Triassic

Triassic Hydrocarbon Reservoirs
HR 6
4 Nov. 2020
Tectonics of Triassic Period
Back-arc Basin Subduction of Paleo-Tethys
Listric Fault
Post-Rift basin produce shallow water environment and again

produce depositions of GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS of shallow
marine environment
The Triassic Period Deposition
• Also one of the most important feature in this TMS is the
development of the listric fault.
• Listric faults: is very large scale curved or spoon shaped faults have
high dip near the surface and low dip at depth. It may reach 10-12 Km
depth. They played an important role during the formation of the
folds in the folded zone.
• Listric fault is an indication for extension environment.
General nomenclatures of sedimentary environment
Basinal Outer Shelf Inner Shelf Continental

All formations of
Triassic Period
Basinal Outer Shelf Inner Shelf Continental
The Triassic Period Deposition
• The shallow environment produce shallow deposits
• Thick Permo-Triassic platform and ramp carbonate with subordinate
evaporite and clastics.
• This TMS records the first Noe-Tethys passive margin of Arabian Plate.
• The development of this passive margin is clearly expressed by very
rapid subsidence due to Listric Faults resulting in a major marine
transgression and deposition of various formations that prepared
• PETROLEUM SYSTEM
Passive Margin Passive Margin
of Arabian Plate of Iranian Plate
Deposition of Triassic
formations in Kurdistan
Triassic Petroleum
• The Triassic succession on the northern Arabian platform contains
reservoir, source and seal lithologies. It is a target for future oil
exploration, particularly in NW, west and SW Iraq and central.
• Here, the Triassic succession is locally > 2500 m thick as a result of rift-
related subsidence.
Stratigraphy of Triassic Period
Five formations were deposited in Kurdistan area with their sedimentary
environments
Fm. Age Lithology
Baluti Late Triassic Lagoon /evaporite environment
Kurra Chine Late Triassic • Carbonate- evaporite inner shelf +
restricted Lagoon
Geli Khana Middle Triassic • Upper Division…Shallow marine
• Lower Division..near shore +locally
Beduh Early Triassic • Shallow marine
Mirga Mir Early Triassic • Lagoon condition
The Triassic Period deposition
• The area characterized by minor phases of uplift followed
by rifting, and made important three features for
producing petroleum systems:
• 1-This rifting is evidenced by dark limestones with open
marine biotas deposit during the upper Geli Khana Fm.
• 2- the evaporites at the base of the Kurra Chine Fm.
• 3- Also rifting may created mild folding which play
important role in oil entrapment
The Triassic Period deposition
• The area characterized by minor phases of uplift followed
by rifting, and made important three features for
producing petroleum systems:
• 1-This rifting is evidenced by dark limestones with open
marine biotas deposit during the upper Geli Khana Fm.
• 2- the evaporites at the base of the Kurra Chine Fm.
• 3- Also rifting may created mild folding which play
important role in oil entrapment
Mirga Mir Formation
• Age: Early Triassic
• Lithology: Thin bedded, grey and yellow, many

limestones and shales with slump beds and
recrystalized breccias, oolitic limestones at the base
with wisps of sandstone.
• Reference ( Van Bellen, 2004) p. 137

Beduh Shale Formation
• Age : Early Triassic
• Lithology: Red- brown and purplish shales and marls, some

silty, with subordinate thin ribs of limestones with sandy
streaks.

Geli Khana Formation
• Age : Middle Triassic
• Lithology: Laminated ferruginous dolomite with black chert, dark

dolomite with band of dolomitic limestones. Hard ,fine-grained, dark
grey limestones. Bluish shale with intercalation of yellowish limstones.
Greyish thin-bedded limestones and limy shales.

Kurra Chine Formation
• Age : Late Triassic
• Lithology: Dark brown and black limestones, alternately thin-bedded

and thick-bedded, with intercalation of thick-bedded dolomites.

Baluti Shale Formation
• Age : Late Triassic
• Lithology: Grey and green shales, calcareous , dolomitic, with

intercalation of thin bedded dolomitized limestones, silicified
limestones, recrystalized breccias.

Source, Reservoir and Seal in
Triassic
Source Rocks
• The Triassic succession in Northern Iraq contains thin beds of
carbonaceous mudstones and bituminous limestones.
• The analysis of the source potential of the Upper Triassic Kurra Chine
Formation from seven wells in the Mosul area of NW Iraq.
• Alan-l, Ain Zalah-l, Butmah-15, Jebel Kand-l, Mileh Tharthar-l, Qalian-l

and Sufaiyah-l:
Source Rocks
• Total Oil Content TOC contents Kurra Chine Fm. ranged from 0.3 to
5% and the samples ranged from immature to mature with
Production Indices of 0.25-0.55 recorded at Butmah-15.
• The samples also contained Types II and III kerogen which was mature
for oil generation.
Reservoir Rocks
• Triassic reservoir rocks in Iraq contain < 1 % of oil reserves.
• The most important reservoir rocks occur in the 500 m thick Upper
Triassic Kurra Chine Formation, are composed of limestones and
anhydrites
• For example in the Butmah, Sufaiyah and Alan oil fields in northern
Iraq, which occur between two thick anhydrite intervals and were
probably intensively fractured during folding.
• The Kurrra Chine Formation apparently with little porosity; production
is probably controlled by fractures. Free oil was encountered at depths
of 2569-2570 m in Alan-1 and gas shows at 2564 m. in well Alan-2,
Reservoir Rocks
• Also in Ibrahim 1 the Kurra Chine Formation occurred at 2756-2778 m
• And Sufaiya 1 … gas and condensate at 2884-2906 m, and oil and
water from 2927 m to 3045 m.
• The Lower Triassic succession (Mirga Mir Formation) includes several
potential reservoir intervals.
• Chia Zairi and Mirga Mir Formations at the Mityaha-l
• Reservoir intervals may occur within the overlying Geli Khana
Formation composed of carbonates, sometimes capped by evaporite
Reservoir Rocks
• The uppermost Triassic to lowermost Jurassic Baluti and Butmah

formations locally contain carbonates and sandstones with reservoir
potential.
• In addition, the reservoir quality of the Triassic carbonates may be

enhanced by secondary porosity development at sequence
boundaries
Seal Rocks
• The uppermost anhydrite unit of the Kurra Chine Formation and the
overlying Baluti Shale probably serve as regional seals for the Triassic
petroleum system.
• Migration of oil into overlying Mesozoic and Tertiary reservoirs is only
likely to have occurred in structures affected by intense Late Tertiary
fracturing.
• Shales, marls and argillaceous limestones within the Mirga Mir
Formation and mudstones in the Beduh Formation probably act as
regional seals at the base of the Triassic petroleum system and
become seal for Paleozoic migration.
Maturity
• Maturation of source rocks in Triassic petroleum in Iraq occurred
during maximum burial which took place as a result of Neogene
Subsidence.
• Accordingly Triassic section is mature for generation beneath the

Mesopotamian basin and beneath Sinjar Trough.
• It is Immature in western Iraq over the Khleisia and Ga’ara Highs.

Time of hydrocarbon Generation
• In western and SW Iraq, Triassic rocks have not yet entered the oil
generation window but will be mature for oil generation on the flanks
of the Salman Zone and Khleisia High.
• The Triassic is probably 8 to 9 km deep in eastern Iraq close to the
Iranian border. In deeper parts of the basin system, gas generation
from Triassic source rocks probably began in the Cretaceous and
ended during the Cenozoic as source rocks became over-mature.
Entrapment of oil and gas
• Extensional structures (tilted blocks) due to listric faults may have

formed during the Middle and Late Triassic.
• Extension was probably related to M. to L. Triassic rifting along the

margins of Neo-Tethys to the NE. This extension may have led to the
formation of early tilted fault blocks, and further deformed by
inversion and folding in the Late Tertiary.
Migration of oil and gas
• The migration paths for oils in the Triassic petroleum system in Iraq
were short, because of…..
• The source rock intervals in the Kurra chine Dolomite produced oils
which either migrated for only short distances within the Dolomite
itself, or migrated down into the underlying Permian Sandstone.
• The two phases of migration into reservoirs: an early, post-
compaction event, and late stage migration post-dating fracturing.
Thank you

Triassic

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Triassic

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Triassic Hydrocarbon Reservoirs

Post-Rift basin produce shallow water environment and again

Basinal Outer Shelf Inner Shelf Continental

• Lithology: Thin bedded, grey and yellow, many

• Reference ( Van Bellen, 2004) p. 137

• Lithology: Red- brown and purplish shales and marls, some

• Reference ( Van Bellen, 2004) p. 50

• Lithology: Laminated ferruginous dolomite with black chert, dark

• Reference ( Van Bellen, 2004) p. 81

• Lithology: Dark brown and black limestones, alternately thin-bedded

• Reference ( Van Bellen, 2004) p. 119

• Lithology: Grey and green shales, calcareous , dolomitic, with

• Reference ( Van Bellen, 2004) p. 47

• Alan-l, Ain Zalah-l, Butmah-15, Jebel Kand-l, Mileh Tharthar-l, Qalian-l

• The uppermost Triassic to lowermost Jurassic Baluti and Butmah

• In addition, the reservoir quality of the Triassic carbonates may be

• Accordingly Triassic section is mature for generation beneath the

• It is Immature in western Iraq over the Khleisia and Ga’ara Highs.

• Extensional structures (tilted blocks) due to listric faults may have

• Extension was probably related to M. to L. Triassic rifting along the

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