Distribution and controlling factors of oil and gas in Central Arabian Basin

The Central Arabian Basin champions both in abundance and enrichment of oil and gas in the Middle East. The present paper focuses some new approaches to the spatio-temporal distribution and controlling factors of the oil and gas in Central Arabian Basin. Three petroleum systems are recognized, including the Lower Silurician petroleum system, Jurassic composite petroleum system and Cretaceous composite petroleum system. Stratigraphically, The Upper Permian-Lower Triassic reservoir rocks are host to 78.9% of recoverable gas reserves and 83.7% of condensate oil reserves in the basin, whereas the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks contain 81.9% of recoverable oil reserves in the basin. Regionally, the oil reserves in the basin is enriched mostly in West Gulf depression, Dibdibah depression, Ghawar high and An Nàla axis, whereas the gas and condensate oil reserves are more enriched in the Qatar Arch. The controlling factors of the hydrocarbons in Central Arabian Basin include the excellent regional cap rocks controlling the stratigraphic distribution of the hydrocarbons; the distribution and favourable migration pathways of the source rocks controlling the regional distribution of the hydrocarbons, and the traps caused by the basement faults and salt movement controlling the accumulation and enrichment of the hydrocarbons in the basin.