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Petroleum geology of the Persian Gulf basin
Behrooz Esrafili-Dizaji
MAPSA Co.
Petroleum Engineering Department
This paper was selected for presentation by http://azut.blogfa.com
The Persian Gulf Basin is an elongate, margin
sag-interior sag, sedimentary basin spanning the
last 650 Ma along the northeastern subducting
margin of the Arabian Plate and is the largest
basin with active salt tectonism in the world.
This basin is asymmetrical in NE-SW cross
section with sediments thickening from 4,500 m
near the Arabian Shield to 18,000 m beside the
Main Zagros Reverse Fault. In fact, this basin is
situated in the offshore of Zagros Fold Belt
(Edgell, 1996). The Persian Gulf Basin is the
richest region of the World in terms of
hydrocarbon resources. According to different
estimates, the basin contains 55–68% of
recoverable oil reserves and more than 40% of
gas reserves (Konyuhov and Maleki, 2006). The
Permo-Triassic Khuff gas and Jurassic Arab oil
reservoirs are well known in this area.
The Qatar Arch (or Kazerun-Qatar Fault) had
main effect on depositional and tectonic history,
and petroleum systems formation in the Persian
Gulf basin. In the most of geological time, this
basin separated by Kazerun fault in to major
Southern (right part or Fars province) and
Northern (West part or Dezful province and its
offshore) Persian Gulf Basin. At the base of the
sedimentary succession in the Fars region a 1–2
km thick Cambrian salt (the Hormuz Formation)
overlies the Precambrian metamorphic
basement and acts as the main detachment in
this region. It has allowed the deformation to
migrate rapidly away from the collision zone
resulting in the formation of the broad Fars fold
belt. In contrast, to the west of the Kazerun Fault
Zone the Hormuz salt is absent and the
deformation has moved much less rapidly
resulting in the formation of the Dezful
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Embayment (Sepehr et al., 2006). Most of the
gas is found in the Permo-Triassic carbonate
sequence of the Dehram Group, an equivalent of
the Khuff Formation of Arabia situated in the
right part of Kazerun fault (Alsharhan and
Nairn, 1997). Statistical reviews show that more
than 90% of the huge Iranian gas reserves are
contained in Permo-Triassic carbonates. Dezful
Embayment in the left part of the fault, which is
one of the world’s richest oil provinces,
containing some 8% of global oil reserves in an
area of only 60,000 sq. km (Bordnave and
Hegre, 2005).
Three types of reservoir-related positive
elements were dominant in this area: (1) broad
regional paleohighs (such as Qatar Arch), (2)
horsts and tilted fault blocks trending
NNE-SSW, and (3) salt domes (sach as Kangan
Field structure) (Murris, 1980; Alsharhan and
Nairn, 1997). Some 60% of the ultimate
recoverable oil reserves of the Persian Gulf
Basin originate from salt tectonism, and 40% of
the known world oil reserves are, thus, due to
salt diapirism in this basin (Edgell, 1996). Two
petroleum systems are recognized, sourced by
rocks of Silurian and Jurassic-Cretaceous age.
1) Lower Total Petroleum System
(Sarchahan, Zakeen, Faraghan, Dalan and
Kangan and Dashtak Formations): Mostly in
right part of basin with gas reserves.
2) Upper Total Petroleum System (Surmeh
(Arab), Hith, Fahliyan, Gadvan, Dariyan,
Kazhdumi, Sarvak (Mishrif), Ilam, Jahrum,
Ghar , Asmari, Pabdeh, Gurpi, Kazhdumi,
Garau, Sargelu, Gachsaran Formation): most of
oil field in the Northern Persian Gulf basin
References
Alsharhan, A.S., Naim, A.E.M., 1997.
Sedimentary Basins and Petroleum Geology of
the Middle East. Elsevier, Netherlands. 843 pp.
Bordenave, M. L., , Hegre, J. A., 2005. The
influence of tectonics on the entrapment of oil in
the Dezful embayment, Zagros Fold belt, Iran.
Journal of Petroleum Geology, Vol. 28(4),
October, pp 339 - 368
Fig. 1) Persian Gulf basin and it's oil and gasfields.
-2-
Edgell H.S., 1996. Salt tectonism in the Persian
Gulf Basin, Geological Society, London,
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