The Permo–Triassic Sequence of the Arabian Plate Abstracts of the EAGE’s Third Arabian Plate Geology Workshop, Part II

Abstract

In Iraq the Upper Permian Chia Zairi Formation, together with the overlying Lower Triassic Mirga Mir Formation, forms the chronostratigraphic equivalent of the Khuff Formation of eastern Arabia and the Dalan and Kangan formations of Iran. The Chia Zairi Formation extends from the northern Ora outcrops near the Turkish border to southern Iraq (wells West Kifil-1 and Diwan-1), thus covering the central and eastern parts of the country. It is absent in the far western deserts at the Jordanian border and some areas near the Syrian border (i.e. Khelsia High region and south of Jabal Sinjar) due either to non-deposition or erosion. Lithologically, the Chia Zairi Formation is composed of both carbonates and siliciclastics, and the carbonate proportion increases northward and eastward. However, the formation is deeply buried in most regions except in the northwestern and potentially the southwestern region, where based on seismic, it is estimated to be around 3–5 km deep.