--> Unravelling the Tectono-Stratigraphy of the Eratosthenes High

AAPG Africa Region, The Eastern Mediterranean Mega-Basin: New Data, New Ideas and New Opportunities

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Unravelling the Tectono-Stratigraphy of the Eratosthenes High

Abstract

The Eastern Mediterranean is a long established hydrocarbon province, with numerous gas fields and discoveries, particularly in Egypt’s Nile Delta Basin. In more recent years, this region has witnessed discoveries in increasingly deeper water with substantial biogenic gas fields in Oligo-Miocene clastics offshore Israel (i.e. Tamar and Leviathan) and in Cretaceous shallow-water carbonates offshore Egypt (Zohr). Despite these discoveries, certain areas in the Eastern Mediterranean remain under-explored, leading to a growing interest from international energy companies. This paper presents ExxonMobil’s tectono-stratigraphic understanding of the Eratosthenes Continental Block (ECB) in the Eastern Mediterranean. The differential tilt and changing depocentres of the Eratosthenes Continental Block through time reflects a complex tectono-stratigraphic history driven by eustasy and large far-field tectonic forces. Understanding these processes will help make better predictions regarding the deposition of reservoirs, source rocks and seals, which may in turn, help unlock the remaining under-explored potential in the Eastern Mediterranean.