Project Profile
Value: Undisclosed
Location: Dhofar Region of southwest Oman
Reserves: Unknown
Area: 17,425 square kilometres
Start-up Year: -
Block 38, located in the Dhofar Region of southwest Oman, was awarded to Frontier Resources in October 2012. The block covers approximately 17,425 square kilometres and is bounded to the west by the Republic of Yemen, to the north is the Rub Al Khali Basin and the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia and to the east lies the prolific South Oman Salt basin (SOSB). The Block is separated from the highly productive South Oman Salt Basin Basin (SOSB by a northeast trending linear basement feature known as the Ghudun-Khasfah High. Exploration targets include carbonate stringers embedded in the Ara group salts lying a depths of between 3,000 and 5,000 metres. Secondary targets are within the shallowers Haima group which had minor oil shows during previous drilling and the deeper Buah Formation which has proven to be gas productive elsewhere in Oman.
Exploration History
Between 1953 several companies, including Dhofar Services petroleum Corporation (DSPC0, Petroleum Development Oman, BP, Phillips and Sinopec undertook exploration programmes to varying degrees. Approximately 4,500 kms. of 2D seismic data have been acquired on Block 38. Most of the survey grid is sparse except locally in the north of the block where the grid is 2 km. x 2km. Gravity and aeromagnetic data are also available. Microbial prospecting has also been undertaken along certain lines. Three exploratory wells have been drilled on the Block , Ahboot #1, Wadi Ghudun -1and Al Darmaa-1.
Hydrocarbon Potential
The main play concept is the deep, unconventional oil play of the Ara Group with emphasis on the intra-salt Athel silicilyte and the Carbonate stringer play located at depths between 3 and 6 kms. similar to that established in the South Oman Salt Basin to the east. These stringers are intra-cratonic, marine fed deposited in a restricted setting the resulted in an evaporitic giant with large scale evaporate/carbonate sequences. The combination of source and reservoir rock deposited within a single depositional cycle and then trapped and sealed by salt resulted in a self contained hydrocarbon system. Additional play is the Pre-salt play of carbonates and clastics within the Nafun and Abu Mahara groups.
Operators:
Frontier Resources: Operator with 100% interest