A sound understanding of the global carbon cycle requires an appreciation of the various physico-chemical and biological processes that determine the production, distribution, deposition and diagenesis of organic matter in the natural environment. This book is a comprehensive interdisciplinary synthesis of this information, coupled with an organic facies approach based on data from both microscopy and bulk organic geochemistry.

Depositional models for organic-carbon-rich sediments have been the subjects of both great interest and great controversy for many years. These sediments serve as the ultimate source of virtually all oil and gas. They also represent the interface between biological and geological processes and provide critical evidence for the state of the atmosphere and oceans. Yet despite their importance and decades of research, the origin of these sediments remains the source of vigorous disagreement. The twelve papers in this volume represent the cutting edge of research in this topic. They explore the origin of organic-carbon-rich sediments through a variety of techniques, including sedimentology, geochemistry, paleontology and computer modeling. All papers take multidisciplinary approaches to the topic, and together, they demonstrate the complex interconnected processes that trigger the deposition of organic carbon. This book will appeal to geoscientists in many disciplines, including explorers for petroleum who need models for source rock deposition, organic and inorganic geochemists who study processes in water and sediment, sedimentologists who interpret ancient deposition environments, and climatologists and oceanographers who reconstruct the behavior of the ancient atmosphere and oceans.

The book on deposition, diagenesis, and weathering of organic matter-rich sediments is a summary of seven years of research work of the author at the Institute of Petroleum and Organic Geochemistry in J}lich. It contains a comparision of various depositional environments (lakes, deltas, seas)with respect to organic matter characteristics, a special chapter on the deposition of the Posidonia shale, a summary of organic matter maturation and related petroleum generation, and a chapter on the use of maturationparameters as calibration tools for numerical modelling of temperature histories of sedimentary basins. Also, microscopic effects of petroleum generation and oil to gas cracking are treated. The final chapters deal withcoals as source rocks for oil and gas and with the effects of weatheringon sediments which are rich in organic matter.

Carbonate rocks have diverse characteristics. They can be excellent reservoirs as well as prolific source rocks for oil. Oils from carbonate rocks commonly have distinctive bulk chemical and molecular characteristics that reveal their origin. The papers collected here are descriptions and interpretations (that is, case histories) of specific carbonate source rocks that range in age from Precambrian to Miocene.

Microscopic organic-walled fossils are found in most sedimentary rocks. The organic particles - spores, pollens and other land and marine derived microfossils, representing animals, plants, fungi and protists - can be extracted and used to date the rock, reveal details of the original sedimentary environment and provide information on the climate of the time. The mix within a sediment of whole organic particles - palynomorphs - and organic fragments - palynodebris - form palynofacies. This book presents research work on the sedimentation of components of palynofacies and details their importance for sequence stratigraphy and the interpretation of ancient biologic and geologic environments. A comprehensive introduction to the subject is presented in the first chapter. Palynosedimentation in modern environments, the reconstruction of terrestrial vegetation and the application of the data to sequence stratigraphy are then considered. Later chapters detail various quantitative methods and their specific applications in the subject. This is a valuable reference work for palynologists and sedimentologists and also for paleobiologists, and for professionals working in the hydrocarbons industries.