Hydrocarbon Plays and Prospectivity of the Levantine Basin Offshore Lebanon and Syria from Modern Seismic Data

Glyn F. Roberts¹ and Dave Peace^2
1GGS-Spectrum, Bedford, United Kingdom
²SD Exploration Services, Fleet, United Kingdom

This paper describes the regional tectonic setting and the geological history of the Levantine Basin in the Eastern Mediterranean. It discusses the petroleum prospectivity of the area and, using examples from modern 2D seismic data, shows the different exploration play types found offshore Lebanon and Syria.
The seismic data shows the Levantine basin to be a large, deep basinal depo-centre containing most of the elements for successful hydrocarbon exploration. This includes a sedimentary section of greater than 10,000 Meters thickness, numerous structural features and a wide variety of play types. Although there have been no exploration wells drilled in the deep water offshore Lebanon, Syria or Cyprus, there is a proven oil system in the south east margins of the basin.
Our analysis of the 2D seismic sections (including depth imaged data) indicates numerous petroleum plays. These consist of:
1) Jurassic and older: faulted structures, rollovers and basin margin plays.
2) Upper Jurassic to Middle Cretaceous: mounds, reefs, progrades, drape structures, structural/stratigraphic plays and unconformity plays.
3) Middle Cretaceous to Paleogene: anticlines, fault blocks, rollovers, mounds, drapes, structural/stratigraphic plays and basin margin pinch-outs.
4) Intra Salt (Messinian): bright spots and channels.
5) Post Salt (Pliocene to Recent): channels/mounds.
Depth imaging of the seismic data is shown to aid the evaluation of many of these plays.
The presence of bright spots, flat spots and gas chimneys on the seismic data, together with evidence of hydrocarbon seepage from satellite seep surveys indicate the area's hydrocarbon prospectivity; and points to the area being worthy of further study.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90072 © 2007 AAPG and AAPG European Region Conference, Athens, Greece