3-D Gravity Modeling of the Kars Basin as a Hidden Extension of the Caspian Petroleum System, NE-Anatolia, Turkey

The Kars Basin in northeastern Turkey is closely related to the Caspian Petroleum System but it is hidden by a great extent of volcanic rocks. The Oligo-Miocene Komurlu Formation within the basin is the Turkish equivalent of the Maikopian Formation which is the main source rock in the Caspian region. Although the Kars Basin has considerable hydrocarbon potential it is one of the least explored basins in Turkey and there is only a limited literature on the region. This study is the first comprehensive investigation to determine the basement geometry, depth, internal structure and basin boundaries. Gravity data and power spectrum analysis were used in this study. The gravity anomalies were low-pass filtered and the average depth of the basin is found to be approximately 5 km. Boundaries of the basin are entirely confined within the Turkish territorial borders. The basin geometry is remarkably consistent with the crustal thickness geometry across the region and the maximum crustal thickness is 42 km, indicating that the basin was formed on the thickest part of the crust in the region. A 3-D model of the Kars Plateau indicates that the Kars Basin is made up of four different deep (> 6 km) depressions forming a channel-like trend from southwest to northeast from the Horasan area to the Arpacay area. There are four less deep sections (< 6 km) to the north of this trend. The depressions in the north are separated by the Allahuekber Mountains that are marked by a distinctive magnetic anomaly, from the deep SW-NE trend. High-standing regions between the depressions could be prospective areas for the oil accumulation.