oa Sequence Stratigraphy, Reservoirs, Diagenesis and Hydrocarbon Contents in the Khuff Formation and its Equivalents: Independent or Linked?

Thirty years ago, the author undertook a detailed sedimentological, petrographic and reservoir quality evaluation of extensive cores through the Khuff Formation from Well Zakum-182 in offshore Abu Dhabi. Many new observations, including detailed depositional and early diagenetic fabrics preserved during dolomite replacement and the presence of sulphur as a late diagenetic phase infilling the cores of anhydrite nodules, vugs and fractures, ignited a lifelong interest in this fascinating formation and its equivalents, notably the Dalan and Kangan formations of Iran. This was followed by a much larger project in which the author, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, was responsible for a regional analysis of the sedimentology, diagenesis and reservoir quality of the Khuff Formation over a wide area ranging from subsurface sections in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar to outcrops in Saudi Arabia, Oman and the Musandam Peninsula.