Tectonic evolution and structural geology of the Jurassic succession in the Zubair oil field, southern Iraq

Abstract

This study investigates the structural style and tectonic evolution of Jurassic succession in southern Iraq, within the Zubair oil field, which are crucial for charging oil to the Cretaceous reservoirs, utilized 3-D seismic reflection data to explore its complex geological history. The field is located in the Mesopotamian plain on the northeast Arabian Plate in southern Iraq. Four folds recognized: Hammar, Shuaiba, Rafdyia, and Safwan, each shaped by specific geodynamic processes. Hammar, Shuaiba, and Safwan are characterized as salt-related folds, influenced by salt tectonics. Rafdyia is identified as a compression-related fold formed due to the convergence of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. Forty-seven faults were identified, with diversity patterns and spatial distributions suggesting a tectonic history marked by three distinct phases: extensional tectonics, extensional with concurrent salt activity, and plate convergence. These phases have created a series of graben structures that, along with the identified folds, highlight the role of three primary tectonic processes: basement tectonics, salt dynamics, and plate interactions in shaping the structural style of the Zubair oil field during the Jurassic time.