The tectonic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean basin and its control on hydrocarbon distribution

Abstract

Recent discoveries of giant, deep-water gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin (EMB) have revealed abundant hydrocarbon resources and significant exploration potential in turbidite and reef reservoirs (e.g., in the Tamar and Levantine fields, and the Zohr and Calypso fields, respectively). However, further exploration is currently constrained by the lack of detailed knowledge on the development of the basin. This paper presents a systematic model of the tectonic evolution of the EMB based on an analysis of new 2D seismic data and relevant published literature, assesses the main petroleum systems operating in the basin, and identifies prospective zones for future exploration. The modeling of a sequence of 12 prototype basins, restored from the seismic data, enable the tectonic evolution of the EMB to be divided into three stages: a rift stage, a ‘drift’ stage (including post-rift thermal subsidence), and a ‘convergence and transformation’ stage. This latest stage can be divided into four chronologically and geographically distinct sub-stages.The structural and stratigraphic architecture of the EMB, and hence the hydrocarbon distribution in the basin, evolved during the rifting of continental fragments from Gondwana (e.g., the Tauride–Anatolian plate, and the Kyrenia, Troodos, and Eratosthenes micro-plates), followed by their northward drift and collision with Eurasia. Six hydrocarbon plays are identified in this paper, two of which are previously unrecognized: the Mesozoic intra-platform reef play in the Eratosthenes Seamount, and the Mesozoic and Miocene ‘double-stacked’ platform-margin reef play in the ‘high–low structure belt’ south of the Eratosthenes Seamount. These two high-quality reef plays, together with stratigraphic and fault-block traps in the northern Levant Basin, are identified as the most prospective hydrocarbon exploration targets in the EMB.