Published August 2026, Pg. 4-18
Section: Geology and geophysics
UOT: 551.14:550.83;551.24:550.83
DOI: 10.37474/0365-8554/2026-08-4-18
Regional tectonic conditions of hydrocarbon deposits formation in the South Caspian oil and gas province and the Persian gulf (using the Turan Plate and its framing as an example)
B.S. Aslanov Dr. in Soil Sc. - “Geotehnological problems of oil, gas and Chemistry” SRIThe distribution of giant hydrocarbon (HC) deposits on Earth is noted primarily in the junction zones of large tectonic elements. Such regions include the basins of the Persian Gulf, Alaska, Venezuela, the South Caspian Province, Turan, and others. From the standpoint of global tectonics theory, oil formation occurs as a result of the sublimation and thermolysis of substances drawn along with oceanic sediments into the zone of subduction of lithospheric plates. This idea was first put forward qualitatively and without any estimates in 1970 by H. Hedberg. Subsequently, at the level of fairly general quantitative estimates, this possible mechanism of oil formation was continued by O.G. Sorokhtin, S.A. Ushakov, V.V. Fedynsky, A.A. Abidov, A.V. Bally, V.P. Gavrilov, L.I. Lobkovsky, V.E. Khain, M.Kh. Iskandarov, Sh.A. Umarov, and others, who attempted to use new theoretical explanations, i.e. Geodynamics as the basis for interpreting geological structure, forecasting, and exploring for oil and gas.
The Persian Gulf, South Caspian, and Turan regions are areas of accumulation of giant hydrocarbon deposits and are located where foredeep overlie former Gondwanan margins: the Mesopotamian Trough in the Persian Gulf, the Pirallahi-Kelkor Trough in the South Caspian, and the Turan-Gazli Trough in the Turan region. Furthermore, active seismic belts in the Persian Gulf and South Caspian are located on the northern outskirts of these provinces: the Zagros Thrust System in the Persian Gulf and the Absheron-Balkhan Uplift Zone in the South Caspian. These belts are also among the richest oil and gas-bearing regions. Is this coincidence coincidental, or is it related to the geological evolution of the region? What is the nature of these unique deposits? Where did the oil originate, when, where did it come from, and how did it migrate to the present-day strata? This article aims to answer these questions based on an in-depth analysis of previous scientific research and existing geological and geophysical data.
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