Online Journal for E&P Geoscientists

Khan, Sara H.^*1
(1) Petroleum Geosciences, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The area to the northeast of Al-Ain, called the Al Jaww Plain, is considered as one the primary areas of interest for hydrocarbon exploration and development due to its location in a foreland sedimentary basin caused primarily by ophiolite obduction on the Arabian plate. ADNOC conducted a recent drilling programme on the western flank of Jabal Hafit structure where the primary target was the shelf Mesozoic carbonates. However, lack of information regarding the subsurface geology may hinder successful hydrocarbon exploration and production in the area.

In 1989, the US Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Drilling Company of Abu Dhabi conducted a study involving the use of seismic reflection profiles running across the Al Jaww Plain. After further reprocessing of the seismic data, the east end of the profile IQS-11 terminates in a region of high noise. This cannot be confirmed as the presence of a fault owing to the poor quality of available seismic data.

In 2011, students of The Petroleum Institute in collaboration with ADNOC, visited the same site and conducted gravity and magnetic survey along the seismic line IQS-11. A geological model was created based on the processed data that depicts the presence of an active thrust fault.

This paper further enhances the geological interpretation of the primary area of interest for hydrocarbon exploration, the Al Jaww Plain, by collaboration of passive geophysical techniques (gravity & magnetics) and extremely poor quality seismic. Integration of above mentioned geophysical techniques largely enhances the available geological information of the area by providing a geological model that confirms presence of thrust fault in the Al Jaww Plain.