--> Abstract: Petroleum Prospectivity of the Strike Slip Fault Bounded Pishin Frontier Basin, Pakistan, by Muhammad Iqbal, Hayat Ahmed, Abdul Hameed, Talat Qureshi, and Ghulam Murtaza; #90160 (2012)

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PETROLEUM PROSPECTIVITY OF THE STRIKE SLIP FAULT BOUNDED PISHIN FRONTIER BASIN, PAKISTAN

Muhammad Iqbal, Hayat Ahmed, Abdul Hameed, Talat Qureshi, and Ghulam Murtaza
Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Karachi

Pishin Basin is a young sedimentary basin that has formed since early Tertiary times. It is located between Chaman transform fault in the west and Ghazaband fault in the east. Its extensions are Katawaz and Makran convergence zones in its northern and southern segments. Pishin Basin forms the boundary zone between Afghan Block and Indian Plate.

Pishin Basin is filled with more than 6000 m thick flysch-molasse (Khojak Formation of Oligocene-Lower Miocene and Eocene limestone (Nisai /Nimargh / W akabi). Khojak Formation is subdivided into Murgha Faqirzai Shale and Shaigalu Sandstone. Murgha Faqirzai grades into Shaigalu Sandstone mainly in the northern part of Pishin Basin. A similar sequence is termed Turbat Group, which covers the Makran Ranges (convergence zone) between the Siahan and Nai Rud faults. The Chaman fault proper is marked by Paleocene through Miocene-Pliocene sediments of Rakhshani Formation, ultramafic rocks, Kharan limestone and Kamerod formation. Mostly these sediments have entered into the Chaman fault zone from west with rare fragments of flysch.

Flysch sediments are exposed in the core of folded structures which are bounded by longitudinal faults on both flanks. Splays of Chaman and Ghazaband Fault System dissect the earlier compressional structures and transpressional features related to northward movement of Indian Plate are overprinted on the previous structures.

Till the end of the last century Pishin Basin remained neglected, however, during previous decade a number of exploration blocks have been awarded to E & P companies. Resultantly a substantial G & G database has been established including seismic and drilling an exploratory well. This paper discusses the issues related to basin fill history, structural setting, petroleum system, and application of modern exploration techniques coupled with conventional exploration methods, to highlight the efforts and way forward undertaken, to assess the hydrocarbon prospectivity of this frontier basin with special reference to its southern segment.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90160©2012 PAPG/SPE Annual Technical Conference, 3-5 December 2012, Islamabad, Pakistan.