carbonaceous rocks of the Denizli Area, Western Turkey

The sediments under examination constitute part of the Hayrettin Formation expanding to the northwest of Augol (Denizli/Turkey) containing coal. The aims of this study are to assess the organic matter content (Corg, %), type, maturity and established paleoenvironment of deposition based primarily on Rock-Eval pyrolysis data, biomarker distributions and delta C-13, delta N-15 values. The total organic carbon (Corg, %) contents of carbonaceous rocks range from 0.21% to 39.61%, and hydrogen index (HI) values are between 25 and 174 mg HC/g rock. The samples studied contain type III organic matter (OM). T-max values for the Hayrettin carbonaceous rocks range from 400 to 437 degrees C. Vitrinite reflectance values (Ro) are between 0.26% and 0.36%, and these values reveal that the carbonaceous rocks are at peat-lignite coal stage. On the basis of biomarker maturity parameters, these rocks are immature. The high pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph) ratios (0.79-7.85), low C-35 homohopane index (0.02-0.07) indicates that carbonaceous rocks were deposited in a suboxic environment. delta C-13 (range from -26.06 parts per thousand to -23.88 parts per thousand) and delta N-15 (range from 2.63 parts per thousand to 3.33 parts per thousand) values, high concentrations of C-29 steranes (C29 > C28 > C27) and C-26/C-25 tricyclic terpane ratios (1.00 and 1.18) indicate that these carbonaceous rocks formed in a peat-swamp environment. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved