Bituminous substances and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils under lenses of oil and oil products in underground karst cavities (Polaznenskii Peninsula, Perm region)

Abstract

Bituminous substances and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soils under karst rocks have been studied for revealing fluxes of oil and oil products in karst cavities near the earth’s surface (with the Polaznenskii Peninsula in Perm region as an example). It has been found that the hydrocarbon fluxes from underground oil lenses to the surface can be directly detected from the nonspecific organic components of soils and the composition of free gases circulating in soils. Changes in the soil-geochemical parameters indicative of the presence of an underground oil lens have been revealed. It has been shown that the hydrocarbon fluxes from underground oil lenses to the surface can be mapped from nonspecific organic soil components: composition and amount of bituminous substances, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and gaseous hydrocarbons.