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To: ChanceIs who wrote (138085)7/24/2010 9:55:10 PM
From: Elroy Jetson2 Recommendations  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 206326
 
One way to identify oil is by the silica diatoms contained in that particular strata. The distribution and types are quite unique to each oil and gas formation.

There will also be a heavy metal distribution which is unique to each oil formation providing a unique fingerprint.

While the gas and lighter components have evaporated from the ocean, the diatoms and heavy metals remain evenly distributed in the the asphaltic and heavy fractions of the crude oil.

One tar ball or oil sample from the water and you have a fingerprint of various unique ratios and properties of the oil. Refined oil spills need to be fresher in order obtain a chemical fingerprint to nail freighters and other polluters because the oil has been stripped of the diatoms and many of the heavy metals.

These techniques can be used with a Reference guide create by the industry to identify the source of the oil by geographic region, strata, and sometimes even different wells pumping from the same field.

As an example, during the U.S. oil embargo of Iraq under Saddam Hussein, many American refineries who previously purchased Iraqi crude processed crude from Swiss brokers. You know the Swiss and their large oil fields.

Anyone who chose to know, could have run an analysis on the tanker of crude oil and determined their Swiss crude oil was from Iraq and they could tell you where in Iraq it was produced.
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