Facies Analysis and Depositional Environment of the Oligocene-Miocene Asmari Formation, Bandar Abbas Hinterland, Iran

Mahdi Hoseinzadeh^1*, Jahanbakhsh Daneshian², Seyed Ali Moallemi³, Ali Solgi¹

¹Department of Geology, College of Basic Science, Tehran Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
²Department of Geology, Faculty of Earth Science, Kharazmi University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
³Reservoir Geology Division, Exploration and Production Department, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: 10.4236/ojg.2015.54016                

Abstract

The Asmari Formation is a thick carbonate sequence of the Oligocene-Miocene in the Zagros Basin, southwest of Iran. This formation is located in Bandar Abbas and Coastal Fars regions on the following two sections: Anguro anticline (west-northwest of Bandar Abbas) and Gavbast anticline (southwest of Lar County). The Asmari Formation has diameters of 68 and 26 m in the Anguro and Gavbast sections, respectively. This formation is composed of limestone, dolomitic limestone and an altered form of marl. Based on the results of petrographic analyses, 7 facies were identified in the Anguro and Gavbast sections in the study region. The facies were deposited on the following 3 belts: tidal flat (MF 1 - 3), lagoon (MF 4 - 5) and open marine (MF 6, 7). According to evidence such as the gradual change of microfacies, the lack of main reef barriers, and the lack of slumping and sliding features, the Asmari Formation was formed in a marine environment of carbonate homoclinal ramp type. This environment is composed of the following two subenvironments: the inner ramp and the middle ramp. The comparison of the facies identified in the Anguro and Gavbast sections indicates that Gavbast section is mainly composed of lagoon facies. Moreover, the Anguro section demonstrates more facies diversity than Gavbast section.

Keywords

Asmari Formation, Depositional Environment, Microfacies, Ramp, Bandar Abbas Hinterland, Iran

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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