what geological feature is responsible for the abundance of oil in the middle east? course hero

How much Middle East oil was generated from Jurassic sediments?

However, over 70% of the Middle East oil was generated from Jurassic-Cretaceous sediments (accounting for less than 30% of the Phanerozoic eon).

Why are there giant oil fields in the Middle East?

Middle East Giant Fields. A giant petroleum field is defined as one having more than 500 MMb of recoverable oil; a supergiant contains more than 5 Bbo. The Middle East’s oil riches are partly due to the largest concentration of giant and supergiant oil fields in the world.

How did the Middle East become rich in oil and gas?

The development of the oil and gas industry in the Middle East dates back to 1901, when William D’Arcy was granted permission to have his British oil company search for oil in Persia (now present-day Iran). For seven years, D’Arcy’s business partner, George Reynolds, searched endlessly for oil.

Where do the Middle East's source rocks come from?

What is remarkable about the Middle East’s source rocks, though, is that they were deposited on a passive continental-shelf margin spanning Palaeozoic and Mesozoic times in relatively stable conditions, which took advantage of sea-level rises, anoxic (reducing) environments, and nutrient-rich upwelling sites off the coasts.

What is the topography of the Middle East?

The topography of the Middle East, as it exists today, is the result of a geodynamic system reflected in the creation of subduction zones in Oman, along the Persian/Arabian Gulf area, along the Syrian-Turkish borders, and along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.

Where are oil and gas found?

Oil, gas, and solid hydrocarbons have been discovered in carbonates and sandstones in the countries along the coast (Syria, Lebanon, Israel). Commercial oil fields currently are being exploited in Israel ...

What is subduction and rifting?

The subduction and rifting are caused by the counterclockwise movements of the Arabian plate from Miocene to Recent, as evidenced by recent earthquakes. The location and orientation of hydrocarbon fields appear to be controlled by and related to subduction and rifting activities.

What is the source of hydrocarbons?

The assumption is that petroliferous layers, above or below oil fields, are the source for the formation of hydrocarbons.

How can hydrocarbons be explained?

Even the organic origin of hydrocarbons, as evidenced by carbon isotopic studies, can be explained by relating a large amount of carbon to sedimentary carbonates and their organic contents. The subduction process also can easily explain the origin of S, Ni, Co, Fe, and Mg found in the hydrocarbons.

What rocks were broken by the Orogenic Movement?

By this orogenic movement, the ophiolitic rocks and their sedimentary cover (limestones, radiolarite, shales - Hawasina Series and others) were broken, brecciated, and overthrust to the east and west. The westward overthrust (Glennie et al - 1973), is only part of the story and somewhat misleading for exploration.

Where are ophiolitic rocks located?

In other words, the ophiolite mountain was non-existent, and the ophiolitic rocks (cumulative ultramafic rocks, gabbro, trondhjemite, lava flows, pillow lavas) were inside the magma chamber (at the bottom of the oceanic crust, or below it in the upper mantle), and on the ocean floor (flows and pillows).

What is the Middle East's largest oil and gas resource?

When it comes to global oil reserves, the Middle East is home to the largest concentration of oil and gas on the plant. Energy analysts from Carnegie Mellon University estimate that between 80 to 85 percent of the world’s total energy needs are powered by fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas (Metcalfe, 2019). Given that the Middle East has the largest total reserves of crude oil and natural gas, the region’s oil- and gas-producing countries have long had an immense amount of influence on the global economy. These natural resources held by many of the Middle Eastern countries have been critically valuable for global development and have contributed enormously to the modernization of the global economy. So how did much of the world’s valuable fossil fuel resources become clustered primarily in one region? Petroleum geologists and academic researchers have developed a wide range of theories about how the Middle East ended up developing these fossil fuel reserves.

Why do Middle Eastern countries depend on oil and gas?

While many of the Middle Eastern oil-producing countries have relied heavily on oil and gas revenues to sustain their government budgets, some cities and countries have been working to diversify their economies away from fossil fuel production to hedge against market disruptions.

What percentage of the world's oil is produced in the Middle East?

When people think about the Middle East, they think about oil. According to 2020 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, around 27 percent of the world’s current oil production is sourced from this region. For as long as fossil fuels have been a primary source of global energy, the Middle East has been one ...

What are fossil fuels?

The vast majority of today’s fossil fuels, which include oil, coal, and natural gas, were created over millions of years during the prehistoric era. While some people assume that fossil fuels are the remains of ancient dinosaurs, this is a common misconception.

Where is oil found in the Middle East?

Huge levels of oil are currently found in subduction and rift zones of the Middle East, while relatively small quantities of fossil fuels are found along the outer edges of these regions in countries like Turkey, Oman, and Syria.

What continent is the Middle East on?

After a period of micro-continental movements and ocean water subduction along the northeastern edge of the African continent, the Middle East started to rapidly evolve into a region filled with microorganisms and a diverse array of marine life.

How much oil does Saudi Arabia have?

Moreover, with total estimated reserves of 337 billion barrels of oil, Saudi Arabia is poised to maintain its place among the world’s top oil producers for the expected future (OPEC, 2020).

Who was the first oilman to discover the abundance of oil in the Middle East?

Source: Rasoul Sorkhabi, 2014 The renowned American geologist Everette Lee DeGolyer (1886–1956) was one of the earliest oilmen to recognise the unique abundance of oil resources in the Middle East. In 1943, he visited Saudi Arabia on a special mission to collect data for an assessment of Middle Eastern oil.

Where was oil discovered in the Middle East?

Early oil discoveries in the Middle East were made in Jurassic, Cretaceous and Oligocene limestone reservoirs. Indeed, these reservoirs are still the major plays in the Middle Eastern basins. Given its decades of prolific production, the Middle East is often thought of a ‘mature’ petroleum province.

What is a giant oil field?

A giant petroleum field is defined as one having more than 500 MMb of recoverable oil; a supergiant contains more than 5 Bbo. The Middle East’s oil riches are partly due to the largest concentration of giant and supergiant oil fields in the world. A recent study of the world’s giant oil and gas fields was conducted by Paul Mann, Mike Horn and Ian Cross. They compiled 932 giant fields, which account for 40% of the world’s proven oil reserves. About one-fourth of the world’s giant and supergiant fields are located in the Middle East.

How many wells were there in 2012?

A very interesting fact emerges when we consider oil production and the number of producing wells globally and in the Middle East. In 2012, there were 893,249 producing wells around the world and their total output was 74.680 MMbpd; that averages 30,515 barrels per well in a year.

How much oil does the Middle East produce?

With only 2% of the world’s producing wells, the Middle East’s output is over 30% of the world’s crude, highlighting its prolific fields. In addition, the Middle East holds 40% of the world’s conventional gas reserves. Despite our best estimates, it is not exactly known how much oil and gas exist in the Middle East and how much ...

Is there oil in the Middle East?

Despite our best estimates, it is not exactly known how much oil and gas exist in the Middle East and how much of it can be recovered in the future, but there is probably more to Middle East petroleum than what we currently know.

Posted September 20, 2010

Listen Now: Why Does The Middle East Have Such An Abundance Of Fossil Fuels?

Fossil. Fuels

Which is odd, because the fossils that make up fossil fuels come mainly from ancient microscopic organisms that sank to the bottom of the ocean.

Always A Desert?

Because, as you may have guessed, the Middle East was not always a vast desert.

Watery Past

The Tethys eventually receded and gave way to the sandy Middle East we know today. But it left behind a reminder of the area's watery past in the form of vast oceans of oil buried beneath the sand.

Why did oil prices spike when Iraq invaded Kuwait?

This lead to a spike in oil price because there was a deficiency in gasoline, jet fuel, and distillate fuel oil.

Why did the US cut off arms supply to Israel?

the US cut off arms supply, but because israel had just been rearmed by them in October, and they also had strong congressional support. 76 of 100 senators signed a letter specifically opposing the reassessment plan. political power and the arab oil weapon 204.

Gondwana Margin and Tethys

Back to The Sources

Into The Storage and Trap

• Stratigraphy and petroleum source-reservoir rocks of selected areas in the Middle East. Data compiled mainly from Beydoun (1999) and Alsharhan & Nairn (2003). Illustration by Rasoul SorkhabiThe Middle East is renowned for its rich carbonate oil reservoirs. Such reservoir rocks are also found in North America and Western Siberia (mainly Palaeozoic),...

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Massive Oil Reserves

History of Middle East Oil Exploration

Geologic History

Rifting, Faults, and Fractures

• Over 70 percent of Middle Eastern oil was produced as a result of compacting and nutrient-rich sediments during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (Sorkhabi, 2010). The original formation of massive quantities of hydrocarbons and other fossil fuels in the Middle East could have only occurred as a result of successive geologic events that broke apa...

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The Necessary Ingredients

Saudi Arabia and The UAE

Future Diversification

Sources