Page 175 - Geology and Geochemistry of Oil and Gas

144 ORIGIN OF OIL AND NATURAL GAS

processes. Electrical currents cause interstitial solutions to flow through practically
impervious muds (from positive to negative ‘‘electrode’’).
What are the possible effects of electric currents on the oil generation from or-
ganic matter? This question should be answered first by the experimental work in the
laboratory.
The Earth’s radioactive field is being carefully studied, especially during the recent
decades. The formation of hydrocarbons and other compounds from organic matter
as a result of radioactivity is established. A connection between radioactivity and oil
fields (and bituminous sequences, e.g., the Bazhenov Formation, Russia) has been
established. Additional work, however, is needed in this field.
There is a possibility of the low potential energy directly transforming into the
chemical high potential energy. During the recent years, the effect of mechanical
fields attracts evergrowing attention. Some authors attempted to apply it to the
problem of organic matter transformation in the Earth’s crust. Thus, the geody-
namic compaction and seismic activity may be considered as energy sources during
the oil-generation cycle.
It should be mentioned that Ignatchenko (1968) discussed the possible effect of
seismicity on the coals, quoting A. A. Gapeev’s experiments on the effect of impacts.
Ignatchenko stated that although there is no convincing evidence of the metamor-
phic effect of the elastic waves on organic matter, there is a need for further studies.
The energy, which causes elastic and plastic deformations of rocks, also signif-
icantly affects the entire complex of physicochemical processes of the organic matter
generation and accumulation. A field survey and a laboratory modeling (by Yu. A.
Pitsukha) indicate that during the tectonically caused plastic deformations of sed-
imentary rocks, these rocks are mechanically activated. As a result, various phy-
sicochemical processes occur. In the process, the tectonomechanical energy is
converted within the rock matrix into electric, heat and chemical forms of energy.
The released energy, with active participation of the chemically and physically ad-
sorbed water molecules, causes spontaneous processes, which result in the generation
of hydrocarbons and various organic-mineral compounds.
A laboratory study of seismic action on rocks (conducted by Siberian scientists:
N. V. Cherskiy, V. P. Tsarev, and T. I. Soroka) showed that certain changes occur in
response to weak elastic deformations at 30–40 Hz frequency and temperature be-
tween 201C and 701C. They include an increase in carbon content and decrease in
hydrogen content within the insoluble portion of organic matter, and increase in the
role of aromatic structures. At the same time, hydrocarbon content significantly
increases in the soluble portion of organic matter (in: Eremenko and Chilingar, 1996,
p. 163).
Thus, mechanochemical reactions may help transform the source organic matter
and generate hydrocarbons in a low-temperature environment as a result of elastic
and plastic deformations.
One must be very careful when transferring laboratory results to the natural
environments. The Earth does not have thermodynamically isolated coats (covers).
The energy transfer occurs as conduction (heat) and convection (mass). Classical
hypotheses of organic origin of oil accept only the convection energy transfer into