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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  organic 
  matter 
  present 
  ; 
  that 
  cellulose 
  compounds 
  derived 
  from 
  higher 
  

   plants 
  are 
  also 
  present 
  in 
  small 
  quantities 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  nitrogenous 
  com- 
  

   pounds 
  and 
  complex 
  compounds 
  of 
  lignin 
  and 
  humus 
  form 
  the 
  bulk 
  

   of 
  the 
  organic 
  matter. 
  He 
  therefore 
  reasons 
  that 
  petroleum 
  must 
  come 
  

   from 
  these 
  complex 
  organic 
  compounds 
  rather 
  than 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  small 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  oils, 
  fats, 
  and 
  cellulose. 
  However, 
  no 
  evidence 
  is 
  pre- 
  

   sented 
  by 
  him 
  which 
  suggests 
  that, 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  pres- 
  

   ent, 
  these 
  other 
  substances 
  may 
  not 
  also 
  have 
  become 
  constituents 
  of 
  

   petroleum. 
  

  

  Whereas 
  Trask's 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  primarily 
  concerned 
  with 
  quantita- 
  

   tive 
  determinations 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  in 
  sediments 
  of 
  particular 
  types 
  of 
  

   organic 
  matter, 
  other 
  investigators 
  have 
  been 
  attempting, 
  through 
  the 
  

   analysis 
  of 
  individual 
  oils 
  and 
  through 
  the 
  isolation 
  of 
  particular 
  or- 
  

   ganic 
  constituents, 
  to 
  develop 
  suggestive 
  relations 
  with 
  living 
  organic 
  

   matter. 
  The 
  presence 
  in 
  crude 
  oils 
  of 
  a 
  wide 
  variety 
  of 
  microscopic 
  

   objects, 
  such 
  as 
  diatoms, 
  Foraminifera, 
  insect 
  scales, 
  and 
  petrified 
  

   wood, 
  may 
  be 
  significant 
  (Sanders, 
  1937). 
  The 
  identification 
  in 
  crude 
  

   petroleum 
  of 
  chlorophyll 
  porphyrins 
  suggests 
  a 
  direct 
  relation 
  with 
  

   higher 
  forms 
  of 
  vegetable 
  life 
  (Triebs, 
  1935). 
  Hlauschek 
  (1936) 
  con- 
  

   siders 
  that 
  plants, 
  producing 
  lignin, 
  form 
  the 
  principal 
  source 
  of 
  cyclic 
  

   hydrocarbons 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  

   straight-chain 
  type 
  of 
  hydrocarbons. 
  Brooks 
  (1936) 
  regards 
  fatty 
  oils 
  

   as 
  the 
  principal 
  source 
  materials, 
  with 
  other 
  types 
  of 
  organic 
  sub- 
  

   stances 
  such 
  as 
  cellulose, 
  starches, 
  sugars, 
  proteins, 
  lignins, 
  and 
  waxes 
  

   as 
  additional 
  sources. 
  He 
  points 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  heptane 
  in 
  pine 
  

   trees 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  terpenes 
  and 
  certain 
  petro- 
  

   leum 
  hydrocarbons. 
  Berl 
  (1938) 
  also 
  regards 
  carbohydrates 
  and 
  

   derivatives 
  thereof 
  as 
  the 
  chief 
  parent 
  material 
  of 
  crude 
  petroleum. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  evolution 
  of 
  life 
  from 
  the 
  earliest 
  times 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  the 
  

   dominant 
  types 
  of 
  plants 
  and 
  animals 
  have 
  been 
  different 
  at 
  various 
  

   periods. 
  It 
  is 
  probable, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  chemical 
  characteristics 
  of 
  

   the 
  remains 
  of 
  such 
  life 
  have 
  also 
  varied. 
  Modern 
  plants, 
  for 
  example, 
  

   doubtless 
  contain 
  more 
  lignin 
  than 
  Paleozoic 
  plants. 
  

  

  Most 
  geologists 
  will 
  probably 
  accept 
  the 
  thesis 
  that 
  petroleum 
  has 
  

   been 
  formed 
  at 
  all 
  times 
  in 
  the 
  earth's 
  past 
  by 
  the 
  transformation 
  of 
  

   the 
  then 
  existing 
  organic 
  matter 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  distinguishing 
  character- 
  

   istics 
  of 
  the 
  petroleum 
  found 
  in 
  deposits 
  of 
  different 
  ages 
  are 
  related 
  

   to 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  particular 
  organic 
  matter 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  area 
  where 
  

   the 
  petroleum 
  was 
  formed 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  its 
  origin. 
  

  

  SOURCE 
  BEDS 
  

  

  The 
  concept 
  that 
  certain 
  sedimentary 
  deposits 
  had 
  greater 
  capacity 
  

   than 
  others 
  to 
  originate 
  petroleum 
  is 
  as 
  old 
  as 
  petroleum 
  geology 
  itself. 
  

   Dana 
  (1871) 
  taught 
  that 
  shales 
  and 
  argillaceous 
  sandstones 
  were 
  the 
  

  

  