Palaeo-exposure surfaces in Cenomanian - Santonian carbonate reservoirs in the dezful embayment, SW Iran

Cretaceous carbonates host major hydrocarbon reserves in SW Iran and elsewhere in the Arabian Plate. Tectonic activity combined with eustatic sea-level changes resulted in periodic exposure of these carbonates which were subsequently modified by meteoric diagenesis under a warm and humid climate. Long-term exposure led to the formation of several disconformity surfaces within the middle Cretaceous succession which had important effects on the interval's reservoir characteristics. These disconformity surfaces in the Dezful Embayment were investigated using microfacies, diagenetic and geochemical studies at five subsurface sections. Facies differences across these boundaries, together with features such as karstification, palaeosol development and collapse-dissolution breccias, were used to identify emergent surfaces. Stable oxygen and carbon isotope ratios and trace element profiles indicate intense meteoric diagenesis. Disconformities were dated using biostratigraphic studies. The results indicate the presence of two major erosional disconformities: one is located at the Cenomanian - Turonian boundary separating the middle Sarvak Formation from its upper part; and the other is in the mid-Turonian at the boundary between the Sarvak and Ilam Formations. The latter disconformity is correlatable throughout the Arabian Plate. © 2013 The Authors. © 2013 Scientific Press Ltd.