Karatau Outcrop Study, Western Kazakhstan

An Analogue for Jurassic (to Cretaceous) Reservoirs on the Buzachi Peninsula, South Mangyshlak Trough and Contiguous Offshore Areas, Western Kazakhstan

A Jurassic succession outcrops to the north of the Karatau Mountains of Mangyshlak, Western Kazakhstan. It is a lateral equivalent and direct analogue of sediments of the same age that form reservoirs both on the Buzachi Peninsula to the north, and the South Mangyshlak Trough to the south. The succession is also prospective over a large part of the North and Central Caspian Sea, and it also has relevance to overlying Early Cretaceous reservoirs.

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A detailed quantitative analysis has been undertaken of key outcrops lying between the town of Shetpe and Mount Karadiirmen on the Northern Flank of the Karatau Mountains, where the Jurassic outcrop can be traced laterally for over 12 km.

A detailed sedimentological analysis was undertaken, which is of significance not only to local reservoir studies, but also to the understanding of the palaeogeography and reservoir distribution within the Central and Northern Caspian region.

For further details, please contact Dr Graham Blackbourn.