Abstract
The Asmari formation is a thick carbonate succession of Oligocene–Miocene age in the Zagros Basin, southwest Iran. This research is focused on the microfacies analysis and paleoecology interpretation (based on the distribution of benthic foraminifera) of carbonate sediments of the Asmari formation. Three sections of this formation studied in the Gachsaran oil field (wells 25, 31 and 37), Dezful Embayment, Zagros Basin (southwest Iran). These sections are composed of limestone, dolomite, and limy dolomite. The Asmari formation has a conformable contact with the overlying (Gachsaran formation) and the underlying (Pabdeh formation) units. Based on petrologic studies, identification of larger foraminifera and facies analysis of the Asmari formation allowed the recognition of 14 facies types. There are grouped into four depositional environments which correspond to the inner, middle, outer ramp, and intrashelf basin. According to this study, deposition of the Asmari formation with association of hyaline, lamellar, perforate large, and flat foraminifera first started in the intrashelf basin environment during the Early Oligocene. In the latest Oligocene–earliest Miocene time, the Asmari platform margin prograded basinward, sediments of shallow water were deposited.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams TD, Bourgeois F (1967) Asmari biostratigraphy geology and exploration division. Rep. No. 1074, National Iranian Oil Company, p 37
Ahmadhadi F, Daniel JM, Azzizadeh M, Lacombe O (2008) Evidence for pre-folding vein development in the Oligo-Miocene Asmari formation in the Central Zagros Fold Belt, Iran. Tectonics 27:1–22
Al-Aasm IS, Ghazban F, Ranjbaran M (2009) Dolomitization and related fluid evolution in the Oligocene–Miocene Asmari formation, Gachsaran Area, SW Iran; petrographic and isotopic evidence. J Pet Geol 32(3):287–304
Alavi M (2004) Regional stratigraphy of the Zagros fold–thrust belt of Iran and its proforeland evolution. Am J Sci 304:1–20
Alsharhan AS, Narin AEM (1995) Tertiary of the Arabian Gulf: sedimentology and hydrocarbon potential. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol Elsevier 114:369–384
Amirshahkarami M (2008) Distribution of miogypsinoides in the Zagros Basin, Southwest of Iran. Hist Biol 20(3):175–184
Amirshahkarami M, Vaziri Moghaddam H, Taheri A (2007a) Sedimentary facies and sequence stratigraphy of the Asmari formation at Chaman-Bolbol, Zagros Basin, Iran. J Asian Earth Sci 29:947–959
Amirshahkarami M, Vaziri Moghaddam H, Taheri A (2007b) Paleoenvironmental model and sequence stratigraphy of the Asmari formation in southwest Iran. Hist Biol 19(2):173–183
Aqrawi AAM, Keramati M, Ehrenberg SN, Pickard N, Moallemi A, Svna T, Darke G, Dickson JAD, Oxtoby NH (2006) The origin of dolomite in the Asmari formation (Oligocene-lower Miocene), Dezful Embayment, SW Iran. J Pet Geol 29:381–402
Bahroudi H, Koyi A (2004) Tectono-sedimentary framework of the Gachsaran formation in the Zagros Foreland Basin. Mar Pet Geol 21:1295–1310
Barattolo F, Bassi D, Romero R (2007) Upper Eocene larger foraminiferal-coralline algal facies from the Klokova Mountain (south continental Greece). Facies 53(3):361–375
Berberian M (1976) Contribution to the seismotectonics of Iran (part II). Geological Survey of Iran, p 39
Berberian M, King GCP (1981) Towards a paleogeography and tectonic evolution of Iran. Can J Earth Sci 18:210–265
Bignot G (1985) Elements of Micropaleontology: London. Graham and Totman Limited, London, p 217
Brandano M, Corda L (2002) Nutrients, sea level and tectonics constraints for the facies architecture of a Miocene carbonate ramp in central Italy. Terra Nova 14(4):257–262
Burchette TP, Wright VP (1992) Carbonate ramp depositional systems. Sed Geol 79(1–4):3–57
Busk HG, Mayo HT (1918) Some notes on the geology of the Persian Oilfields. J Inst Pet Technol 5:5–26
Buxton MWN, Pedley HM (1989) A standardized model for Tethyan Tertiary carbonate ramps. J Geol Soc Lond 146:746–748
Corda L, Brandano M (2003) Aphotic zone carbonate production on a Miocene ramp, Central Apennines, Italy. Sediment Geol 161(1–2):55–70
Cosovic V, Drobne K, Moro A (2004) Paleoenvironmental model for Eocene foraminiferal limestones of the Adriatic carbonate platform (Istrian Peninsula). Facies 50(1):61–75
Dunham RJ (1962) Classification of carbonate rocks according to depositional texture. Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 1:108–121
Eames FE, Banner FT, Blow WH, Clarke WJ (1962) Fundamentals of mid-tertiary stratigraphical correlation. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 163
Ehrenberg SN, Pickard NAH, Laursen GV, Monibi S, Mossadegh ZK, Svånå TA, Aqrawi AAM, Thirlwall JMMMF (2007) Strontium isotope stratigraphy of the Asmari formation (Oligocene–Lower Miocene), SW Iran. J Pet Geol 30:107–128
Fakhari MD, Axen GJ, Horton BK, Hassanzadeh J, Amini A (2008) Revised age of proximal deposits in the Zagros foreland basin and implications for Cenozoic evolution of the High Zagros. Tectonophysics 451:170–185
Falcon NL (1961) Major earth-Xexturing in the Zagros Mountain of southwest Iran. J Geol Soc Lond 117:367–376
Farhoudi G (1978) A comparison of Zagros Geology to Island Arcs. J Geol 86:323–334
Flügel E (1982) Microfacies analysis of limestones. Springer, Berlin, p 633
Flügel E (2004) Microfacies of carbonate rocks. Analysis, interpretation and application. Springer-Verlag, New York, p 976
Geel T (2000) Recognition of stratigraphic sequence in carbonate platform and slope: empirical models based on microfacies analysis of Paleogene deposits in southeastern Spain. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 155(3):211–238
Gregg JM, Shelton KL (1990) Dolomitization and dolomite neomorphism in the back facies of the Bonneterre and Davies formation (Cambrian), southeastern Missouri. J Sediment Petrol 60:549–562
Hakimzadeh S, Seyrafian A (2008) Late Oligocene–Early Miocene benthic foraminifera and biostratigraphy of the Asmari formation, south Yasuj, north-central Zagros basin, Iran. Carbonates Evaporites 23(1):1–10
Hallock P (1979) Trends in test shape with depth in large symbiont-bearing foraminifera. J Foramin Res 9(1):61–69
Hallock P (1981) Light dependence in Amphistegina. J Foramin Res 11(1):40–46
Hallock P (1988) The role of nutrient availability in bioerosion: consequences to carbonate buildups. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 63:275–291
Hallock P (1999) Symbiont bearing foraminifera. In: Sen Gupta BK (ed) Modern Foraminifera. Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp 123–139
Hallock P, Glenn EC (1986) Larger foraminifera: a tool for paleoenvironmental analysis of Cenozoic depositional facies. Palaios 1(1):55–64
Hansen HJ, Buchardet B (1977) Depth distribution of Amphistegina in the Gulf of Elat, Israel. Utrecht Micropaleontol Bull 15:205–224
Heydari E (2008) Tectonics versus eustatic control on supersequences of the Zagros Mountains of Iran. Tectonophysics 45:56–70
Heydari E, Hassanzadeh J, Wade WJ, Ghazi AM (2003) Permian–Triassic boundary interval in the Abadeh section of Iran with implications for mass extinction, Part 1-Sedimentology. Paleogeogr Paleoclimatol Paleoecol 193(3):405–423
Hohenegger J (1996) Remarks on the distribution of larger foraminifera (Protozoa) from Palau (western Carolines). In: Aoyama T (ed) The progress report of the 1995 survey of the research project, man and the environment in Micronesia, occasional papers, vol 32. Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands, Kagoshima, pp 19–45
Hohenegger J (2000) Coenoclineso of larger foraminifera. Micropaleontology 46(1):127–151
Hohenegger J, Yordanova E, Tatzreiter Y (1999) Habitats of larger foraminifera on the upper reef slope of Sesko Island, Okinawa. Mar Micropaleontol 36(2):109–168
Holzmann M, Hohenegger J, Hallock P, Piller WE, Pawlowski J (2001) Molecular phylogeny of large miliolid foraminifera (Soritacea Ehrenberg 1839). Mar Micropaleontol 43:57–74
Hottinger L (1997) Shallow benthic foraminiferal assemblages as signals for depth ot their deposition and their limitations. Bulletin Société Géologique de France 168:491–505
Hottinger L (1980) Répartition comparée des grands foraminifères de la mer Rouge et de l’Océan Indien. Annali dell’Università di Ferrara 6:35–51
Hottinger L (1983) Processes determining the distribution of larger foraminifera in space and time, in Meulenkamp JE (ed), reconstruction of marine paleoenvironments. Utrecht Micropaleontol Bull 30:239–253
James V, Wynd V (1965) Stratigraphic nomenclature of Iranian oil consortium agreement area. Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 49(12):2182–2245
Jones B, Desrochers A (1992) Shallow platform carbonates. In: Walker RG, James NP (eds) Facies models, response to sea level change: St John’s. Geological Association of Canada, Newfoundland, pp 277–303
Kalantary V (1986) Microfacies of carbonate rocks of Iran: National Iranian Oil Company. Geological Laboratory Publication, Tehran, p 520
Langer M, Hottinger L (2000) Biogeography of selected ‘larger’ foraminifera. Micropaleontology 46(1):105–126
Lee JJ (1990) Fine structure of the rhodophycean Porphyridium purpureum in situ in Peneroplis pertusus (Forskal) and P. acicularis (Batsch) and in axenic culture. J Foraminifer Res 20(2):162–169
Lees GM (1933) The reservoir rocks of Persian oil fields. Am Asso Petrol Geol Bull 17(3):229–240
Leutenegger S (1984) Symbiosis in benthic foraminifera, specificity and host adaptations. J Foramin Res 14(1):16–35
Mossadegh ZK, Haig DW, Allan T, Adabi MH, Sadeghi A (2009) Salinity changes during Late Oligocene to Early Miocene Asmari formation deposition, Zagros Mountains, Iran. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 272:17–36
Motiei H (1993) Stratigraphy of Zagros. In: Hushmandzadeh A (ed) Treatise on the geology of Iran. Geologist Survey of Iran, Tehran, p 536
Motiei H (2001) Simplified table of rock units in southwest Iran. Keyhan Exploration and Production Services, Tehran
Murray JW (1991) Ecology and palaeoecology of benthic foraminifera. Wiley, New York, p 397
Pomar L (2001a) Types of carbonate platforms: a genetic approach. Basin Res 13:313–334
Pomar L (2001b) Ecological control at sedimentary accommodation: evolution from a carbonate ramp to rimmed shelf, Upper Miocene, Balearic Island. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 175(1):249–272
Read JF (1985) Carbonate platform facies models. Am Assoc Pet Geol 69(1):1–21
Reiss Z, Hottinger L (1984) The Gulf of Aqaba. Ecol Micropaleontol 50:354
Richardson RK (1924) The geology and oil measures of south west Persia. J Inst Pet Technol 10(4):256–283
Romero J, Caus E, Rosell J (2002) A model for the palaeoenvironmental distribution of larger foraminifera based on late Middle Eocene deposits on the margin of the South Pyrenean basin (NE Spain). Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 179(1):43–56
Roozpeykar A, Moghaddam IM (2015) Biostratigraphy, facies analysis and paleoecology of the Asmari formation in the northwest of Behbahan, south-western Iran. Carbonates Evaporites 30:387–400
Roozpeykar A, Moghaddam IM (2016) Benthic foraminifera as biostratigraphical and paleoecological indicators: an example from Oligocene–Miocene deposits in the SW of the Zagros basin, Iran. Geosci Front 7:125–140
Sadeghi R, Vaziri-Moghaddam H, Taheri A (2009) Biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of the Oligo–Miocene succession in Fars and Khuzestan areas (Zagros Basin, SW Iran). Hist Biol 21:17–31
Sajadi SH, Baghbani D, Daneshian J (2014) Facies distribution, paleoecology and sedimentary environment of the Oligocene–Miocene (Asmari formation) deposits, in Qeshm Island, SE Persian Gulf. Adv Environ Biol 8(7):2407–2418
Seyrafian A (2000) Dehdez area (a correlation across Central Zagros basin. Carbonate Evaporates 15:22–48
Seyrafian A, Hamedani A (2003) Microfacies and paleoenvironmental interpretation of the lower Asmari formation, (Oligocene), North Central Zagros Basin, Iran. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Palaeontologie Monatshefte 3:164–174
Seyrafian A, Mojikhalifeh A (2005) Biostratigraphy of the Late Paleogene–Early Neogene succession, north-central border of Persian Gulf, Iran. Carbonates Evaporites 20:91–97
Seyrafian A, Vaziri Moghaddam H, Torabi H (1996) Biostratigraphy of the Asmari formation, Brujen area. J Sci Islamic Rep Iran 7(1):31–47
Seyrafian A, Vaziri-Moghaddam H, Arzani N, Taheri A (2011) Facies analysis of the Asmari formation in central and north-central Zagros basin, southwest Iran. Biostratigr Paleoecol Diagenes 28:439–458
Sherkati S, Letouzey J, Frizon de Lamotte D (2006) The central Zagros fold–thrust belt (Iran): new insights from seismic data, field observation and sandbox modeling. Tectonics 25:1–27
Sibley DF, Gregg JM (1987) Classification of dolomite rock textures. J Sediment Petrol 57(5):967–975
Stocklin J (1968) Structural history and tectonics of Iran; a review. Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 52(7):1229–1258
Takin M (1972) Iranian geology and continental drift in the Middle East. Nature 235:147–150
Thomas NA (1948) The Asmari Limestone of southwest Iran. National Iranian Oil Company, Report 706, unpublished
Tucker ME (1985) Shallow marine carbonate facies and facies models, in Brenchley PJ, Williams BPJ (eds), sedimentology, recent development and applied aspects. Geol Soc Lond Spec Publ 18:139–161
Tucker ME, Wright VP (1990) Carbonate sedimentology. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, p 425
Vaziri Moghaddam H, Kimiagari M, Teheri A (2006) Depositional environment and sequence stratigraphy of the Oligo-Miocene Asmari formation in SW Iran. Springer Verlag 52:41–51
Vaziri-Moghaddam H, Seyrafian A, Taheri A (2010) Oligocene-Miocene ramp system (Asmari formation) in the NW of the Zagros basin, Iran. Microfacies, paleoenvironment and depositional sequence. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas 27:56–71
Wilson JL (1975) Carbonate facies in geological history. Springer, New York, p 471
Wynd T (1965) Biofacies of Iranian oil consortium agreement area: Iranian Oil Offshore Company. Report, no. 1082, Unpubl
Acknowledgements
We wish to express our gratitude to Mr. Gholam Reza Chehardah Cherik (NISOC, Ahwaz, Iran) and Dr. Ahmad Abyat.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Monjezi, N., Amirshahkarami, M., Bakhtiar, H.A. et al. Palaeoecology and microfacies correlation analysis of the Oligocene–Miocene Asmari formation, in the Gachsaran oil field, Dezful Embayment, Zagros Basin, Southwest Iran. Carbonates Evaporites 34, 1551–1568 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-019-00502-6
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-019-00502-6