Organic facies and organic petrographic characteristics of the Pabdeh Formation in the Kilur-Karim Oilfield, SW Iran

In this research, the organic matter present in the Pabdeh Formation is investigated using Rock-Eval pyrolysis and organic petrographic techniques. For this purpose, a total of 22 cutting samples were collected at 50-meter intervals from 3 wells in the Kilur-Karim Oilfield. According to hydrogen index (HI) versus maximum temperature (Tmax) diagrams, the Pabdeh Formation in this oilfield contains type II/III kerogen, with thermal maturity corresponding to the early stages of hydrocarbon generation. In general, according to the Rock-Eval pyrolysis data, the middle parts of the Pabdeh Formation show a higher potential for hydrocarbon generation. On the other hand, organic petrography results show that samples from the middle parts of the Pabdeh Formation contain high amounts of amorphous organic matter along with solid bitumen. In addition, the upper and lower parts of this formation contain lower amounts of organic matter and mainly have abundant fossil content. A combination of results from two analytical techniques reveals that the Pabdeh Formation in the Kilur-Karim Oilfield contains a relatively organic-rich zone in the middle, which is surrounded by organic-poor facies above and below. These results can be helpful for a better understanding of the organic facies and palaeodepositional environments of the Pabdeh Formation in the study area.