Geology of Azerbaijan.

South Caspian
Elchin Bagirov
UFAZ
February 2021
Agenda
• Tectonic elements
• Stratigraphy
• Tectonic Evolutions
• Plays and depositional environment
• Sedimentation models
• Pressure and temperature
• Petroleum systems
• Fields
• Prospects
 • South part of the Caspian Sea and adjacent
Lower Kura and West Turkmenian sub-basins
• The deepest hole in the planet – sedimentary
cover up to 25 km
• Highest sedimentation rate – in Pliocene-
Pleistocene up to 2 km/ MY
https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/2201/I/pdf/B-2201-I_508.pdf
Tectonic elements of the South Caspian Basin

Guliyev et al. 2010

Stratigraphy

Green et al, 2009

Baganz, Bagirov
 Stratigraphy of South Caspian Basin
• Jurassic and Cretaceous of the South
Caspian are no penetrated by wells and
are deep
• Paleocene – Sumgait Suite – red brown
clays and grey marls
• Eocene – Koun or Govundag Suite – marls,
carbonate shales, interbedded with
sandstones
Stratigraphy of South Caspian Basin
• Oligocene – Lower
Miocene – mainly marine
shales, organically rich
with thin sand layers.
Source Rock
• Chokrak-Tarkhan Shales
and sandstones
• Diatom Suite – shale with
thin sandstone – Source
Rock
• Pontian - shales
 Stratigraphy of South Caspian Basin
• Pliocene – Agchagil and Productive
Series
• Productive Series Suites
• Surakhany
• Sabunchi
• Balakhany (hor V in Baku Archip)
• Fasila (Pereryva) (Hor VII in Bak Archip)
• QÜG- Qırmaki-Üstü-Gilli (NKG)
• QÜQ – Qırmaki Üstü Qumlu (NKP) (Hor.
VIII in Baku Archip)
• QLD Qırmaki Lay Dəstəsi – KS
• QA – Qırmaki Altı (PK)
• QaLD – Qala Lay Dəstəsi (KaS)
 South Caspian Plate

Granath et al, 2007

The crust of South Caspian Basin is oceanic.

Subduction to the north under Middle
Caspian basin
Accretionary prism

Green et al, 2009

P. Mamedov
In Alizadeh et al. Geosciences in Azerbaijan, 2016
Ализаде и др. Продуктивная Толща Азербайджана, 2018
https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/2201/I/pdf/B-2201-I_508.pdf
Tectonic elements of the South Caspian Basin

Guliyev et al. 2010

Paleosen (Danian) – 66-61.6 MA
• Limited sedimentation
due to collision with
Anatolian plate
• Forming of South
Emba-Karatau
• Sea deepens toward
north
Eocene (Ypresian) – 56-47.8 MA
• Backarc basin in Iran
territory
• Talysh
Eocene (Priabonian) –37.8 – 33.9 MA

• Arabic plate approaches

• Sedimentation in South
Caspian and Kura
Oligocene (Rupelian) –33.9 – 27.8 MA
• Collision with Arabic
plate
• Foreland basins
• Shallow water
environment
Miocene (Tortonian) –11.6-7.2 MA
• Compression
• Orogeny of Greater
Caucasus
• Foreland of Greater
Caucasus
• Separation of
Caspian from Black
Sea
Pliocene – 3.6-2.6 MA

• Caspian Lake
formes
• Fluvial and
lacustrine
sedimentation
Paleogeography of the
region
Brunet et al, 2003
Paleogeography
 Волга Карабогаз-Гол

Кура
Карабогаз-Гол

Амударья

Quartz
9
9 9
99
9 999 9
9 99 99
9 9
9 99 9 999
Артек
9
99 9
99 9
9999 999 9
9 9
9
999
9 99999999999 999 Сефидруд
9 99
9 999 9 99 9 9 9
9
9
9 999 99
9
99 999 9999 9 9 9 Горган
9 9 9999 9
9 99 99 9 9
999
9 99 9 9
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б/н
Feldspar Lithic б/н

километры
Палеодельты Южного Каспия
South Caspian Basin

Cyclicity Model: Marine Glacioeustasy Cyclicity Model: Temperate Lake

Sea level Lake level

wet
Regressive and Transgressive
lowstand deposits deposits
dominate dominate

dry dry Discharge

Discharge

wet
Lower Productive Series Palaeogeographic reconstructions for the
Apsheron Peninsula and surrounding area at…..
(A) a time of maximum aridity and minimum coarse clastic input,

(B) establishment of a sheetflood dominated terminal fluvial system

at a time of increasing climatic humidity, and

(C) maximum humidity results in lacustrine expansion and

inundation of the Apsheron Peninsula area.

D) relates the palaeogeographic reconstructions A, B, and C to

an idealised high frequency (20,000 year) climatic cycle. Based
on a model by Clifton et al., 2000; Abreu et al., 2000; Nummedal
and Clifton, 2002
Upper Productive Series Palaeogeographic reconstructions for the
Apsheron Peninsula and surrounding area at…..

(A) a time of maximum aridity and minimum coarse clastic input,

(B) (B) a period of major fluvial expansion during a time of
increasing climatic humidity resulting in the establishment of a
large sand-rich braid delta down depositional dip of the
Apsheron Peninsula,
(C) as discharge decreases, lower net to gross, low sinuousity
braided fluvial systems become established

D) relates the palaeogeographic reconstructions A, B, and C to

an idealised low frequency (1,00,000 year?) climatic cycle
 Productive Series Climate

Schematic diagram in which higher frequency

climatic cyclicity is superimposed upon a lower
frequency trend towards increasing aridity in
the upper Productive Series.
Aridity may be the result of long-term climatic
change or due to the increased topographic
influence of the Greater Caucasus.
The long-term trend results in reduced
lacustrine influence in the upper Productive
Series.
This trend culminates in reduced ability of
fluvial systems to carry coarse clastic sediment
and resulting in mudstone dominated Sabunchi
and Surakhany suites.
South Caspian at the beginning of Qala time
• Separated from ocean
and dried
• Dry lowland
• Rough landscape
• Lots of canyons and
hills
• Volga river started to
fill the depression
 Qala (Bagirov et al, 2019)

Area of study
Sedimentary facies in the
area
 Single river channels
 Braided river systems
 Progradational delta
. Single river channels in KaS of Gunashli field
 Incised valley-fill
 Barrier islands - bars
 Bay-fill deposits
 Coastal plain deposits

Braided river channels in KaS

 Qala sedimentation

filling of the incised valleys

progradational delta systems and their representation in

KaS section.

Coastal plain facies in KaS section on Chilov field

Qala Bay-fill sediments and Barrier island
 Depositional system

Upper Qala Middle Qala

Lower Qala
Qala Summary
• Mainly fluvial sediments
• The lower part of Qala suite represent has patchy form and formed by
filling of canyons, valleys and incisions
• Overall, Qala sands are not sheet-like layers
• Correlation of Qala layers are not trivial
• Migration pathways within Qala layer are complicated due to
discontinuity of subleyer
PK
 Pre-Fasila: Qırmaki altı - QA (PK) in Kirmaki valley

Nummedal, Clifton et al, 1998

Nummedal, Clifton et al, 1998
KS Kirmaki Suite
KS (Reynolds et al - 1998
• Thin sandy layers
• Delta plain
• Getting more shaly to the south
NKP
NKP
NKG
 Sabael 1
SOUTH CASPIAN BASIN: UMID
Dashly 5 Umid 04

Shah Deniz 2 COP ONLY

Shah Deniz

-40SPBL
mV 10 -40SPBL
mV 10 -40SPBL
mV 10 Babe
Meters
GR 120 TVDSS Meters
GR 120 TVDSS Meters
GR 120 TVDSS Meters
GR 120 TVDSS
0 1/s 0 1/s 0 1/s k 0 1/s
-5800
-5400
-5500
TOP FASILA TOP FASILA TOP FASILA TopFasila TOP FASILA
-6600

-5900
-5500
SD Base Sand-5600
Package 2
S
-6700
A
Nad-Kirmaki SD Sand Package 3 N
Nad-Kirmaki {2}
-6000 Nad-Kirmaki
Nad-Kirmaki {2}
D
-5600
-5700

NKG Nad-Kirmaki
A

-5800

NKP B

C
 SOUTH CASPIAN BASIN: UMID
Bulla Deniz 70
Bulla Deniz Umid
Umid 04
Babek
Babek
Zafar
ZAFX 1H1

SP 0
-40 mV -40SPBL
mV 10
Meters
GR 120 TVDSS Meters
GR 120 TVDSS Meters
GR 120 TVDSS
0 1/s 0 1/s 0 1/s

TOP FASILA -5300 TOP FASILA Top Fasila TOP FASILA

-5900
Nad-Kirmaki
-6600
A
SD Base Sand Package 2

-5400
-6700 -6000
NKG SD Sand Package 3

Top NKP
-5500
NKP Top KS
-6100

Nad-Kirmaki

-6200
B
Gum
Adasy
8 March
Bahar
Bulla-
Deniz
Shah-
Garasu
Deniz
Umid Top NKP -6300
Dashly
Babek
Sabail Mashal

Zafar
C
Nakhchivan
 SOUTH CASPIAN BASIN: UMID
Fasila/Nad-Kirmaky Lithology

Land Lake
Sands Dominantly Shale increases in
Fluvial Channel upper section
N Deposits S

Fasila

NKG
NKP

Kirmaky (KS)

Aeolian dune sands in

Lower Fasila/NKG?
Fasila and NKG
conformable
Fasila
Fasila seal
FASILA
Balakhany
Balakhany
Sabunchi-Surakhany