The term evaporative fractionation is proposed to describe several phenomena involved in the secondary alteration of reservoired oil. Firstly, it is suggested that oil is frequently partially vaporized in the reservoir; secondly, that gas, bearing substantial portions of the oil in solution, is conducted along faults to form independent gas-condensate accumulations; thirdly, that residual oils formed in this fashion bear internal evidence of fractionation. In addition to the conspicuous loss of light ends, there is an increase in the content of light aromatic and naphthenic hydrocarbons relative to paraffins in the residual oil. Evaporative fractionation effects are recognized for the first time in the distillation and physical property data of US Bureau of Mines Routine Method Oil Analyses. Experimental evidence shows that partial vaporization results in enhanced levels of light aromatic hydrocarbons in residual oils. Additional aspects of the subject are discussed.