Sequence Stratigraphy Of The Paleozoic Successions In Saudi Arabia

In recent years, non-associated gas, condensate, and Arabian super light oil were discovered in the sandstones and carbonates of the Paleozoic successions in Oman, Qatar, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The exploration and production wells from these multiple reservoirs have yielded immense amount of data on the subsurface geology of both reservoir and non-reservoir formations. The sequence stratigraphy of the Paleozoic Successions in Saudi Arabia was constructed by using measured stratigraphic sections at outcrops and subsurface data from deep exploration and water wells. The successions have been subjected to a complex tectonic history. The two major tectonic events (Devonian Caledonian and Mid-Carboniferous Hercynian orogenesis), the two episodes (Late Ordovician and Permo-Carboniferous) of the Gondwanaland glaciations, and finally the break-up unconformity during the Late Permian time caused major deformations, regional erosion, peneplanation and deep incisions of valleys on the Arabian Platform. The maximum flooding surfaces were developed as result of melting ice mass during the deglaciation periods. These events are especially obvious in the stratigraphic record, and were used as regional correlation markers with other countries.