Publication Date:
2011-10-01
Description:
The Levant margin, in the subsurface of the eastern Mediterranean area, formed during the early Mesozoic following rifting and subsequent opening of the southern Tethys Ocean. This work describes the stratigraphic evolution of the shelf edge and slope for this margin in southwestern Israel and in the adjacent Mediterranean Sea. The study is based on the interpretation of 27 wells and 92 seismic reflection lines totaling 2000 km (1243 mi). Depositional sequences and sequence boundaries of the Jurassic and the Cretaceous age inferred from seismic reflection terminations, wireline-log stacking patterns, lithofacies, and biostratigraphic data. Six low-order and 22 high-order depositional cycles were identified. Their stratigraphic architecture reflects shifts of depocenters from the basin to its margin, controlled by eustasy and regional subsidence. Aggrading and backstepping of carbonate platforms in the Levant shelf is associated with relative rises in sea level. Progradation of siliciclastic and carbonate slopes toward the basin is related to relative drops in sea level. The stratigraphic framework of the Levant margin presented here is in accordance with recently published Mesozoic sequence stratigraphy of the Arabian platform, therefore, it may be used as a working model for reconstructing other rifted Tethyan margins in the region. This study further emphasizes the reservoir potential of Jurassic and Cretaceous deep-water lowstand wedges offshore Israel, where extensive exploration efforts are currently occurring. Michael Gardosh received his Ph.D. in geophysics from Tel Aviv University. He worked for the Israel National Oil Company from 1990 to 1997 and for the Geophysical Institute of Israel from 1997 to 2010. Presently, he is the director of the Geophysical Section in the Israel Ministry of Infrastructure. His research interests are the stratigraphy, structure, tectonic evolution, and petroleum systems of the eastern Mediterranean region. Paul Weimer holds the Benson Endowed Chair of the Department of Geological Sciences and serves as the director of the Energy and Minerals Applied Research Center. He is the president of AAPG in 2011–2012. Akiva Flexer is professor (emeritus) of geology in Tel Aviv University. For more than 40 yr, he has studied the geology of Israel and adjacent areas. His areas of interests are stratigraphy and basin analysis, Cretaceous research, geology of the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean, geohydrology, and environmental studies.
Print ISSN:
0149-1423
Electronic ISSN:
1943-2674
Topics:
Geosciences
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