2001 Volume 54 Issue 54 Pages 21-36
Maceral compositions of kerogen in various sedimentary environments of the Upper Miocene to Pleistocene strata distributed in the Chuo Oil Field, Niigata back arc basin in Japan are examined. NFA and vitrinite of terrestrial origin are abundant in the sediments deposited in the outer shelf, lower slope and basin floor submarine fans. In the outer shelf environment vitrinite increases with the decrease of NFA content toward the shore. The outer shelf sediments not always contain abundant amount of vitrinite comparing with the submarine fan sediments. Maceral distribution pattern is explained by the sedimentary facies analysis to have been controlled by not only the distance from the shore but also the transportation processes of the sediments.