Chemical characterization of naturally weathered oil residues in the sediment from Yellow River Delta, China

► Discuss the long-term fate of oil spilled in the terrestrial environments of Yellow River Delta. ► The oleanane index, the gammacerane index were assessed for oil spill identification. ► TMNr, TeMNr, PMNr, MPI-1, MPDF, can be applied for the identification of weathered oil spill.