Revision of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Oil-Bearing Formations in Lebanon

Bellos, George S.¹
(1)Department of Geology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.

The entire Carbonate, clastic and marly sequences of the Mesozoic will be presented herein. The present work will briefly outline and define its hydrocarbon potential.

1. The Triassic to Jurassic Transition: Rhaetian to Hettangian (209.6-196.5 Ma): The lowermost units of the Kesrouane? Fm (J1-4a?), where the Triassic and Lower Jurassic strata are to be determined. (Boundary at 199.6 Ma.)

2. The Lower to Middle Jurassic: Hettangian to Bathonian (196.5-164.8): The upper units of the Kesrouane Fm (J4bor J6), including dolomites and the topmost stromatoproid beds.

3. Late Middle Jurassic: Callovian to Oxfordian (164.8-154.1 Ma): The Bhannes Fm (J5 or βJ6), which include basalt, cinterite and limestone phenocrysts, locally.

4. Late Jurassic: Kimmeridgian to Lower Tithonian (155.7.1-144 Ma): the Bikfaya Fm (J6 or J6a).

5. Uppermost Jurassic to Lowermost Cretaceous: Upper Tithonian - Berriasian to Valanginian (144-132 Ma): The Salima Fm (J7 , J7a and C1a) showing both Jurassic and Cretaceous strata, which also includes a major hiatus between the Berriasian and the Valanginan - where block faulting and volcanic eruptions occurred. (Boundary at 145.5 Ma.)

6. Early Cretaceous: Wealden - Barremian to Lower Aptian (132-121 Ma): The Chouf-Abeih Fm’s. (C1b and C2a).

7. Late Early Cretaceous: Mid to Upper-Aptian to Albian, i.e. Vraconian (121-98.9 Ma): The Mdairej, Dahr Baidar and the Hammana Fm’s. (C2b1, C2b2 and C3).

8. Early Late Cretaceous: Cenomanian to Turonian (98.9-89 Ma): The Sannine and Maameltain Fm’s (C4 and C5).

9. Late Cretaceous to Early Paleocene: Senonian to Danian (89-60.9 Ma): The Chekka Fm (C6), including the Eocene Nummulitic Fm’s (e1), near Zahleh. (Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary at 65.5 Ma.)

Aspects of the study will include the stratigraphic analysis and sedimentology of carbonate sequences; the role of diagenesis, karst, faulting and fracturing in carbonate and clastic reservoirs of the Tethyan realm.

The present understanding of the petroleum systems in Lebanon, proposes two major plays:

(1) The onshore Qartaba structure - associated to the Syrian Arc Deformation - where pre-Jurassic prospects is considered to be of major interest; and,

(2) the offshore northern Lebanon local Miocene reef platform structures, which are believed to provide attractive reservoirs.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90135©2011 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Milan, Italy, 23-26 October 2011.