Pleistocene sediments in the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, have been intruded by sills and their organic matter thus subjected to thermal stress. Sediment samples from DSDP/IPOD Sites 477, 478, and 481, and samples of thermally unaltered materials from Sites 474 and 479 were analyzed to characterize the lipids and kerogens and to evaluate the effects of the intrusive thermal stresses. The lipids of the thermally unaltered samples are derived from microbial and terrestrial higher-plant detritus. The samples from the sill proximities contain the distillates, and those adjacent to the sills contain essentially no lipids. The pyrograms of the kerogens from the unaltered samples reflect their predominantly autochthonous microbial origin. When compared with the unaltered samples, the pyrograms of the altered kerogen samples reflect the thermal effects by a reduction in the complexity of the products. Kerogens adjacent to the sills produced little or no pyrolysis products. The effects of intrusions into unconsolidated, wet sediments resulted in in situ pyrolysis of the organic matter, as confirmed by these data.

Sediment depth is given in mbsf. For analysis, various samples were combined to increase their overall amounts.

Supplement to: Simoneit, Bernd R T; Philp, R P (1982): Organic geochemistry of lipids and kerogen and the effects of basalt intrusions on unconsolidated oceanic sediments: Sites 477, 478, and 481, Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. In: Curray, JR; Moore, DG; et al. (eds.), Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (U.S. Govt. Printing Office), 64, 883-904