AN INTEGRATED OVERVIEW OF PAKISTAN'S PETROLEUM BASINS WITH EMPHASIS ON THEIR CORRELATION TO ADJOINING IRANIAN BASINS

The Pakistan-Iran border region remains underexplored despite its strategic location within the hydrocarbon-rich Middle East. The Middle East holds 50% of proven oil reserves and 40% of world's natural gas reserves in the world. There have been several myths of shared petroleum system between the two countries, without proper geological evidence. However, there has never been a comprehensive discussion of the geological setting and framework. Recently, there has been interest of several oil and gas companies in Pakistan to explore the Makran-Kharan area. This review investigates the geological characteristics and petroleum systems of the transboundary basins between Pakistan and Iran. The study synthesizes existing geological, geophysical, and geochemical data to assess hydrocarbon potential, highlighting key elements such as sedimentary basins, source rocks, reservoir formations, and trapping mechanisms. Although significant petroleum reserves are concentrated in western Iran, the southeastern region near the Pakistan border exhibits minimal exploration and discoveries. Key basins, include the Makran Offshore Basin, Kharan Forearc Basin, and Jaz Murian-Mashkel Forearc Basin. Furthermore, these basins show promising indicators such as oil seeps, structural traps, and seismic anomalies. This paper calls for increased collaboration between Pakistan and Iran, enhanced exploration efforts, and further geophysical surveys to unlock potential reserves. This will not only boast exploration efforts in Eastern Iran and Western Pakistan but also bring a positive changes in their economies. This study will be a landmark in understanding the sedimentary basins of the Middle East, South Asia, Southwest Asia, and the Caspian Sea region.