Local gravity and magnetic anomalies associated with the oil and gas reservoirs in the cretaceous carbonate deposits of Yevlakh-Agjabedi depression, Azerbaijan

Local gravity and magnetic anomalies are employed to identify potential hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Middle Kura Depression (MKD) within the South Caspian basin in Azerbaijan. The MKD basin in Azerbaijan including the Yevlakh-Agjabedi trough covers a large part of the Kura intermountain basin between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. In the study region, several local gravity and magnetic anomalies are discovered related to oil and gas deposits in the sedimentary depression whose thickness is 12–14 km. Gravity minima and maxima expressed by different wavelength anomalies are indicative of density variations within the basin. Local gravity minima with an intensity of 0.3–0.4 mGal identified in the study areas are related to the oil–gas deposits. While the local positive magnetic anomalies are associated with the volcanic formations, local negative magnetic anomalies appear over the productive parts of the buried structure within the sedimentary complex. Intense local magnetic minima anomalies with an intensity of 20–30 nT are evidence of oil and gas accumulations. The limitations of traditional methods for interpreting gravity and magnetic data to locate oil and gas fields have led to the use of gravity field gradients. This alternative approach has proven advantageous, as it confirms the results of gravity exploration and is useful for directly searching for hydrocarbons.