Lithological and stratigraphic correlation of Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits of the Balkhash sedimentary basin for appraisal of hydrocarbon resources

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Abstract

Background: Development of a geological framework to substantiate and quantitatively evaluate the hydrocarbon potential of the Balkhash sedimentary basin cover.

Aim: Identification of the key estimation parameters for potentially promising hydrocarbon plays (area, thickness, lithological composition) on a qualitatively new geological lithological and stratigraphic base for determining the hydrocarbon potential of the Balkhash sedimentary basin.

Materials and methods: Correlation of lithological and stratigraphic sequences of Mesozoic (Triassic-Cretaceous) and Cenozoic (Paleogene-Neogene) deposits in accordance with the stratigraphic charts of the Phanerozoic of Kazakhstan based on the International Chronostratigraphic Scale from 2016 to 2021.

Results: The paper investigates the geological structure, zoning, and platform cover of the Balkhash sedimentary basin (BB). During the study, two tectonic units were identified within the BB structure: the West Balkhash and East Balkhash (Lepsin) depressions. Lithological and stratigraphic charts of the Balkhash sedimentary basin have been created and refined to serve as a basis for appraising its hydrocarbon resources. Additionally, prospective hydrocarbon plays have been identified, and their thicknesses have been measured. Furthermore, the analysis of lithological and stratigraphic data has allowed for the determination of the thicknesses, distribution areas of these discoveries, and the organic carbon content within them. These parameters are critical for calculating predicted hydrocarbon resources. Data regarding the development areas of promising BB hydrocarbon plays were obtained from the results of constructing lithological and paleogeographic maps and sections.

Conclusion: Based on the developed lithological and stratigraphic model, charts of the Balkhash basin have been drawn up allowing for appraisal of the hydrocarbon potential. The oil and gas potential of the region is estimated to be very low due to the characteristics of the sedimentary cover structure, tectonic activity, and types of possible traps. However, we have identified prospective gas plays that exhibit certain capacities, areas, and organic matter content.

About the authors

Valeriy V. Korobkin

Kazakh-British Technical University

Email: korobkin_vv@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1562-759X

PhD, professor

Kazakhstan, Almaty

Akhan Chaklikov

Kazakh-British Technical University

Author for correspondence.
Email: a96chaklikov@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8316-6599

PhD

Kazakhstan, Almaty

Zhamal S. Tulemissova

Kazakh-British Technical University

Email: ztulemissova@gmail.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1803-4535

PhD, Associate Professor

Kazakhstan, Almaty

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Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
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1. JATS XML
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2. Figure 1. Major tectonic units of Central Asia

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3. Figure 2. Geographical location of the Balkhash Basin on the territory of Kazakhstan

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4. Figure 3. Tectonic map of the BB

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5. Figure 4. Geological and geophysical profile along the seismic profiles “Turkestan” and “Taldykorgan - Ust-Kamenogorsk”

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6. Figure 5. Lithological and stratigraphic sequences of several sedimentary basins in Kazakhstan with confirmed and potentially promising hydrocarbon plays [6, 7, 9]. The squares show the stratigraphic levels of industrial hy- drocarbon accumulations, the circles show the established stratigraphic positions of promising lithological sequences for hydrocarbon exploration.

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7. Рисунок 6. Литолого-стратиграфический разрез отложений Балхашского бассейна и прилегаю- щих территорий Figure 6. Lithological and stratigraphic sequence of the deposits of the Balkhash basin and adjacent territories: а) Triassic; б) Jurassic; в) Cretaceous

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8. Figure 7. Lower Ili group of brown coal deposits of the BB а) геологические схема / geological diagram; б) разрез / sequence Отложения (рис. 7, б): Deposits (Fig. 7, b): 1 – Quaternary; 2 – Neogene; 3 – Paleogene; 4 – Jurassic; 5 – coal layers; 6 – boundary of the brown coal basin; 7 – exploratory wells; 8 – coal deposits (1–4, Fig. 7; a)): 1 – Lower Ili; 2 – Balatopars; 3 – Kertulen; 4 – Orta-Bakanas

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Copyright (c) 2025 Korobkin V.V., Chaklikov A., Tulemissova Z.S.

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