BARDE, JEAN-PIERRE, P. CHAMBERLAIN, J.A. HARWIJANTO, J. PARK, C.W.M. VAN OOSTERHOUT, and A. VREEKEN, (Shell Temir evaluation team), Rijswijk, The Netherlands

Abstract: Exploration in the Temir Block, Pricaspian Basin, Kazakhstan: Integration of Surface and Subsurface Data in a Salt Basin

The Temir block is located at the eastern edge of the Pricaspian salt basin and is currently operated by Shell, in partnership with Veba Oel. In the eastern part of the Pricaspian basin, a thick (> 5km) sequence of Upper Permian and Triassic redbeds, derived from the Ural fold belt to the east, were deposited on a highly unstable layer of Kungurian salt. Interaction of terrigenous deposition and active salt tectonics led to the formation of a network of salt walls surrounding sub-circular basins in which a wide variety of hydrocarbon trapping configurations occur (e.g. salt flank traps, roll-overs, turtle backs, salt overhang traps). The processes by which salt was being removed, because of sediment loading, is still happening today in some local "mini-basins". These processes will be discussed as analogues to Upper Permian and Triassic depositional environments.

To properly explore this block, full use of surface data (such as surface geology, surface/shallow subsurface hydrocarbon seepages, topography/geomorphology), is essential. These data are integrated in a visual manner with geophysically defined structures and well results in the subsurface, which lead to a better understanding of geological processes and prospectivity. We will demonstrate the power of integrating mutiple data sets of high resolution topography, satellite imagery, gravity and seismic data. This type of approach can be successfully applied to other basins in the world where the surface geology is related to the subsurface structure. 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90923@1999 International Conference and Exhibition, Birmingham, England