Insights into catalytic effects of clay minerals on hydrocarbon composition of generated liquid products during oil cracking from laboratory pyrolysis experiments

•Catalytic effects by clay minerals as analogs for “matrix effects” on hydrocarbons.•Understanding of C-C bond breaking mechanisms through “heterogeneous catalysts”.•Catalytic effects from both Brønsted acid and Lewis acid sites on clay minerals.•Determination where cracked hydrocarbons were originally heated before migrations.