Source rock potential of the Late Miocene Metochia formation of Gavdos Island, Greece

Abstract

Rock-Eval method was used to analyze 53 samples from late Miocene Metochia Formation of Gavdos Island (south of Crete Island) in order to characterize the contained organic matter and to evaluate its potential as

Preliminary results based on geochemical sedimentary constraints on the hydrocarbon potential and depositional environment of a Messinian sub-salt mixed siliciclastic-carbonate succession onshore Crete (Plouti section, eastern Mediterranean)

“…Oil production in the study area is generally present in the sub-salt pre-Messinian sequences, while post-Messinian deposits have shown prospects for biogenic gas and are relatively immature in respect to hydrocarbon generation. More explicitly, the Late Miocene hydrocarbon generation potential onshore Crete and surrounding region has been documented in central Crete (Panagopoulos et al 2011;Pasadakis et al 2012;Maravelis et al 2016), Gavdos Island (Pyliotis et al 2013), and Levantine basin in the south-easternmost sector of the Mediterranean basin (Gardosh and Druckman 2006;Roberts and Peace 2007;Semb 2009;Grohmann et al 2019).…”

Organic Geochemical Signatures of the Upper Miocene (Tortonian—Messinian) Sedimentary Succession Onshore Crete Island, Greece: Implications for Hydrocarbon Prospectivity

“…Indeed, the sedimentary succession that crops out in Gavdos Island reflects the deepest parts of the Crete Basin and contains units with more promising organic geochemical signatures. The organic material in these units (Tortonian-Messinian, Metochia Fm) is of kerogen types II, III and IV, with fair to very good potential for hydrocarbon generation [27]. Despite the promising results, the organic material in Metochia Fm is thermally immature.…”

“…As a result, exclusive right licenses were granted for west and south Crete. The potential for onshore Crete and nearby regions to contain Tortonian to Messinian (sub-salt) source and reservoir rocks has been suggested based on studies from Gavdos Island south of Crete [27], the Messara and Heraklion Basin in central Crete [28][29][30][31], and the Levantine Basin in the south-eastern Mediterranean [4,5,[10][11][12].…”

The floral study and the observed vegetational changes during miocene regarding the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Messara-Gavdos area in Crete

“…2.12; pl. VII, figs 1-4) (POSTMA et al, 1993;KRIJGSMAN et al, 1995;SCHENAU et al, 1999;ANTONARAKOU, 2001;TSAPARAS, 2005;PYLIOTIS et al 2013). At the lowest part, the "sapropelic" layers are gradually replaced by multi-laminated sandy turbidites, while at the top, the succession passes in stratigraphic continuity to cyclically bedded diatomites of Messinian age (HILGEN et al, 1995;TRIANTAPHYLLOU et al, 1999;POSTMA, 2001;PEREZ-FOLGADO et al, 2003).…”