Type I Kerogen in the Bazhenov Formation Rocks of the West Siberian Petroleum Basin

The Bazhenov Formation rocks have been found to contain thin luminescent layers enriched in type I kerogen, which is untypical of the majority of organic matter from the Bazhenov Formation in the central part of the West Siberian petroleum basin. The detailed characteristics of the mineral and organic parts of these layers, which are called “alginite-rich layers” by the authors, are provided and variants of their origin are proposed. The wide distribution of the luminescent alginite-rich layers over the area in a single stratigraphic interval allows their use as marker horizons, as well as for assessing the thermal maturity of kerogen. These results contribute to understanding the diversity of the processes that form the organic-rich rocks in the Bazhenov Formation.