Dolomitization of the Lower Part of the Sargelu Formation, Northeastern Iraq

Abstract

The prominent characteristic of the lower part of the Sargelu Formation of the Middle Jurassic is the occurrence of destructive dolomitization. This dolomitized unit, cropped out in the high folded and Imbricated zones in Northern Iraq, is situated in the Gotnia Basin and has been distinctly identified and are documented in previous studies. Dolomite crystals are euhedral in shape; hence, they are classified as saccharoidal dolomite, resulting in the elimination of all biocontent and the destruction of the original rock fabrics. Despite the abundance of intercrystalline pores in this unit and their role in the quality of reservoirs in the oil fields, the origin or mechanism of dolomitization is not well understood yet. The aim of this investigation is to find out a suitable model for the dolomitization and to propose possible mechanisms that led to the dolomitization. At the top of the Lower Jurassic Sehkaniyan Formation, an extensive mass of destructive dolomitization has also occurred. The dolomitic unit of the Sargelu Formation, which extends for hundred kilometers constantly. Stratigraphic correlation reveals that the Sargelu Formation is juxtaposed with different successions, such as the Alan and Sehkaniyan formations, that show evidence about peritidal and sabkha environments, where the dolomitization units were associated with solution collapse breccia and microbial stromatolite. This study proposes that the reflux and burial dolomitization models for the lower part of the Sargelu Formation by comparing the paleoenvironmental conditions of the late Lower Jurassic and early Middle Jurassic in the Gotnia basin with a modern analogue model.