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| Manifa Formation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Manifa Formation |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Period | Miocene |
| Primary lithology | Sandstone, shale |
| Otherlithology | Conglomerate, siltstone |
| Namedfor | Manifa oil field |
| Region | Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Extent | Arabian Plate |
Manifa Formation The Manifa Formation is a Miocene-age stratigraphic unit within the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia oil-bearing succession, overlain and interbedded with Neogene and Paleogene reservoirs associated with the Persian Gulf basin and Arabian Plate sedimentary wedge. It plays a key role in regional hydrocarbon systems tied to the development of the Zagros Fold Belt, Euphrates Graben influences, and the broader tectono-sedimentary evolution of North Africa–Asia. The unit has been the focus of petroleum geology, stratigraphic correlation, and basin analysis by operators including Saudi Aramco, international contractors, and academic groups from institutions such as King Saud University and Imperial College London.
The Manifa succession occurs within the late Oligocene–Miocene succession of the Arabian Plate and is stratigraphically positioned above the Umm Er Radhuma Formation equivalents and below overlying Miocene evaporites and Pliocene siliciclastics in parts of the Persian Gulf. Regional mapping and well correlations by Saudi Aramco and consultants like ExxonMobil and BP tie the Manifa unit to sequence stratigraphic surfaces identified across the Rub' al Khali margin, the Dammam Dome trends, and the Ghawar Field analogs. Key stratigraphic markers include unconformities related to the Oligocene–Miocene transgression and regional clastic pulses traced via seismic ties to major fields such as Manifa oil field and Khafji.
The lithology comprises interbedded fine- to coarse-grained sandstones, shales, siltstones, and localized conglomerates reflecting deltaic, shoreface, and nearshore marine settings linked to the Tethys Sea regression and proto-Persian Gulf transgressions. Sediment provenance analyses reference sources in the Zagros Mountains, Anatolian Plateau, and interior Arabian cratonic uplift events recorded by detrital zircon populations correlated with studies at King Abdulaziz University and University of Leeds. Sedimentary structures and facies associations identified in cores and outcrops relate to distributary mouth bars, tidal channels, and paralic marshes comparable to models developed for the Nile Delta and Indus Delta systems.
Fossil assemblages within the Manifa rocks include sparse marine mollusks, benthic foraminifera, and occasional vertebrate remains that have aided biostratigraphic dating and paleoenvironmental reconstructions used by teams from Natural History Museum, London and Saudi Geological Survey. Microfossil analyses, particularly planktonic and benthic foraminifera, provide links to global Miocene biozones referenced in work by the International Commission on Stratigraphy and correlate with assemblages documented from the Mediterranean Basin and Gulf of Oman. Palynological records recovered by researchers at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals supply additional evidence for coastal vegetational changes synchronous with regional climate shifts tied to Arabian Plate tectonics.
Regional chronostratigraphy places the Manifa Formation predominantly in the middle to late Miocene, with age control from biostratigraphy, strontium isotope chemostratigraphy, and correlations to global Miocene events such as the Messinian Salinity Crisis margins and the Middle Miocene Climate Transition signature. Correlative studies use datum tied to wells drilled by operators including TotalEnergies and Chevron and integrate magnetostratigraphic and isotopic datasets compared against standards from the International Chronostratigraphic Chart.
The Manifa Formation is economically significant as a reservoir and reservoir-seal interval within giant petroleum systems of Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf. Reservoir engineers and petroleum geologists at Saudi Aramco, Halliburton, and Schlumberger model its porosity–permeability architecture, diagenetic overprint, and trap integrity for fields such as Manifa oil field and adjacent prospects. Hydrocarbon charge, migration pathways, and trapping mechanisms are analyzed in the context of regional seals like the Arab Formation anhydrites and structural traps related to the Zagros Fold Belt and salt tectonics documented by US Geological Survey studies.
Exploration and research on the Manifa unit accelerated during the 20th century with seismic surveys, appraisal drilling, and academic studies involving companies and institutions including Saudi Aramco, Aramco Overseas Company, Imperial Oil, Shell, and universities such as King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and University of Oxford. Key milestones include integration of 3D seismic, core-based sedimentology, and basin modeling workflows developed in collaboration with contractors like Halliburton and consultant groups from MIT and Stanford University applied to reservoir characterization and field development planning.
The Manifa stratigraphic package extends across parts of the eastern Arabian Platform and adjacent offshore basins in the Persian Gulf, with distribution controlled by extensional and compressional phases tied to the northwestward convergence of the Arabian Plate with Eurasia and the uplift of the Zagros Mountains. Structural settings include rollover anticlines, salt-related structures, and stratigraphic traps along the Rub' al Khali margin and nearshore folds analogous to structures mapped in the Ghawar Field and Khafji Field. Seismic interpretations and basin-scale maps produced by Saudi Aramco and regional geological surveys delineate its subsurface geometry and resource potential.
Category:Geologic formations of Saudi Arabia