RWTH Aachen, Federal Republic of Germany

C2-C8 hydrocarbons (36 compounds identified) from 56 shipboard sealed, deep-frozen core samples of DSDP Leg 71, Site 511, Falkland Plateau, South Atlantic, were analyzed by a combined hydrogen stripping-thermovaporization method. Concentrations, which represent hydrocarbons dissolved in the pore water and adsorbed to the mineral sur-faces of the sediment, vary from 24 ng/g of dry weight sediment in Lithologic Unit 4 to 17,400 ng/g in Lithologic Unit 6 ("black shale " unit). Likewise, the organic carbon normalized Cj-Cg hydrocarbon concentrations range from 104 to 3.5 × 105 ng/g Corg. The latter value is more than one order of magnitude lower than expected for petroleum source beds in the main phase of oil generation. The low maturity at 600 meters depth is further supported by light hydrocar-bon concentration ratios. The change of the kerogen type from Lithologic Unit 5 (Type III) to 6 (Type II) is evidenced by changes in the C6 and C7 hydrocarbon composition. Redistribution phenomena are observed close to the Ter-tiary-Cretaceous unconformity and at the contact between the "black shale " unit and the overlying Cretaceous chalks and claystones. Otherwise, the low molecular weight hydrocarbons in Hole 511 are formed in situ and remain at their place of formation. The core samples turned out to be contaminated by large quantities of acetone, which is routinely used as a solvent during sampling procedures onboard Glomar Challenger