Abstract

The principal objective of a geochemical exploration survey is to establish the presence and distribution of hydrocarbons in the area and, more importantly, to determine the probable hydrocarbon charge to specific exploration leads and prospects. The conventional geochemical techniques have included direct soil analysis, active soil gas measurement, and microbial techniques for detection of hydrocarbon on surface with some limitations. The limitations include the poor adsorptivity of soils, sampling difficulty due to poor soil permeability, low analytical sensitivity, and limited data sets of C1-C5 hydrocarbons (methane-pentane), problems resulting from variable meteorological conditions, and interference from biologically generated methane.