Gulf of Oman

Commentary

Oman is starting to reopen to smaller investors as exploration and development investment has reached a plateau point recently.

Updated

June 18, 2024

Location

Description

The margins of the Gulf of Oman Basin range from convergent at the north to translation at the west and east, and passive at the south. The Basin’s northern margin has been a site of continuous subduction since Cretaceous time, which has led to the creation of an 800km long and 650km wide accretionary wedge, most of which is above sea level. Strata in the centre of the Gulf of Oman Basin display minor deformation resulting from the northward tilting of oceanic crust. A basin-wide unconformity dividing these strata in two was the result of erosion during Early Oligocene time when bottom water circulation was enhanced during a climatic deterioration.

Summary

Relatively underexplored and until recently was considered to be either an extension of the Masirah Trough. However, new interest in the Basin has been sparked by changes to the fiscal regime and a more detailed understanding of its prospectivity.