Abstract: Geodynamic Evolution of Southwestern Pre-Caspian Region and Neighboring Areas of Northern Caucasus

Konstantin Kleshchev, Vasily Shein

The study area includes two hydrocarbon-bearing basins. They are the southwestern Pre-Caspian basin and the eastern Northern Caucasus basin. They formed by the interaction of East-European, Aravia, Kazakhstan, Northern Caucasus, Guriev, and Ustyurt continental and sub-continental blocks.

In the southwestern Pre-Caspian basin, sedimentation began at passive margins (Early-Middle Paleozoic), included salt deposition while the passive margins deformed in continental collisions (Late Paleozoic), and continued during isostatic compensation (Mesozoic-Cenozoic). Source rocks accumulated on upper Devonian to Carboniferous continental shelves and slopes. Oil and gas are trapped in sub-salt carbonate reservoirs and in clastic and carbonate rocks in complex post-salt structures. Devonian to Permian rocks, which accumulated on the margins of the Guriev continental block, are the most prospective reservoirs.

The eroding Caucasus orogen produced the sediments in the Northern Caucasus basin. Clays (Oligocene-Miocene) deposited on the deep shelf in front of the orogen are the local source rocks. In the northern part of the basin, faulted anticlines are traps in the Mesozoic sequence. Traps are in thrust structures in the southern part of the basin. Carbonate and clastic rocks of the Tersko-Caspian trough are prospective in the basin.

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