28. QUANTITY, PROVENANCE, AND THERMAL MATURITY OF ORGANIC MATTER FROM THE NEW JERSEY CONTINENTAL MARGIN, DEEP SEA DRILLING PROJECT LEG 951

Using methods of analysis from organic geochemistry and organic petrography, we investigated six Pliocene to Maestrichtian samples from DSDP Site 612 and five Pliocene to Eocene samples from DSDP Site 613 for the quantity, type, and thermal maturity of organic matter. At both sites, organic carbon content is low in the Eocene samples (0.10 to 0.20%) and relatively high in the Plio-cene/Miocene samples (0.87 to 1.15%). The Maestrichtian samples from Site 612 contain about 0.6 % organic carbon. The organic matter is predominantly terrigenous, as indicated by low hydrogen index values from Rock-Eval pyrolysis and the dominance of long-chain wax alkanes in the extractable hydrocarbons. The organic matter is at a low level of thermal maturity; measured vitrinite reflectance values were between 0.27 and 0.44%