Geology Of The Tertiary Rocks Around Kemah-Erzincan-Çayırlı Region and Their Source Rock Characteristics

Abstract

The basement of the study area is comprised of Paleozoic rocks which are overlain by rather thick Triassic-Cretaceous Munzur limestone in carbonate facies. This unit is tectonically overlain by the Cretaceous ophiolitic complex. In the region, these units are unconformably overlain by Tertiary clastic and carbonaceous deposits. The basement of the Tertiary is comprised of Paleocene clastic rocks which are conformably overlain by Eocene turbiditic deposits. In Erzincan and Çayırlı region, the Eocene rocks are unconformably overlain by rather thick clastic and carbonaceous Miocene sequence. The sequence in the basin ends up with Pliocene clastic deposits. In the region, in the north of the Pülk (Balýklý) village, live oil seeps are observed. In Eocene Gülandere formation and in Kömür member of the Miocene Kemah formation, and also in different levels of the Balýklý formation bitumen and asphaltic levels are observed. Results of geochemical analyses show that these rocks do not have source rock potential considering the amount of total organic matter, maturity and type of organic matter. Biomarker analyses of the oil seep indicate that the oil was derived from an early mature clastic source rock of marine origin.