Effects of Neo-Tethyan evolution on the petroleum system of Persian Gulf Superbasin

Abstract

Considering the Neo-Tethyan tectonic process and the resulting environmental changes, a geodynamic model of “one-way train loading” is proposed to analyze the formation and evolution mechanism of the Persian Gulf Superbasin with the most abundant hydrocarbons in the world. The Persian Gulf Superbasin has long been in a passive continental margin setting since the Late Paleozoic in the process of unidirectional subduction, forming a superior regional space of hydrocarbon accumulation. During the Jurassic–Cretaceous, the Persian Gulf Superbasin drifted slowly at low latitudes, and developed multiple superimposed source-reservoir-caprock assemblages as a combined result of several global geological events such as the Hadley Cell, the Equatorial Upwelling Current, and the Jurassic True Polar Wander. The collision during the evolution of the foreland basin since the Cenozoic led to weak destruction, which was conducive to the preservation of oil and gas. Accordingly, it is believed that the slow drifting and long retention in favorable climate zone of the continent are the critical factors for hydrocarbon enrichment. Moreover, the prospects of hydrocarbon potential in other continents in the Neo-Tethyan were proposed.