Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The article examines the tectonic structure of the South Caspian Basin and proposes a more accurate position of its western pre-Cenozoic tectonic boundary. The structural reconstruction of the Cenozoic sedimentary cover presented in this study is based on basin analysis supported by numerical modeling technologies. The modeling results reveal a relatively high density and, at the same time, a pronounced spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of fold dislocations from the Mesozoic basement to the surface, particularly in the vicinity of mud volcano structures. The dominant mechanism of folding is associated with volume redistribution of low-viscosity, clay-rich Maykop horizons, which are prone to plastic flow under the load of the overlying thick Upper Miocene–Pliocene–Pleistocene succession. In the marginal parts of the basin, as well as above large, buried, and presumably weakly mobile structures within the inner basin, the formation and zonal arrangement of fold and fault dislocations are additionally controlled by geodynamic conditions, determined by external compressional, extensional, and shear stress regimes. The fold architecture of the Cenozoic succession – governing the presence and quality of hydrocarbon traps and fluid supply pathways – combined with favorable sedimentary-paleogeographic, thermodynamic, and other geological factors, underpins the high hydrocarbon potential of the entire South Caspian Basin. Keywords: South Caspian Basin; South Caspian Depression; tectonic boundaries; stress fields; folding; diapirism; mud volcanism; faults; oil and gas productivity.
Language: English
Subfield: Geology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7124302129