Preliminary results based on geochemical sedimentary constraints on the hydrocarbon potential and depositional environme
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Preliminary results based on geochemical sedimentary constraints on the hydrocarbon potential and depositional environment of a Messinian sub‑salt mixed siliciclastic‑carbonate succession onshore Crete (Plouti section, eastern Mediterranean) George Kontakiotis1 · Vasileios Karakitsios1 · Jean‑Jacques Cornée2 · Pierre Moissette1,3 · Stergios D. Zarkogiannis1 · Nikolaos Pasadakis4 · Efterpi Koskeridou1 · Emmanouil Manoutsoglou4 · Hara Drinia1 · Assimina Antonarakou1 Received: 4 May 2020 / Revised: 30 June 2020 / Accepted: 3 July 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract This study details new geochemical analysis from an outcrop in Crete to improve understanding of the hydrocarbon potential of the southern margin of the Hellenic Arc along the continental convergent zone of the central Mediterranean Ridge. Seventeen samples were collected from the Late Miocene sub-salt sedimentary succession of Plouti section in central Crete and were studied in terms of their organic geochemical features using Rock–Eval VI pyrolysis. Results of this investigation revealed intervals with sufficient organic material of good enough quality and quantity to be considered as potential source rocks. The obtained data generally present poor to fair and/or good in some cases hydrocarbon generation potential. The TOC values range from 0.03 to 1.99%, with an average fair (2.1 mg HC/g rock) hydrocarbon potential. A Type III kerogen was identified, indicating a terrestrial origin organic matter. Tmax and Production Index values suggest that the most promising parts of the section (organic-rich sediments) are immature with respect to oil generation and have not experienced high temperature during burial. Overall, the present study offers the opportunity to advance our understanding on the hydrocarbon potential onshore Crete and further investigate hydrocarbon prospectivity in the adjoining area, and particularly, the Greek part of the Mediterranean Ridge, a region with crucial economic and strategic importance. Keywords Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) · Source-rocks · Sedimentary basin dynamics · Hydrocarbon potential · Kerogen type · Thermal maturity
Introduction The exploration of accretionary prisms around the world (e.g., Barbados, Makran, Irrawaddy-Andaman, West Timor Through) has led to the discovery of substantial petroleum reserves (Dolan et al. 2004; Wandrey 2006; Escalona et al. 2008; Persad 2008; Jones et al. 2011; Klein et al. 2011). In the eastern Mediterranean, a large number of accretionary prism complexes, characterized by the fastest rates of increase in the world (Kopf et al. 2003), are encountered within the Mediterranean Ridge (MR) (Mann et al. 2003; Foscolos et al. 2012). This structure results from * George Kontakiotis [email protected]
the subduction of the African plate beneath the European plate (Olivet et al. 1982; Reillinger et al. 1997; Kreemer and Chamot-Rooke 2004) (Fig. 1). Hydrocarbon potential in this region, particularly along the subduction zone and collisional margins, has been
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