Sedimentary environment, sequence stratigraphy and paleogeography of Paleozoic Pre-Khuff succession in southern Iran (Zagros and Persian Gulf)

During the Precambrian and trough the Palaeozoic, the Zagros area was part of the Arabian platform (Beydon, 1993). The Palaeozoic succession of the Zagros extends from Cambrian to well-developed Permian deposits. The study area ranges from the Lurestan to Southern Fars onshore and to the Persian Gulf offshore wells. From Ordovician to Early Permian Palaeozoic succession of the Zagros area comprises four second-order tectonostratigraphic depositional cycles separated by major unconformities. Eustatic sea-level variation is the main controlling factor for accommodation space changes, whereas in West High Zagros and Kuh e Gahkum, the role of regional and salt tectonic activities may be also important. The first cycle (Ordovician) is composed of the Seyahou (Floian-Katian) and Dargaz (Hirnantian) Formations. They are characterized by deep- to shallow-water (offshore to shoreface) siliciclastic deposits. The Seyahou Formation contains seven 3rd-order depositional sequences. The glaciogenic Dargaz Formation consists of one 3rd- order sequence. The second cycle (Early Silurian) corresponds to the Sarchahan Formation is composed of two 3rd-order depositional sequences. They are characterized by deep-marine offshore to upper offshore environments. Locally in Kuh e Gahkum the base of the Formation presented continental fan delta deposits due to the salt tectonic activity.The third cycle (Devonian) corresponds to the Zakeen Formation and divided in three 3rd-order depositional sequences. It started with the deposition of continental to near-shore marine clastic deposits. In Late Devonian, it evolved to carbonate marine deposits in the south of Fars area and the Persian Gulf. The lack of Zakeen Formation in Kuh e Surmeh and Kuh e Siah, and is presence in neighboring areas (Naura, Aghar, etc…), suggests structural salt plug activities (Jahani, 2008). This megasequence is capped by a major unconformity related to the Hercynian orogeny.The last deepening-upward cycle of the Pre-khuff succession in the study area is the Early Permian Faraghan Formation. It capped the Hercynian orogeny and deposited throughout the Zagros area from Lurestan (west) to Bandar Abbas (East) areas as well as in Persian Gulf. The Faraghan Formation divided into three 3rd-order depositional sequences and deposited in coastal plain to shallow-marin near-shore environment. Basinward, in the deeper part (e.g. Kuh e Faraghan), they are replaced by marine upper offshore deposits. The Palaeozoic succession is marked by several major unconformities associated with hiatus. They resulted from: (i) major sea level drops at the end of the Ordovician related to the Hirnantian glaciation (Ghavidel Syooki et al., 2011) and of during the Carboniferous related to the southern Hemisphere glaciation (Golonka, 2000); (ii) An uplift of the Middle East area at the end of the Silurian associated with epeirogenic movements (Ala et al., 1980; Berberian and King, 1981; Al-Sharhan and Nairn, 1997) and a major sea level drop at the end of Silurian (Al-Husseini, 1991,1992; Sharland et al., 2001; Konert et al., 2001; Haq and Al-Qahtani, 2005); and (iii) impact of the Hercynian orogeny spanning from the Late Devonian up to the Carboniferous (Al-Hosseini, 1992; Sharland et al., 2001; Konert et al., 2001, Faqira et al., 2009).