Petroleum Systems of the Mediterranean Region: Relationships With the Heat Flow Patterns

The distribution of the main petroleum systems in the Mediterranean region is strongly controlled by the heat flow distribution. Hot and young basins are without any commercial quantity of hydrocarbons, while older medium/warm basins are showing well developed accumulations of oils of thermogenic origin, especially in the Tunisia and Libya offshores. The colder basins, e.g. the Adriatic sea and the Levantine Basin, are more prone to develop important accumulation of biogenic gas and the presence of oil, often heavy, is confined at depth. The use of heat flow in the region is an easy way to classify the different existing and potential petroleum systems in the Mediterranean sea.