The importance of sulfur isotope ratios in the differentiation of Prudhoe Bay crude oils

Sulfur isotopic analyses have been completed for eight Triassic, Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous oils from the Prudhoe Bay field, Alaska. Results presented complement earlier work and further indicate the diagnostic importance of δ 34S values in correlation studies of crude oils. The present work supports an earlier contention that Kuparuk River, Sadlerochit and Lisburne crude oils have a similar source of origin, distinct from that of Kingak oil. If Kingak and Shublik Formations contribute to the Sag River Sand crude oil in the Prudhoe Bay area of Alaska, the same may not be the case for Sag River Sand oil in the Point Barrow area which apparently originated from a different source or combination of sources.