Summary of the geological evolution of Syria through geophysical interpretation: Implications for hydrocarbon exploration

Intracontinental deformation, caused by plate boundary processes, dominates the past and present tectonics of Syria (Figure 1). This deformation has created structures that form hydrocarbon traps in several different areas of the country. Current production from Syria is around 600 000 b/d and the country hosts ongoing exploratory efforts. Deformation within Syria can be conveniently divided into four zones (Figure 2): the Dead Sea fault system; the Palmyride fold and thrust belt; the Euphrates fault system; and the Abd el Aziz/Sinjar structures in the northeast. Each has been, and continue to be, studied in detail by the Cornell Syria Project, an industry-sponsored collaborative program between Cornell and Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) scientists that uses diverse geophysical and geological data to analyze the tectonics of the northern Arabian platform. Early work focused mainly on the Palmyrides. Research included seismic reflection interpretation, construction of balanced cross-sections, gravity modeling and more. The Palmyrides are a Mesozoic rift, inverted in the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. It was concluded that deformation within the Palmyrides varies considerably along strike, from pre d o m i n a t e l y thin-skinned deformation with relatively high amounts of shortening (about 10-20 km) in the southwest, to thick-skinned deformation with almost no shortening in the northeast (Figure 3). The present-day Palmyrides are host to a number of gas-producing fields with trapping within inversion structures.