South Tibet Paleogene Foreland Basin and Its oil-prospect analysis

Continental collision between Indian and Asian plates at 65 Ma terminated the Cretaceous sedimentation on the northern margin of the Indian passive continent and resulted in the formation of the South Tibet Paleogene Foreland Basin (STPFB) and its associated unconformity. The STPFB sediments overlie an Indian passive continental margin sequence, and include 65 Ma deep-water turbidite sequence that grades upward into shallow-water molasse. There is a strong linked relationship of the formation of the STPFB to collision of the Indian and Asian plates at 65 Ma. The tectonic patterns of the STPFB can be compared with those of the typical foreland basins in the world such as the North Alpine Foreland Basin in Switzerland and the Zagros Foreland Basin in Iran and possesses a good oil-prospect. This paper makes a prelimary analysis on the features and oil-prospect of the STPFB.