--> Abstract: Syn-Sedimentary Salt Tectonics and Evolution of Cretaceous Carbonate Sedimentation in the Central Persian Gulf, Offshore Iran, by Uwe P. Baaske, Maria Mutti, Francesca Baioni, Guiseppe Bertozzi, Noberto De Marchi, Tesfaye Lakew, and Mostafa A. Naini; #90039 (2005)

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Syn-Sedimentary Salt Tectonics and Evolution of Cretaceous Carbonate Sedimentation in the Central Persian Gulf, Offshore Iran

Uwe P. Baaske1, Maria Mutti1, Francesca Baioni2, Guiseppe Bertozzi2, Noberto De Marchi3, Tesfaye Lakew4, and Mostafa A. Naini5
1 University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
2 Edison S.p.A, Milan, Italy
3 Edison S.p.A, Tehran, Iran
4 Geology consultant, Milan, Italy
5 N.I.O.C, Tehran, Iran

Sedimentary basins influenced by salt tectonics are common in the geological record. Tectonic structures associated with salt movement include a range of characteristic patterns which can be identified in seismic datasets. One approach to do this is to apply seismic geomorphological methods, which are especially useful in basins where deep-seated salt bodies are not well resolved by the seismic method. In this study we focus on an area in the central Persian Gulf, offshore Iran, previously thought to be unaffected by salt tectonics. Interval of interest is the mid-Cretaceous Sarvak Formation. Seismic sedimentological approaches, applied to extensive 2D surveys, show that the stratigraphic evolution of the Sarvak Formation is clearly influenced by deep-seated salt tectonics.

During the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous salt uplift started within the central Persian Gulf. Peak movement of the diapirism was during the mid-Cretaceous (Albian to Turonian). The retro-deformation of seismic surveys and 3D models reveal syn-sedimentary growth of structural highs above the deep-seated Hormuz salt structures, as well as adjacent formation of withdrawal basins. One of the structural highs uplifted by halokinetic movement is part of the Qatar-Fars Arch, a structure previously thought to be exclusively basement related and unaffected by salt tectonics. The syn-sedimentary nature of the salt tectonic activity is shown by onlap structures towards topographic highs and higher Sarvak Formation thicknesses within the withdrawal basins. Furthermore, our studies reveal that the Hormuz rock salt used existing basement faults as pathways for diapirism, especially along the Qatar-Fars Arch.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90039©2005 AAPG Calgary, Alberta, June 16-19, 2005