The Cambrian to Ordovician Haima Supergroup of north Oman hosts the majority of the Sultanate’s gas and condensate resources, commonly in tight reservoirs at great depth. The lowermost stratigraphic units of the Haima Supergroup outcrop in the Haushi-Huqf High on the eastern continental margin of Arabia in central Oman.

This field trip to the Qarn Mahatta Humaid area will include outcrops of the continental alluvial and playa/lacustrine to sabkha Miqrat Formation (a tight gas reservoir in the subsurface), the entire succession of the shallow marine Al Bashair Formation (one of the regional seals), including its trace fossils and trilobites, and the braid-delta succession of the Barik Formation (the most productive deep and tight gas unit in the Sultanate of Oman). Outcrops of the Permian to Carboniferous Al Khlata Formation (Unayzah B and C equivalent) that unconformably overlies the Barik Formation may also be visited.

The field trip will address outcrop sedimentology, depositional environments, architecture and heterogeneity and some of the challenges of developing these reservoirs in the subsurface.

The field trip will be based on camping at the outcrop, with all logistics and camping facilities supplied. The area is a remote desert environment and there will be some limited walking (maximum c.1-2km) over rugged terrain, moderate fitness is required.

Provisional Itinerary