so urce rocks. Rock-Eval Hydrogen Indices may exceed 700, and the total g eneration potential is estimated at 27 million bb1/km(2). The coals ar e of low rank, and have not realized their generation potential to any significant degree. They are entirely dominated by liptinite-group ma cerals, with resinite being the most abundant constituent, accounting for up to 70 per cent of the coal. Biomarker distributions in saturate d extract fractions display a number of characteristic features, inclu ding high abundance of sesqui- and diterpenoids, high pristane to phyt ane ratios, low CPI, prominence of alkyl- and methyl-alkylcyclohexanes , low abundance of tricyclic triterpanes and extended hopanes, and a m arked predominance of C-29 over C-27 steranes. Feat deposition took pl ace in quiescent nearshore environments, characterized by low elastic input and occasional inundation by the sea. The parent vegetation was dominated by unknown gymnosperms. The existence of Lower and Middle Ju rassic deposits of related type in a number of areas onshore and offsh ore west Norway may hint at a more widespread presence of such coals i n the Jurassic North Atlantic area. If deposits similar to the northea st Greenland coals exist in offshore areas, they may make significant local contributions to the overall petroleum potential of the North At lantic region.