Abstract: Influence of Orogenesis in Basin Evolution in the Central Asian Republics of the CIS

Simon Otto

A regional synthesis of the structural geology of the central Asia region of the CIS is presented, the study area lying between the Caspian Sea and China and stretching from the Aral Sea south to Afghanistan.

Structural analysis of central Asia illustrates the creation of major regional faults that have acted as planes of weakness during the evolution of the region. These faults were repeatedly reactivated in phases of orogenesis, some of which were centred far from the study area. it is shown that the Eurasian Plate did not act as a rigid, unyielding lithospheric unit, but deformed internally as a response to compression at its margins. The influence of these orogenic events on the evolution of basins in the area is described by means of maps and serial sections.

The role of major faults in governing the spatial distribution of structural traps in petroleum basins within the study area is also examined. These basins are largely gas-prone, and have ultimate recoverable reserves estimated at over 290 trillion cubic feet of gas and 27 billion barrels of liquids.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90956©1995 AAPG International Convention and Exposition Meeting, Nice, France