Figure 12: (a) Fault and combined fault/stratigraphic ...€¦ · 116 Roberts and Peace (3)...

115

Levantine Basin, Lebanon and Syria

km2

0

km5

0a b

DH

I lea

ds

DH

I lea

ds

Two-way Time (sec)Two-way Time (sec)

Figu

re 1

2 (c

onti

nued

): (b

) Fau

lt a

nd

com

bin

ed f

ault

/str

atig

rap

hic

trap

s in

the

Cre

tace

ous

to P

aleo

gen

e sh

owin

g D

HI

lead

s in

m

ore

det

ail (

on a

lin

e n

earb

y th

at is

sh

own

in 1

2a).

Sec

tion

wid

th a

pp

roxi

mat

ely

23 k

m.

Figu

re 1

2: (a

) Fau

lt a

nd

com

bin

ed f

ault

/str

atig

rap

hic

trap

s in

the

Cre

tace

ous

to P

aleo

gen

e. A

mp

litu

de

bri

ghte

nin

g ad

jace

nt

to th

e fa

ult

s m

ay b

e D

HIs

(Dir

ect H

ydro

carb

on I

nd

icat

ors)

. Sec

tion

wid

th a

pp

roxi

mat

ely

53 k

m.

Sou

thN

orth

Sou

th-S

outh

wes

tN

orth

-Nor

thea

st

LAR

GE

JUR

ASS

IC-C

RET

AC

EOU

S FA

ULT

BLO

CK

WIT

H A

SSO

CIA

TED

FA

ULT

/STR

ATIG

RA

PHIC

TR

APS

2.0

3.0

1.0

4.0

5.0

3.0

4.0

2.0

5.0

5.5

4.5

3.5

2.5

AM

PLIT

UD

E A

NO

MA

LIES

AD

JAC

ENT

TO T

HE

FAU

LTS

Cre

tace

ous

Plio

cene

-Rec

ent

Plio

cene

-Rec

ent

Mes

sini

an S

alt

Top

Jura

ssic

Jura

ssic

Cre

tace

ous

Med

iterr

anea

n S

ea

Med

iterr

anea

n S

ea

Mes

sini

an S

alt

Bas

e Pa

leog

ene

Bas

e Pa

leog

ene

Copyright Gulf PetroLink 2016. All Rights Reserved. Downloaded by [email protected] IP:41.236.25.129

116

Roberts and Peace

(3) Sub-Messinian salt plays (Figure 9)Messinian salt provides a first class seal for potential Miocene reservoirs immediately below the base of the salt. In many cases these rocks are either gently folded, creating four-way dip closures, or pinch-outs below the base salt contact.

(4) Anticlines and faulted anticlines in the middle Cretaceous to Paleogene (Figure 10)In the basinal areas, the Cretaceous to Cenozoic rocks are seen to be gently folded and faulted. The tectonic trend is SW-NE and is believed to be due to ‘Syrian Arc’ deformation and regional basin inversion, which occurred in several phases from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) to the Eocene (Moustafa, 2002). The deformation has been reported to be extensive in the area from Syria through to northern Egypt.

(5) Onlaps in the middle Cretaceous to Paleogene (Figure 11)Onlapping sequences are extensive along the eastern and western margin of the Levantine Basin (as seen in Figure 7 and 11) as well as being found deeper offshore over the Jurassic highs (Figure 15). Potential reservoirs could thus be found if suitable top/bottom seals are present.

(6) Fault blocks and combined fault/stratigraphic traps in the middle Cretaceous to Paleogene (Figures 12a and 12b)This example shows a syn-rift play on the eastern margin of the Levantine Basin. The potential reservoir sands show amplitude brightening and are a prime candidate for further geophysical work such as pre-stack amplitude analysis (e.g. AVO).

(7) Large inversion structures in the Cretaceous to Paleogene (Figure 13)These are a larger version of the play described in (4) above and are typically around 10 km in width and 20 to 30 km in length.

(8) Carbonate build-ups in the Cretaceous (e.g. rudist reefs) to Miocene (Figure 9 and 14)Carbonate build-ups are seen on the platform margin in a number of areas, including the fringe of a large Jurassic high in the southern part of offshore Lebanon (Figure 14). It is suggested here that some of these build-ups may have originated as rudist reefs. Rudist reefs of Albian to Turonian age have been reported to outcrop south of the study area in the Carmel region (Bein, 1976) and elsewhere in the Mediterranean (Philip, 1988). Rudists are bivalve reef builders, which are believed to have formed topographic wave-resistant banks or reefs. Dissolution of the aragonite skeletons and dolomitisation can produce extensive secondary porosity. With the rudists dying-out in the Turonian, we postulate that growth of some of the carbonate mounds continued, by another as yet unidentified reef-builder, into Paleogene-Neogene time – until the start of the Messinian Salinity Crisis. This is illustrated in Figure 14 where the reef complex sits on a large, presumably very stable, Jurassic high in the southern part of offshore Lebanon, and is overlain by Messinian salt. Reefs of Cenozoic age have been recognised elsewhere in the Mediterranean, e.g. on the Balearic Islands (Pomar, 2001a, b).

(9) Onlap and drape onto Jurassic highs (Figure 15)The Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary is marked by an angular unconformity with Cretaceous sequences onlapping and draping over a faulted Jurassic terrain. These structural and stratigraphic plays rely on the presence of Cretaceous reservoir rock and seal, and could be sourced from either the Jurassic or Cretaceous successions.

(10) Jurassic sediments in anticlines/horsts or inverted grabens (Figure 15 and 16)Subaerial exposure and erosion of the Jurassic sediments may have enhanced the reservoir properties of the rocks and created talus and alluvial plays. The overlying Cretaceous marls would act as the seal and the play could be sourced either from the underlying Jurassic, or from structurally deeper Cretaceous sequences.

(11) Jurassic carbonate build-ups on highs (Figure 9)This play relies on the presence of pre-Jurassic or Lower Jurassic highs on which carbonate reefs were built up.


117


km5

0

Larg

e C

reta

ceou

s-N

eoge

ne in

vers

ion

(20

km x

10

km)

Figu

re 1

3: L

arge

inve

rsio

n s

tru

ctu

re in

the

Cre

tace

ous-

Neo

gen

e. S

ecti

on w

idth

ap

pro

xim

atel

y 45

km

.

Two-way Time (sec)

Wes

tE

ast

LAR

GE

INVE

RSI

ON

STR

UC

TUR

E IN

TH

E C

RET

AC

EOU

S TO

NEO

GEN

E

Top

Jura

ssic

Plio

cene

-Rec

ent

Med

iterr

anea

n S

ea

3.0

5.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

7.0

Mes

sini

an S

alt

Bas

e Pa

leog

ene

Low

er C

reta

ceou

s

Upp

er C

reta

ceou

s


118

Roberts and Peace

km5

0

Jura

ssic

kars

t pla

yC

reta

ceou

s-N

eoge

ne R

eefs

(?)

on J

uras

sic

high

Fore

reef

Tal

us

Allu

vial

fans

Figu

re 1

4: C

reta

ceou

s to

Mio

cen

e ca

rbon

ate

bu

ild

-up

on

a J

ura

ssic

hig

h o

ffsh

ore

in th

e so

uth

ern

par

t of

Leb

anon

. Th

e re

ef s

its

on t

he

mar

gin

of

the

hig

h a

nd

can

be

reco

gnis

ed i

n a

sim

ilar

pos

itio

n o

n a

nu

mb

er o

f li

nes

in

th

e vi

cin

ity.

Th

ere

is a

lso

a p

ossi

ble

kar

sifi

ed p

lay

to th

e E

ast (

nea

rer

shor

e). S

ecti

on w

idth

ap

pro

xim

atel

y 75

km

.

Two-way Time (sec)C

RET

AC

EOU

S TO

MIO

CEN

E C

AR

BO

NAT

E B

UIL

D-U

P (R

EEF)

Wes

tE

ast

2.0

4.0

3.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

Med

iterr

anea

n S

ea

Mes

sini

an S

alt

Plio

cene

-Rec

ent

Bas

e Pa

leog

ene

Top

Jura

ssic

Cre

tace

ous


119


km5

0

Bas

in m

argi

n fa

n

Onl

ap a

nd d

rape

ont

o Ju

rass

ic h

ighs

Figu

re 1

5: O

nla

p a

nd

dra

pe

of C

reta

ceou

s se

dim

ents

on

to J

ura

ssic

hig

hs.

Als

o sh

own

is a

not

her

pos

sib

le p

lay

on th

e E

aste

rn m

argi

n o

f th

e B

asin

- a

bas

in m

argi

n f

an o

f C

reta

ceou

s ag

e. S

ecti

on w

idth

ap

pro

xim

atel

y 50

km

.

Two-way Time (sec)W

est

Eas

t

3.0

3.5

5.0

5.5

2.0

2.5

4.0

4.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

ON

LAP

AN

D D

RA

PE O

F C

RET

AC

EOU

S SE

DIM

ENTS

ON

TO J

UR

ASS

IC H

IGH

S

Top

Jura

ssic

Cre

tace

ous

Mes

sini

an S

alt

Plio

cene

-Rec

ent

Med

iterr

anea

n S

ea

Bas

e Pa

leog

ene


120

Roberts and Peace

km5

0km

100

Larg

e (3

5 km

x 6

0 km

) inv

ersi

on a

t Jur

assi

c le

vel

Figu

re 1

6: L

arge

(35

km

x 6

0 k

m) J

ura

ssic

inve

rsio

n. S

ecti

on w

idth

ap

pro

xim

atel

y 95

km

.

Wes

tE

ast

Two-way Time (sec)

3.0

5.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

LAR

GE

JUR

ASS

IC IN

VER

SIO

N S

TRU

CTU

RE

Plio

cene

-Rec

ent

Med

iterr

anea

n S

ea

Mes

sini

an S

alt

Bas

e Pa

leog

ene

Jura

ssic

Tria

ssic

Low

er C

reta

ceou

s

Upp

er C

reta

ceou

s


121


km10

0

Figu

re 1

7: P

ossi

ble

Tri

assi

c p

lays

- th

e sh

allo

wer

on

es c

ould

be

dri

llab

le. S

ecti

on w

idth

ap

pox

imat

ely

140

km

.

Two-way Time (sec)

Wes

t-Nor

thw

est

Eas

t-Sou

thea

st

4.0

3.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

9.0

8.0

POSS

IBLE

TR

IASS

IC P

LAYS

Cre

tace

ous

Tria

ssic

Tria

ssic

Mes

sini

an S

alt

Plio

cene

-Rec

ent

Bas

e Pa

leog

ene

Jura

ssic

Tria

ssic


122

Roberts and Peace

(12) Jurassic Karst plays (Figure 14)Changes in the seismic character of data on the top of Jurassic highs strongly indicate the possibility of karstification and a possible play sealed by overlying Lower Cretaceous mudstones (Breman, 2006).

(13) Triassic plays (Figure 17)Triassic plays are common onshore Syria and could be expected along the continental margin. The deeper water area also shows evidence of faulted pre-Jurassic terrain, which could be related to the early opening of the east Mediterranean basin during the Triassic. One of the critical components in any of these deep plays would be depth of burial and the possibility of over-maturity in the deeper parts of the basin.

The location of some of these extensive plays and leads are shown in Figure 18.

CONCLUSIONS

The Levantine Basin is a large, thick sedimentary basin with rocks from Triassic to Recent age, which has exhibited passive-margin processes and sedimentation for more than a 100 million years. Over this period, subsidence, uplift and tectonic processes have created a favourable regime for hydrocarbon

Faults

Leads

Structural elements and plays offshore

Major thrust belts

Compressed Salt

ErathosthenesSea mount

West Levantinebasin-margin ridge

Jurassic High(Offshore South Lebanon)

Basin areas

Figure 18: Leads (i.e. potential petroleum prospects) are shown in yellow and have been identified and mapped from the seismic data. The lead areas often include more than one play type. They are posted on a structural elements map. Minor faults have been omitted.

Cilicia-

Adana

Basin

Latakia Trough

LevantineBasin

LatakiaRidge

System

Nile Delta Basin

MediterraneanSea

EratosthenesSeamount

TURKEY

CYPRUS

Dea

d S

ea T

rans

form

LEBA

NON

JORDAN

SYRIA

Isken

deru

n Bas

in

EXPLORATION LEADS

Larnaca Ridge

35° 36°34°33°32°31°30°E

35° 36°34°33°32°31°30°

35°

36°N

34°

33°

32°

35°

36°

34°

33°

32°

km

500N


123


generation and trapping. Offshore Lebanon and Syria is very much an under-explored province with numerous plays from the Triassic to Tertiary in shallow to deep waters. These plays have been highlighted by modern seismic data whose availability will spur-on exploration efforts in the area and aid the authorities and oil companies in future petroleum licensing rounds.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors thank GGS-Spectrum, Fugro Geoteam, staff at Spectrum Energy and Information Technology (now GGS-Spectrum), Alan Taylor (A.T. Energy Ltd.), Dave Meaux (AOA Geophysics Inc.), Paul Chandler (Infoterra), the Lebanese and Syrian authorities, and two anonymous referees. GeoArabia’s Editor-in-Chief, Moujahed Al-Husseini and Designer Arnold Egdane are thanked for preparing the final editing and designs.

REFERENCES

Aal, A.A., A.E. Barkooky, M. Gerrits, H.-J. Meyer, M. Schwander and H. Zaki 2001. Tectonic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean basin and its significance for the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Nile Delta deepwater areas. GeoArabia, v. 6, no. 3, p. 363-384.

Aksu, A.E., J. Hall and C. Yaltirak 2005. Miocene to recent tectonic evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean: new pieces of the old Mediterranean puzzle. Marine Geology, v. 221, p. 1-13.

Bein, A. 1976. Rudistid fringing reefs of Cretaceous shallow platform of Israel. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 60, no. 2, p. 258-272.

Breman, E. 2006. Oil and gas plays in the East Mediterranean. 5th Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain/Houston Geological Society, African Conference, London, (Expanded Abstract).

Butler, R.W.H., E. McClelland and R.E. Jones 1999. Calibrating the duration and timing of the Messinian salinity crisis in the Mediterranean: linked tectonoclimatic signals in thrust-top basins in Sicily. Journal of the Geological Society of London, v. 156, p. 827-835.

Feinstein, S., Z. Aizenshtat, I. Miloslavski, J. Slager, P. Gerling and L. Snowdon 1993. Migrational stratification of hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean basin. Abstracts, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, International Conference, p. 1621-1622.

Flexer, A., M. Gardosh, I. Bruner and A.Y. Dror 2000. The tale of an inverted basin: eastern Mediterranean – offshore Israel. Abstracts, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, International Conference, Cairo.

Gardosh, A., A. Flexer and P. Weimer 2002. Mesozoic petroleum systems in the southeastern Mediterranean continental margin. Abstracts, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, International Conference.

Gardosh, M. and Y. Druckman 2005. The structure of an inverted early Mesozoic, intracontinental rift and its implications for hydrocarbon exploration: the Levantine basin, southeastern Mediterranean. Abstracts, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, International Conference.

Gardosh, M. and Y. Druckman 2006. Seismic stratigraphy, structure and tectonic evolution of the Levantine basin, offshore Israel. In, A.H.F. Robertson and D. Mountrakis (Eds.), Geological Society, Special Publication no. 260, p. 201-227.

Garfunkel, Z. 1998. Constrains on the origin and history of the eastern Mediterranean basin. Tectonophysics, v. 298, p. 5-35.

Garfunkel, Z. 2005. Origin of the eastern Mediterranean basin: a reevaluation. Tectonophysics, v. 391, p. 11-34.Gradmann, S., C. Hubscher, Z. Ben-Avraham, D. Gajewski and G. Netzeband 2005. Salt tectonics off northern

Israel. Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 22, p. 597-611.Horscroft, T.R. and J.M. Peck 2005. ‘Bottom up’ analysis identifies eastern Mediterranean prospects. Offshore

Magazine, v. 65, no. 6.Lipson-Benitah, S., A. Flexer, B. Derin, A. Rosenfeld and A. Honigstein 1988. Cenomanian-Turonian organic

facies onshore and offshore, Israel: prognosis for petroleum exploration. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 72, no. 8, p. 1012.

Maddox, S.J. 2000. The Lower Pliocene gas sands of offshore Israel and Gaza – a new play in the eastern Mediterranean basin. Abstracts, EAGE Conference on Geology and Petroleum Geology, Malta.

May, P.R. 1991. The Eastern Mediterranean Mesozoic Basin: evolution and oil habitat. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 75, no. 7, p. 1215-1232.

Montadert, L., L. Sage and J. Letouzey 1988. Geological structure of the deep eastern Mediterranean Sea (east of 25°E). American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 72, p. 1014.

Moustafa, A.R. 2002. Structural style and timing of Syrian Arc deformation in northern Egypt. Abstracts, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, International Conference, Cairo.

Nader, F.H. and R. Swennen 2004. The hydrocarbon potential of Lebanon: new insights from regional correlations and studies of Jurassic dolomitization. Journal of Petroleum Geology, v. 27, p. 253-275.

Peace, D.G. and M. Johnson 2001. New Hydrocarbon occurrences in the Eastern Mediterranean. Abstracts, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Annual Meeting.


124

Roberts and Peace

Peace, D.G. and M. Johnson 2001. Structural styles and associated natural oil seeps in the eastern Mediterranean. Abstracts, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Annual Meeting, Poster.

Philip, J.M. 1988. Cretaceous rudist-reefs of the Mediterranean realm. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 72, no. 8, p. 1019.

Pomar, L. 2001. Ecological control of sedimentary accommodation: evolution from a carbonate ramp to rimmed shelf, Upper Miocene, Balearic Islands. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology and Palaeoecology, v. 175, p. 249-272.

Pomar, L. 2001. Types of carbonate platforms: a genetic approach. Basin Research, v. 13, p. 313-334.Robertson, A.H.F. 1998. Mesozoic-Tertiary tectonic evolution of the easternmost Mediterranean area: integration

of marine and land evidence. In, A.H.F. Robertson, K.-C. Emeis, C. Richer and A. Camerlenghi (Eds.), Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program. Scientific Results, v. 160, no. 54, p. 723-782.

Tannenbaum, E. and M.D. Lewan 2003. Regional Upper Cretaceous (Senonian) petroleum source rocks in the Middle East and North Africa. Abstracts, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Annual Meeting.

Vidal, N., J. Alvarez-Marron and D. Klaeschen 2000. Internal configuration of the Levantine basin from seismic reflection data (eastern Mediterranean). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 180, p. 77-89.

Glyn Roberts is the New Ventures Manager of GGS-Spectrum’s Non-Exclusive Survey Department. He is a Geologist with 30 years experience for Geophysical Contractors from GSI/HGS to Nopec International to TGS-Nopec and GGS-Spectrum.

[email protected]

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Manuscript received November 1, 2006

Revised January 24, 2007

Accepted January 25, 2007

Press version proofread by authors May 14, 2007

David Peace is an Independent Consultant with SD Exploration Services. His career started nearly 40 years ago with Esso Exploration in EAME region and covered evaluation of many play types in the greater Mediterranean and North Africa region. He later worked extensively as a consultant with AGIP-ENI based in Milan and the UK where he evaluated many regions around Italy and the central Mediterranean region. In 1987 he was a new venture opportunity specialist with Texaco for the EAME region and in the 1990 was appointed as Exploration Director of Texaco Italiana based in Rome where he first started looking at the Eastern Mediterranean potential. In 1998 he left Texaco and started his own consulting business SDES. He has subsequently carried out regional scale interpretation of the Spectrum - GGS seismic data covering the entire Eastern Mediterranean region. He has arranged regional SAR natural oil seep studies and potential fields evaluations of the Eastern Mediterranean region. More recently he has been involved in more detailed prospect evaluation and licence work in the Levantine Basin region.

[email protected]


Figure 12: (a) Fault and combined fault/stratigraphic ...€¦ · 116 Roberts and Peace (3)...

Documents

Transcript of Figure 12: (a) Fault and combined fault/stratigraphic ...€¦ · 116 Roberts and Peace (3)...