Petroleum Exploration in the Yemeni Red Sea and Offshore Area (Tihama Basin)

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Petroleum Exploration in the Yemeni Red Sea and Offshore Area (Tihama Basin)

The Red Sea is a pericratonic upper Tertiary basin which developed on the continental margin of Arabia. It is characterized by halokinetic tectonics in the upper structural stage and block-Rifting in the lower structural stage. This margin is overprinted on a Pre-rift Mesozoic platform. Hydrocarbon exploration interest in the Yemeni Red Sea sector and Offshore area (Tihama Basin) is based on three objectives, which cross pond to stages in geotectonic evolution; Mesozoic Pre-rift targets; Miocene Syn-Rift Salt targets; and upper Miocene-Pliocene Post-rift drift sequences. Reservoirs with appropriate sealing units ( salt or shale ) have been recorded. Models of source rock maturation using observed geothermal gradients are consistent with analytical results, and prove of oil and gas generation. Most traps are described as faulted, fault-blocks, listric-faults or structural. The evaporite group mainly consists of Halite and Anhydrite, that exhibits a strong halokinesis affecting a structural style-of Infra and Intra evaporite sequences in offshore (Tihama basin ).