RESERVOIR-TARGETED OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION IN THE KARABURUN PENINSULA (WESTERN TURKEY)

Year 2020, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 115 - 145, 16.10.2020

Adil Özdemir Atilla Karataş Yildiray Palabıyık Alperen Şahinoğlu

Abstract

In recent studies, it has been determined to exist mature petroleum hydrocarbons in the Karakaya complex units which broadly spread over Northern Turkey and some of the Upper Paleozoic and Triassic sediments in the Karaburun Peninsula have shown similarity with the sandstones of the Karakaya complex. Besides, there are mercury deposits that were operated in the Karaburun Peninsula in the past and it was indicated in the preliminary studies that the surface and subsurface waters in the regions where mercury deposits are located contain high concentrations of mercury. It was also stated in the literature that formation waters of natural gas fields contain high concentrations of mercury as well. For these reasons, in this study, it is aimed to investigate the oil and gas potential of the Karaburun Peninsula by conducting Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) analysis on the samples taken from the water resources. As a result of the analyses conducted, the hydrocarbons have been detected in all the water samples. The organic geochemical methods have been used to determine the source of hydrocarbons detected in the water resources. The detected n-alkane hydrocarbons are the mature petroleum hydrocarbons and the presence of these hydrocarbons is evidence for the existence of a working petroleum system in the study area. The main structure in the maximum depth of 220 m determined in the study area has a very high potential to become an oil and/or gas reservoir according to gravity and magnetic data and because of the presence of waters containing mature petroleum hydrocarbons.

Keywords

reservoir-targeted oil and gas exploration, TPH in water analysis, hydrocarbon-rich water, mercury deposit, mercury mineralization

Supporting Institution

Marmara University

Project Number

SOS-A-100719-0267

Thanks

This study includes some findings of the project SOS-A-100719-0267, which is funded by Marmara University Scientific Research and Development Projects Unit Coordinatorship. We would like to thank to the coordinatorship for its financial support to this study. We also extend our gratitude to Mr. Serkan Çelebi and the experts of SGS Supervise Gözetme Etüd Kontrol Servisleri A.S. for their vigorous performances to conduct the required analyses to finalize this research study.

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