Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea

<p>Folds associated with inverted extensional faults are important exploration targets in many basins across our planet. A common cause for failure to trap hydrocarbons in inversion structures is crestal breaching or erosion of top seal. The likelihood of failure increases as the intensity of...

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Main Authors: W. Bosworth, G. Tari
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2021-01-01
Series:Solid Earth
Online Access:https://se.copernicus.org/articles/12/59/2021/se-12-59-2021.pdf
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author W. Bosworth
G. Tari
author_facet W. Bosworth
G. Tari
author_sort W. Bosworth
collection DOAJ
description <p>Folds associated with inverted extensional faults are important exploration targets in many basins across our planet. A common cause for failure to trap hydrocarbons in inversion structures is crestal breaching or erosion of top seal. The likelihood of failure increases as the intensity of inversion grows. Inversion also decreases the amount of overburden, which can adversely affect maturation of source rocks within the underlying syn-extensional stratigraphic section. However, many rift basins are multi-phase in origin, and in some cases the various syn-rift and post-rift events are separated by multiple phases of shortening. When an inversion event is followed by a later phase of extension and subsidence, new top seals can be deposited and hydrocarbon maturation enhanced or reinitiated. These more complex rift histories can result in intra-basinal folds that have higher chances of success than single-phase inversion-related targets. In other basins, repeated inversion events can occur without significant intervening extension. This can also produce more complicated hydrocarbon maturation histories and trap geometries. Multiple phases of rifting and inversion affected numerous basins in North Africa and the Black Sea region and produced some structures that are now prolific hydrocarbon producing fields and others that failed. Understanding a basin's sequence of extensional and contractional events and the resulting complex interactions is essential to formulating successful exploration strategies in these settings.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-150506903dc4437fb6a521f687d9efc02022-12-21T22:27:09ZengCopernicus PublicationsSolid Earth1869-95101869-95292021-01-0112597710.5194/se-12-59-2021Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black SeaW. Bosworth0G. Tari1Apache Egypt Companies, 11 Street 281, New Maadi, Cairo, EgyptOMV Upstream, Exploration, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, Austria<p>Folds associated with inverted extensional faults are important exploration targets in many basins across our planet. A common cause for failure to trap hydrocarbons in inversion structures is crestal breaching or erosion of top seal. The likelihood of failure increases as the intensity of inversion grows. Inversion also decreases the amount of overburden, which can adversely affect maturation of source rocks within the underlying syn-extensional stratigraphic section. However, many rift basins are multi-phase in origin, and in some cases the various syn-rift and post-rift events are separated by multiple phases of shortening. When an inversion event is followed by a later phase of extension and subsidence, new top seals can be deposited and hydrocarbon maturation enhanced or reinitiated. These more complex rift histories can result in intra-basinal folds that have higher chances of success than single-phase inversion-related targets. In other basins, repeated inversion events can occur without significant intervening extension. This can also produce more complicated hydrocarbon maturation histories and trap geometries. Multiple phases of rifting and inversion affected numerous basins in North Africa and the Black Sea region and produced some structures that are now prolific hydrocarbon producing fields and others that failed. Understanding a basin's sequence of extensional and contractional events and the resulting complex interactions is essential to formulating successful exploration strategies in these settings.</p>https://se.copernicus.org/articles/12/59/2021/se-12-59-2021.pdf
spellingShingle W. Bosworth
G. Tari
Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea
Solid Earth
title Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea
title_full Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea
title_fullStr Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea
title_full_unstemmed Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea
title_short Hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion: examples from the Western Desert (Egypt) and the western Black Sea
title_sort hydrocarbon accumulation in basins with multiple phases of extension and inversion examples from the western desert egypt and the western black sea
url https://se.copernicus.org/articles/12/59/2021/se-12-59-2021.pdf
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