Patterns of Submarine Sediment Transport in the Southeastern Levant Basin During the Pliocene-Pleistocene

Abstract

The Levant Basin is a proven prolific gas bearing province with discoveries found in Oligo-Miocene reservoirs in the deep basin and in Plio-Pleistocene reservoirs in the continental shelf. While many studies focus on the Oligo-Miocene section in the Levant Basin, the Pliocene-Pleistocene section in the deep basin is less well investigated. In this work the Pliocene-Pleistocene section in the South-Eastern corner of the Levant Basin is studied, aiming to distinguish between different sediment transport patterns in both spatial and temporal distribution. Two 3D seismic volumes, two wells and several, regional 2D seismic lines, were used to map submarine channel systems and to define the flow direction and attributes of their internal and spatial characteristics. Seismic volumes were conditioned using spectral decomposition and coherence to enhance the visualization of the channels. The results show five stages of sediment transport from source to sink: I – a remnant easterly source; II – a direct Nile source with minor channel activity; III – a direct Nile source with increased channel activity; IV – cessation of channel activity in the deep basin and a progradation prism on the Levant continental shelf; V – renewed channel activity and transport of reworked Nile sediments from the Sinai continental shelf. The incision and deposition patterns of the channel systems exhibits an increase in complexity with time. The results may be used to estimate the distribution of potential reservoir rocks for hydrocarbons and for mitigation of geo-hazard risks.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90341 ©2019 AAPG Geoscience Technology Workshop, Exploration and Development of Siliciclastic and Carbonate Reservoirs in the Eastern Mediterranean, Tel Aviv, Israel, February 26-27, 2019