This paper presents the results of an extensive structural investigation of the western part of the Sava Depression (SW part of the Pannonian Basin System) and provides insights in the tectonic evolution of the investigated area. Structural analyses were based on the 3D seismic volume of the study area, analysis of seismic attributes, and construction of 3D structural model and structural maps. Our results pinpoint to three tectonic phases in the structural development of the Sava Depression. The first tectonic phase is characterized by extensional tectonic features developed from the Early to Middle Miocene. The second tectonic phase follows thermal subsidence and general deepening of the study area and inherited tectonic features during the Late Miocene, while the final tectonic phase is characterized by structural reactivation and tectonic inversion of inherited and newly formed tectonic features from the Pliocene to the Quaternary.
Soil gas measurements of radon (222Rn), CO2, and hydrocarbon concentrations, as well as gamma-ray spectrometry, were conducted at two separate locations to estimate the measurement results for known locations of hydrocarbon accumulations in the subsurface and oil seepage on the surface. The aim of the study was to confirm the applicability of the method for identifying migration pathways (e.g., faults) and to detect possible seepages of hydrocarbons to the surface as well as to investigate possible health issue potential about the soil gas analysis results. Site A investigations were performed with a large number of sampling points to provide sufficient spatial coverage to capture the influence of subsurface lithologic variability as well as the influence of the migration pathway on the measured parameters. For the investigation of site B, sampling points were positioned to reflect the situation between the area above producing hydrocarbon fields and areas with no confirmed accumulation. The results presented show that it is possible to distinguish the near-surface lithology (gamma-ray spectrometry), characterize the migration pathway, and indicate the area of oil seepage at the surface. Areas above the known hydrocarbon accumulations generally have elevated radon concentrations and detectable heavier hydrocarbons with sporadic methane in soil gas, which contrasts with the lower radon levels and lack of detectable heavier hydrocarbons in soil gas in the area with no confirmed hydrocarbon accumulation in the subsurface.
Presented work focuses on the importance of unconformity that separates the Neogene infill from older Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks in the Croatian part of Pannonian Basin. Structure map of this horizon nearly represents the thickness map of the Neogene and Quaternary basin fill. Rock formations just below the unconformity are significantly weathered, which results in favourable petrophysical properties, making them interesting from the aspect of geoenergy potential. The pre-Neogene surface was constructed in 1:400,000 scale using publicly available subsurface maps of different scale and different level of detail. Harmonization and compilation of these maps enabled construction of a structured surface with near-vertical fault planes. Supplemental maps were constructed via basin modelling, showing the temperature distribution in the subsurface, potential source rock maturity near the mapped horizon, surface heat flow and geothermal gradient distribution. Constructed maps illustrate the importance of the mapped interval for regional planning of future geoenergy-related research..
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