oa Plate History and Arabian Play Elements 1. Imprint of Pan-African Amalgamation from Lower Palaeozoic Successions

Exploring for hydrocarbons in mature basins as well as in frontier areas have specific challenges but<br>require a common approach. In mature areas, easy and obvious objectives have already been targeted<br>whereas in frontier basins, choices and decisions have to be made on very little data. In both scenarios<br>de-risking plays and polarizing a portfolio of opportunities should be based on a good knowledge of the<br>entire geological evolution and its impact on the various play elements. At the base of this knowledge<br>lies the understanding the plate tectonic development that requires reviewing a region in a wider context.<br>Specifically for this conference, two important plate tectonic events and their implications for Arabian<br>geology and play concepts will be reviwed:<br>1. The basement and the early, ‘Pan-African’ amalgamation history<br>2. The Pangea break-up and Mesozoic to Cenozoic plate history<br>This first contribution summarises the formation history of the Gondwana Supercontinent and the<br>impact of Pan-African lineaments on Phanerozoic sedimentation patterns. Subsequently, the<br>differences in Proterozoic and Lower Palaeozoic successions across the Arabian Plate are placed in a<br>plate tectonic context.