Journal of Petroleum Geology, Vol.17, No.4, 461-472, 1994
OIL POSSIBILITIES OF DUPLEX STRUCTURES IN THE AMIK-REYHANLI BASIN, SE TURKEY
The Amik-Reyhanli Basin is situated in the south of Turkey, near the Syrian border. The Dead Sea fault, which crosses the Lebanon and enters Turkey in the Antakya region, forms the basin Is eastern boundary. Its basement is composed of Upper Cretaceous Kocali-Karadut ophiolites. Seismic interpretations indicate that a Mio-Pliocene structure exists in the Amik region, and this was originally interpreted by exploration geologists to be a faulted anticline. However, careful seismic interpretation now suggests that the structure is a ''triangle zone'', resulting from activity in the Dead Sea fault-zone in the east and the Amanos fault to the west. It is suggested that duplex structures related to this triangle zone are present beneath the Cretaceous ophiolites, and constitute oil-prospective areas. Esso Oil Co. interpreted this positive structure as a faulted anticline, and recently drilled Well Amik-1, which was dry, in order to test the oil possibilities of Tertiary clastics and carbonates. The well terminated in the Kocali-Karadut ophiolites. The underlying duplex structures were not reached, and the oil possibilities of Upper Cretaceous and Jurassic-Triassic carbonates in these duplexes therefore remain to be tested.