Sunnyside tar sand--comments on source, degradation, and maturity of the heavy oil

Conclusions: 1. Many compounds in the Sunnyside oil have been seen in products from the Green River shale, indicating a Tertiary source for the heavy oil contained in the Sunnyside tar sand. 2. The absence of n-alkanes, branched alkanes, cyclohexanes, benzenes, naphthalenes and phenanthrenes, as well as the presence of demethylated terpanes indicates this material has been subjected to fairly extensive biodegradation. 3. Maturity of the Sunnyside oil cannot be determined by our routine procedures because the parameters we normally use have been too highly altered by biodegradation. However, the presence of biomarkers, including terpanes and steranes, indicates the oil has not reached a high level of maturation.