ANRV273-EA34-16 ARI 17 April 2006 23:46 Hydrogen Isotopic (D/H) Composition of Organic Matter During Diagenesis and Thermal Maturation Arndt Schimmelmann,1 Alex L. Sessions,2 and Maria Mastalerz3 1Indiana University, Department of Geological Sciences, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-1405; email:
[email protected] 2California Institute of Technology, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Pasadena, California 91125; email:
[email protected] 3Indiana Geological Survey, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-2208; email:
[email protected] Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. Key Words 2006. 34:501–33 First published online as a deuterium, fossil fuel, isotope exchange, isotope fractionation, Review in Advance on catagenesis January 20, 2006 Abstract The Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Science Changes in the D/H ratio of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) during thermal mat- is online at earth.annualreviews.org uration have been difficult to interpret because the effects of hydrogen exchange and by CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY on 05/05/06. For personal use only. kinetic fractionations are confounded in natural samples. Recent analytical develop- Annu. Rev. Earth. Planet. Sci. 2006.34:501-533. Downloaded from arjournals.annualreviews.org doi: 10.1146/ annurev.earth.34.031405.125011 ments have significantly improved our understanding of the responsible mechanisms. In this paper, we review experimental and field data that document a progressive in- Copyright c 2006 by Annual Reviews. All rights crease in the D/H ratio of most organic hydrogen at the bulk and molecular levels, reserved and suggest that the transfer of hydrogen from water to organic matter is the most 0084-6597/06/0530- important mechanism leading to those changes.