Organic-rich shales from internal Betic basins (SE Spain): potential source rocks analogs for the pre-Messinian Salt play in the Western Mediterranean
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1344/GeologicaActa2016.14.4.7Keywords:
Organic-rich sediments, Evaporites, Betic Cordillera, Mediterranean, Tortonian, Messinian, Source rock potential.Abstract
Southeastern Spain has a large number of Late Neogene basins with substantial evaporitic deposits that developed under an overall NNW-SSE compressional regime related to the African-European tectonic plates collision. Located in the Betic Cordillera, they can be considered as marginal Mediterranean basins that became gradually isolated during the Tortonian and Early Messinian due to tectonic uplift. Different evaporitic units accumulated in these basins during isolation and, in several cases, evaporitic conditions were associated to episodes of important organic matter accumulation. Results obtained from Late Tortonian to Early Messinian shales collected from boreholes, mines and outcrops in the internal Betic basins of Las Minas de Hellín, Cenajo and Socovos are presented. The organic matter was studied under fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the main geochemical characteristics defined. They show a relation between organic-rich intervals with high potential of hydrocarbon generation, native sulfur, bio-induced dolomite and evaporitic deposits. These organicrich shales can be found before, during and after the evaporitic episodes. Results from the present study are compared with those previously obtained in the pre-evaporitic deposits of the Lorca Basin that showed high oil generation potential, a restricted-marine origin of the organic matter and a low degree of maturity. The occurrence of such potential source rocks in several basins points to a broad regional distribution. At a larger scale, in the Mediterranean Basin, organic-rich sediments were deposited before and during the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The studied examples could represent analogs for potential source rocks of the pre-Messinian salt play in the Western Mediterranean.
References
Arab, M., Bracène, R., Roure, F., Zazoun, R.S., Mahdjoub, Y., Badji, R., 2015. Source rocks and related petroleum systems of the Chelif Basin (western Tellian domain, north Algeria). Marine and Petroleum Geology, 64, 363-385.
Bellanca, A., Calvo, J.P., Censi, P., Elízaga, E., Neri, R., 1989. Evolution of lacustrine diatomite carbonate cycles of Miocene age, southeastern Spain: petrology and isotope geochemistry. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 59 (1), 45-52.
Benali, S., Schreiber, B.C., Helma, M.L., Philp, R.P., 1995. Characterization of organic matter from restricted/ evaporative sedimentary environment: Late Miocene of Lorca Basin, Southeaster Spain. American Association Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 79, 816-830.
Borsetti, A. M. Curzi, P. V., Landuzzi, V., Mutti, M., Ricci Lucchi, F., Sartori, R., Tomadin, L., Zuffa, G., 1990. Messinian and pre-Messinian sediments from odp leg 107 sites 652 and 654 in the Tyrrhenian Sea: sedimentologic and petrographic study and possible comparisons with Italian sequences. In: Kastens, K. A., Mascle, J., Auroux, C., Bonatti, E., Broglia, C., Chanell, J., Curzi, P., Emeis, K-C, Glaçon, G., Hasegawa, S., Hieke, W., McCoy, F., McKenzie, J., Mascle, G., Mendelson J., Müller, C., Réhauls, J-P., Robertson, A., Sartori, R., Sprovieri, R., Torii, B. (eds.). Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, Vol. 107, 169-186.
Busson, G. 1978. Genèse des évaporites: les enseignements des milieux épicontinentaux apparaissent-ils transportables aux évaporites de marge océanique? Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 7(20), 533-545.
Calvo, J.P., 1978. Estudios petrológico y sedimentológico del Terciario marino del sector central de la provincia de Albacete. Estudios Geológicos, 34, 407–429.
Calvo, J.P., Elízaga, E., 1994. The Cenajo and Las MinasCamarillas basins (Miocene), southeastern Spain. In: Gierlowski-Kordesch, E., Kelts, K. (eds.). Global Geological Record of Lake Basins, 1. Cambridge, University Press, pp. 319-324.
Calvo, J.P., Rodríguez-Pascua, M.A. y Gómez-Gras, D., 2014. Rasgos sedimentarios indicadores de inestabilidad causada por actividad tectónica sismogenética. Las cuencas neógenas de Las Minas de Hellín y Cenajo (Prebético Externo, SE de España). Revista de la Sociedad Geológica de España, 27(1), 205-221.
Corbí, H., Lancis, C., García-García, F., Pina, J.A., Soria, J.M., Tent Manclús, J.E. and Viseras, C., 2012. Updating the marine biostratigraphy of the Granada Basin (central Betic Cordillera). Insight for the Late Miocene palaeogeographic evolution of the Atlantic-Mediterranean Seaway. Geobios, 45, 249-263.
Deroo, G., Herbin, J.P., Roucaché, J., 1978. Organic geochemistry of some Neogene cores from sites 374, 375, 377 and 378: Leg 42A, eastern Mediterranean Sea. In: Hsü, K.J., Montadert, L., Bernoulli, D., Cita, M.B., Erikson, A. and Garrison, R., Fabricius, F., Kidd, R., Müller, C., Cita, M.B., Bizon, G., Wright, R., Erickson, A., Bernoulli, D., Mélières, F. (eds) Initial reports of the deep sea drilling project, Volume 42, Part I. United States Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 465-472. DOI: 10.2973/dsdp.proc.42-1.113-3.1978
Dessau, G., Jensen, M.L. and Nakai, N., 1962. Geology and isotopic studies of Sicilian sulphur deposits. Economic Geology, 57, 410-438.
Durham, L., 2013. Levant basin brings potential to new areas. Last accessed: November 2016. Website: AAPG Explorer, http://archives.aapg.org/explorer/2013/05may/ace_levant0513.cfm
Elízaga, E., 1994. Análisis de facies sedimentarias y petrología de los depósitos lacustres de edad Neógeno Superior de la zona prebética, Albacete, España. Doctoral Thesis. Albacete, 216pp.
Espitalié, J., Deroo, G., Marquis, F., 1985/1986. La pyrolyse rock-eval et ses applications. Revue Institut Français du Pétrole, 40, 563-579, 755-784; 41, 73-89.
Foucault, A., Calvo, J.P., Elízaga, E., Rouchy, J.M., SevantVildary, S., 1987. Place des dépôts d’âge miocène supérieur de la région de Hellín (Province de Albacete, Espagne) dans l’évolution géodynamique des Cordillères bétiques. Comptes Rendus Académie Sciences, Paris, Série II t. 305, 1163-1166.
Friedman, G.M., 1972. Significance of Read Sea in problems of evaporites and basinal limestones. American Association Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 56, 1072-1086.
García-Veigas, J., Cendón, D., Gibert, L., Rosell, L., Playà, E., Prats, E., Soria, J.M., Corbí, H., Sanz, E., 2015. Marine to lacustrine evolution in an evaporitic environment: The Late Miocene Lorca Basin (Spain). Abstracts ILIC VI. Reno, (EEUU).
Geel, T., 1979. Messinian gypsiferous deposits of the Lorca Basin (Province of Murcia SE Spain). Memorie della Societa Geologica Italiana, 26, 369-385.
Guido, A., Jacob, J., Gautret, P., Laggoun-Défarge, F., Mastandrea, A. and Russo, F., 2007. Molecular fossils and other organic markers as palaeoenvironmental indicators of the Messinian aalcare di base formation: normal versus stressed marine deposition (Rossano Basin, northern Calabria, Italy). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 255, 265-283.
Hodgson N., 2012. The Miocene hydrocarbon play in Southern Lebanon. First Break, 30, 93-98.
IGME, 1981 Investigacion geologica -minera de pizarras bituminosas en los sectores de Lorca (Murcia), Hellin (Albacete), Libros (Teruel), y Campins (Barcelona). Memoria del Instituto Tecnológico y GeoMinero de España, Ministerio de Industria y Energía, 55p.
IGME, 1982. Ampliacion de la investigacion de pizarras bituminosas en la zona de Lorca (Murcia) (fase II). Memoria del Instituto Tecnológico y GeoMinero de España, Ministerio de Industria y Energía. 116 pp.
Johnson, R.W., Calder, J.A,. 1973. Early diagenesis of fatty acids and hydrocarbons in a salt marsh environment. Geochimica and Cosmochimica Acta, 37, 1943-1955.
Jorge, R., 2014. Pre-Messinian anoxic sedimentation in southeaster Iberia. Master Thesis. Universitat de Barcelona, 24pp.
Kiomourtzi, P., Pasadakis, N., Zelilidis, A., 2008. Source rock and depositional environment study of three hydrocarbon fields in Prinos-Kavala Basin (North Aegean). The Open Petroleum
Engineering Journal, 1, 16-29.
Krijgsman, W., Hilgen, F.J., Raffi, I., Sierro, F.J. and Wilson, D.S., 1999. Chronology, causes and progression of the Mediterranean salinity crisis. Nature, 400, 652-655.
Krijgsman, W., Garcés, M., Agustí, J., Raffi, I., Taberner, C., Zacchariasse, W.J., 2000. The ‘Tortonian salinity crisis’ of the eastern Betics (Spain). Earth Planetary Science Letters 181, 497-511.
de Lange, G.J. and Krijgsman,W. 2010. Messinian salinity crisis: a novel unifying shallow gypsum/deep dolomite formation mechanism. Marine Geology, 275, 273-277.
Largeau, C., Derenne, S., Casadevall, E., Berkaloff, C., Corolleur, M., Lugardon, B., Raynaud, J.-F., Connan, J., 1990a. Occurrence and origin of “ultralaminar” structures in “amorphous” kerogens of various source rocks and oil shales. Organic Geochemistry, 16, 889-895.
Largeau, C., Derenne, S., Clairay, C, Casadevall E., Raynaud, J.-F., Lugardon, B., Berkaloff, C., Coroleur, M., Rousseau, B., 1990 b. Characterízation of various kerogens by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)— Morphological relationships with resistant outer walls in extant microorganisms. Mededelingen - Rijks Geologische Dienst, 45, 91-101.
Largeau, C., Derenne, S., Le Berre, F., Connan, J., 1994. Macromolécules non-hydrolysables de parois bactériennes. Rôle dans la formation de kérogènes. Caractéristiques pétrophysiques et chimiques des kérogènes dérivés. Bulletin Centres Recherches Exploration-Production Elf Aquitaine, 18, Publ. Spéc., 283-285.
Le Berre, F., 1992. Formation de kérogénes par préservation sélective de biopolyméres résistants (pr) de parois de microorganismes. Thése Doctoral. Univinersité Pierre et Marie Curie, Parrs, 211pp.
Lindtke, J., Ziegenbalg, S.B., Brunner, B., Rouchy, J.M., Pierre, C., Peckmann, J., 2011. Authigenesis of native sulphur and dolomite in a lacustrine evaporitic setting (Hellín basin, Late Miocene, SE Spain). Geological Magazine, 148(4), 655-669.
Lofi J., Deverchère J., Gaullier V., Gillet H., Gorini C., Guennoc P., Loncke L., Maillard A., Sage F., Thinon, I., 2011a. Seismic atlas of the “Messinian Salinity Crisis” markers in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Commission for the Geological Map of the World (CGMW), Mémoires de la Société Géologique de France, 179, 72p., 1CD.
Lofi, J., Sage, F., Déverchère, F., Loncke, L., Maillard, A., Gaullier,V., Thinon, I., Gillet, H., Guennoc., P., Gorini, G., 2011b. Refining our knowledge of the Messinian salinity crisis records in the offshore domain through multi-site seismic analysis Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France, 182(2), 163-180.
Malinski, A., Witkowski, A., Synak, E., Szafranek, J., OstrrohT, Ch., Pihlaja, K., 1988. Hydrocarbon geochemistry of siliciclastic, microbial laminated deposits from Puck Bay, Poland. Organic Geochemistry, 12, 81-88.
Manzi, V., Roveri, M., Gennari, R., Bertini, A., Biffi, U., Giunta, S., Iaccarino, S.M., Lanci, L., Lugli, S., Negri, A., Riva, A., Rossi, M.E. and Taviani, M., 2007. The deep-water counterpart of the Messinian lower evaporites in the Apennine foredeep: The Fanantello section (Northern Apennines, Italy). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 251, 470-499.
Manzi, V., Lugli, S., Roveri,M., Schreiber, B.C., Gennari, R., 2011. The Messinian “Calcare di Base” (Sicily, Italy) revisited. Geological Society of America Bulletin 123, 347-370.
Margalef, R., 1953. Observaciones paleoecológicas y geocronológicas sobre los sedimentos lacustres miocénicos de Hellín (Albacete). Memorias de las comunicaciones del Insituto de Geología Provincial de Barcelona, 10, 53-72.
Maravelis, A., Panagopoulos, G., Piliotis, I., Pasadakis, N., Manoustsoglou, E., Zelilidis, A., 2013. Pre-Messinian (SubSalt) source-rock potential on back-stop basin of the Hellenic Trench System (Messara Basin, central Crete, Greece). Oil and Gas Science and Technology. Revue d’IFP Energies Nouvelles, 71(1), 1-16. DOI: 10.2516/ogst/2013130
Maravelis, A.G., Koukonya, A., Tserolas, P., Pasadakis, N. and Zelilidis, N. 2015. Geochemistry of Upper Miocene–Lower Pliocene source rocks in the Hellenic Fold and Thrust Belt, Zakynthos Island, Ionian Sea, western Greece. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 66, 217-230.
Montenat, C., 1977. Les bassins néogènes du Levant d’Alicante et de Murcia (Cordillères bétiques orientales, Espagne). Stratigraphie, paléogéographie et évolution géodynamique. Doctorat Laboratoire Géologie Faculté Sciences Lyon, 69, 345pp.
Naval-Balbin, A., Menduiña, J., Fernández, R., 1988. Investigación de azufre en el area de Hellín-Socovos (Albacete-Murcia). Madrid, Memoria del Instituto Tecnológico y GeoMinero de España (ITGE), Ministerio de Industria y Energía, 65pp.
Neev, D., Emery, K., 1967. The Dead Sea: depositional processes and environments of evaporites. Geological. Survey of Israel Bulletin, 41, 147pp.
Ortí, F. 2010. Evaporitas: introducción a la sedimentología evaporítica. In Arche, A. (ed.) Sedimentología, del proceso físico a la Cuenca sedimentaria, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid, 675-770.
Ortí, F.; Rosell, L; Gibert, L; Moragas; M; Playà, E; Inglès, M.; Rouchy, J.M.; Calvo, J.P.; Gimeno, D., 2014. Evaporite sedimentation in a tectonically active Basin: the lacustrine Las Minas Gypsum unit (Late Tortonian, SE Spain). Sedimentary Geology, 311, 17-42
Ott d’Estevou, P., & Montenat, C., 1985. Evolution structurale de la zone bétique orientale (Espagne) du Tortonien l’Holocéne. C. R. AcadSci., París, 300, 363-368.
Permanyer, A., Ortí, F., Inglès, M., Rosell, L., Salvany, J.M., 1991. Contenidos de materia orgánica de formaciones evaporíticas peninsulares. Geogaceta, 10, 48-52.
Permanyer, A., Baranger, R., Lugardon, B., 1994. Oil shale characterization in Messinian pre-evaporitic sediments from the Lorca Basin (south-east Spain). Bulletin Centres Recherches
Exploration-Production Elf Aquitaine, 18, 135-149.
Peters, K.E., Moldowan, J.M. 1993. The Biomarker Guide, Interpreting Molecular Fossils in Petroleum and Ancient Sediments. Englewood Cliffs, NJ (United States) Prentice Hall, 363pp.
Peters, K.E., Cassa, M.R., 1994. Applied source rock geochemistry. In: Magoon, L.E. and Dow, W.G. (eds) The Petroleum System - From Source to Trap. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Memoirs, 60, 93-129.
de la Pierre, F., Clari, P., Natalicchio, M., Ferrando, S., Giustetto, R., Lozar, F., Lugli, S. ,Manzi, V., Roveri, M., Violanti, D., 2014. Flocculent layers and bacterial mats in the mudstone interbeds of the primary lower gypsum unit (Tertiary Piedmont basin, NW Italy): archives of palaeoenvironmental changes during the Messinian salinity crisis. Marine Geology, 355, 71-87.
Playà, E., Ortí, F., Rosell, L., 2000. Marine to non-marine sedimentation in the upper Miocene evaporites of the Eastern Betics, SE Spain: sedimentological and geochemical evidence. Sedimentary Geology, 133, 135-166.
Raynaud, J.-F., Lugardon, B., Lacrampe-Couloume, G., 1989. Structures lamellaires et bactéries, composants essentiels de la matière organique amorphe des roches mères. Bulletin Centres Recherches Exploration-Production Elf Aquitaine, 13, 1-21.
Rosell, L., Ortí, F., Gibert, L., Deino, A., Gimeno, D., 2011. Las Minas de Hellín Gypsum: cyclicity and age (Upper Miocene, SE Spain). 28th IAS Meeting of Sedimentology, July 2011, Zaragoza. T1a, Ancient and Modern Lacustrine and Palustrine Records, 65.
Rossi, C., Vilas, L., Arias, C., 2015. The Messinian marine to nonmarine gypsums of Jumilla (Northern Betic Cordillera, SE Spain): Isotopic and Sr concentration constraints on the origin of parent brines. Sedimentary Geology, 328, 96-114.
Rouchy, J.M., 1982. La genèse des évaporites messiniennes de Méditerranée. Mémoires Muséum National Histoire Naturelle., nouvelle série. C, t. L, 267pp.
Roveri, M., Bertini, A., Cosentino, D., Di Stefano, A., Gennari, R., Gliozzi, E., Grossi, F., Jaccarino, S.M., Lugli, S., Manzi, V., Taviani, M., 2008. A high-resolution stratigraphic framework for the latest Messinian events in the Mediterranean area. Stratigraphy, 5, 323-342.
Roveri, M., Flecker, R., Krijgsman, W., Lofi, J., Lugli, S., Manzi, V., Sierro, F.J., Bertini, A., Camerlenghi, A., de Lange, G.J., Govers, R., Hilgen, F.J., Hubscher, C., Meijer, P.T.H., Stoica, M., 2014. The Messinian Salinity Crisis: past and future of a great challenge for marine sciences. Marine Geology, 352, 25-58.
Roveri, M., Gennari, R., Lugli, S., Manzi, V., Minelli, N., Reghizzi, M., Riva, A., Rossi, M.E., Schreiber, B.C., 2016. The Messinian salinity crisis: open problems and posible implications for Mediterranean petroleum systems. Petroleum Geoscience Published Online. First DOI: 10.1144/petgeo2015-089
Sanz de Galdeano, C., 1990. Geologic evolution of the Bétic Cordilleras in the western Mediterranean, Miocene to the present. Tectonophysics 172, 107-119.
Sanz de Galdeano, C., Vera, J.A. 1992. Stratigraphic record and palaeogeographical context of the Neogene basins in the Betic Cordillera, Spain. Basin Research, 4, 21-36.
Schneider, F., Dubille, M., Montadert, L., 2016. Modeling of Microbial Gas Generation: Application to the Eastern Mediterranean “Biogenic Play”. Geologica Acta, 14(4), 403-417.
Servant-Vildary, S., Rouchy, J.M., Pierre, C., Foucault, A., 1990. Marine and continental water contributions to a hypersaline Basin using diatom ecology, sedimentology and stable isotopes:
an example in the Late Miocene of the Mediterranean (Hellín Basin, southern Spain). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 79, 189-204.
Sierro, F.J., Krijgsman,W., Hilgen, F.J., Flores, J.A., 2001. The Abad composite (SE Spain): a Mediterranean reference section for the Messinian and the astronomical polarity time scale (APTS). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 168, 143-172.
Sinninghe Damsté, J.S., H.L. ten Haven, H.L., De Leeuw, J.W., P.A. Schenck, P.A., 1986. Organic geochemical studies of a Messinian evaporitic basin, northern Apennines (Italy)-II Isoprenoid and n-alkyl thiophenes and thiolanes. Organic Geochemistry, 10 (4-6), 791-805.
ten Haven, H.L., de Leeuw, J.W., Schenck, P.A., 1985. Organic geochemical studies of a Messinian evaporitic Basin, Northern Appenines (Italy) I: hydrocarbon biological markers for a hypersaline environment. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 49, 2181-2191.
Thomas, M., 1982. Approche géochimique du système sédimentaire des marais salants de Salin-de-Giraud (sud de la France). Géolgie Méditerranéene., IX(4), 487-500.
Wrobel, F., Michalzik, D., 1999. Facies successions in the preevaporitic Late Miocene of the Lorca Basin, SE Spain. Sedimentary Geology, 127, 171-191.
Wygrala, B., Neumaier, M., Clayton, C., Hantschel, T., Kleine, A., Al-Balushi, A., Fraser, A., 2014. Controlling factors in mixed biogenic / thermogenic petroleum systems – a case study from the Levantine Basin. Proceedings from the 14th ALAGO Conference, Buzios, Brazil, 2-5 November, 4p.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright
Geologica Acta is the property of the UB, GEO3BCN, IDAEA and UAB. Geologica Acta must be cited for any partial or full reproduction. Papers are distributed under the Attribution-Share Alike Creative Commons License. This license allows anyone to reproduce and disseminate the content of the journal and even make derivative works crediting authorship and provenance and distributing possible derivative works under the same or an equivalent license.
Author Rights
Authors retain the copyright on their papers and are authorized to post them on their own web pages or institutional repositories. The copyright was retained by the journal from the year 2003 until 2009. In all cases, the complete citation and a link to the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) of the article must be included.
The authors can use excerpts or reproduce illustrations of their papers in other works without prior permission from Geologica Acta provided the source of the paper including the complete citation is fully acknowledged.