Hydrocarbon Potential in Pakistan--A Geological Perspective

KEMAL, ARIF, Oil & Gas Development Corporation, Islamabad, Pakistan

Share of petroleum in the energy mix of Pakistan is about 76%. Indigenous oil production meets only one-third of the requirement while the remaining is imported at a high cost. The pinch of soaring crude prices of the late 1970s accelerated the search for new petroleum resources. The last decade saw a notable increase in petroleum exploration as well as production of oil and gas.

Pakistan lies along part of the Tertiary convergence zone and straddles the boundaries between Indian, Arabian, and Eurasian plates. It has a large sedimentary area and a proven petroleum potential. The basin evolution along the fringe of proto-Indian Ocean and subsequent modifications by continental collison can be correlated with the plate tectonic history.

Better understanding of the geological history and the petroleum geodynamics have contributed in the finding of new resources. At the advent of the last decade, application of conceptual geological modeling opened up a new petroleum province in the south. Application of the state-of-the-art technique has made it possible to identify attractive prospects in the geologically complex imbricate zone in the northern province. The vast Indus basin also has the possibilities associated with stratigraphic, reefal, and other subtle trapping mechanisms.

Finally, the Baluchistan basin and the continental shelf have only been marginally explored. The prospects for the future seem extremely bright, particularly the unproven Indus delta and the Baluchistan basin, which may drastically change the situation.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91004 © 1991 AAPG Annual Convention Dallas, Texas, April 7-10, 1991 (2009)