Mohamed K Zobaa

University of Texas of the Permian Basin | UTPD

This is the first research project of my undergraduate career. I submitted it to the 2024 North American Paleontology Convention in Ann Arbor and got the honor to present my poster there. This research would not be possible without Mohamed K. Zobaa, my mentor. This research is a part of his research and dedication to documenting the Yola Basin in N...

The Phanerozoic Geology and Natural Resources of Egypt includes a series of chapters written by highly qualified group of researchers whose expertise is recognized and appreciated not only in Egypt, but also in the world over. The chapters span a wide range of geological subdisciplines including tectonics, paleogeography, stratigraphy, sedimentolog...

In this chapter, we present the story of the Oligocene palynostratigraphy and floral composition in Egypt as told by the preserved palynomorphs in the Dabaa Formation. It is a step in establishing a regional biostratigraphic and vegetational framework for the Oligocene, thus making future integration of regional and global schemes possible, especia...

Accurate determination of organic matter characteristics in hydrocarbon source rocks is of key importance in evaluating petroleum systems. Organic geochemical analysis is a powerful tool that can provide a wide range of crucial information to exploration geologists. Such information includes kerogen type, thermal maturity, transformation ratio, and...

This study demonstrates a successful first attempt to combine palynofacies and organic geochemical data (programed pyrolysis and oil extracts) to appraise the hydrocarbon source potential of the upper marker bed of the Mississippian Lodgepole Formation (herein referred to as the Upper Lodgepole) in the Williston Basin. The study area covers the sou...

The organic facies, source rock potential, and depositional environments of the Cretaceous Mancos Shale and Gallup Sandstone in Rio Arriba and San Juan counties, New Mexico were investigated using palynological and geochemical approaches. Four main palynological categories were specified which are: amorphous marine organic matter (AMOM), palynomorp...

A study of source-rock characterization and paleoenvironmental interpretation has been carried out on a relatively thick Coniacian sedimentary succession from the Numanha Formation in the Guyuk area of the Yola arm in the Northern Benue Trough, northeastern Nigeria. The aim is to provide organic facies data for the assessment of its hydrocarbon gen...

Download a free copy using this link: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/SC2RXGHW88QRFGJVE9AB/full?target=10.1080/01916122.2021.2023057 Abstract A palynological investigation was carried out on 24 samples from the Oligocene Dabaa Formation, which cuts across the Amana-1X well, located in the Abu El Gharadig Basin, north Western Desert, Egypt. Paly...

We conducted a detailed organic facies analysis on 27 core samples from the Upper Mancos Formation in the San Juan Basin, USA. The aim was to evaluate thermal maturity of the dispersed organic matter, interpret paleoenvironmental conditions, and define the oil-or gas-prone nature of the existing organic facies in the interval between 315.5-188.7 m...

Palynological analysis of the Bahariya and Abu Roash Formations from the Razzak-3 (RZ-3) well, North Western Desert, Egypt, has yielded rich and very-well-diversified spores, pollen and dinoflagellate cysts which allow subdividing the studied rock units into four pollen/spore (PS) zones and three dinoflagellate cyst (D) zones. Miospores are abundan...

The Permian Basin is one of the richest petroleumprovinces in the world, yet it has been“on its deathbed”numerous times. As early as 1939, prognosticatorshave claimed that all the oil there was in the basin hadbeen found. Each time the basin has been left for dead,it is the application of new research and technologiesthat proved the naysayers wrong...

Horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing designs have recently made the Wolfcamp shale horizons a highly sought after and low-cost oil opportunity at a time of market volatility. One current challenge is that the Wolfcamp shale horizons are unpredictable, especially in acreages with limited well control and seismic data. Sedimentary organic m...

The San Juan Basin is one of the largest hydrocarbon provinces in the USA. The Upper Cretaceous Mancos Shale preserves sufficient amounts of organic matter, which have sourced many hydrocarbon-producing horizons. Detailed organic petrography of 27 core samples showed two distinct maceral groups in vertical profile. Group-1 dominates the majority of...

A detailed palynofacies analysis has been carried out on 27 core samples from the Upper Mancos Formation, San Juan Basin, McKinley County, New Mexico, USA. We aim to characterize the existing organic facies types in the Upper Mancos vertical profile for depositional paleoenvironment and kerogen type determination. The studied section shows two majo...

A palynological investigation was conducted to determine the paleoenvironmental setting and kerogen type of 20 core samples from the Cretaceous Mancos Shale taken from the 148M SJ 28-6 Unit in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico. The Mancos Shale Formation was deposited along the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway and ranges in thickness...

Wolfcamp unconventional reservoirs are an increasingly popular low-cost oil opportunity during this time of market instability. Unfortunately, the Wolfcamp shale horizons can be unpredictable in acreages with limited well control and seismic data. Sedimentary organic matter analyses can define thermal maturity windows, determine kerogen types, and...

You can access a full-text view-only version of this paper by visiting this link (https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s41513-018-0062-6?author_access_token=R-VJVcJJgx03BYB1cXKXVfe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY4tofLFsH7KocB9Pc6Gx_0y4OTXHyB_B4Cgkeonbh3YZla2LdrbEiGWL-Ni1zDJCIWusD9fQWAmr5U7JehYmikZe8qhxwg4EK0s56VqzEvIsQ%3D%3D). Introduction: This paper prese...

A multiproxy study is undertaken to better understand the: 1) migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in relation to the elevation of Panamanian Isthmus; and 2) climate variability, sea surface temperatures (SSTs), and the vegetation evolution in Costa Rica and Panama, southern Central America during the last 5 Ma. During past glaci...

Here we present a detailed taxonomic review of seven of the most important mid-Cretaceous terrestrial palynofloral species in the north Western Desert of Egypt. These species (Crybelosporites pannuceus, Elaterocolpites castelainii, Elateroplicites africaensis, Elaterosporites klaszii, Afropollis jardinus, Cretacaeiporites densimurus, and Reyrea pol...

The paradigm of fluvial paleodischarge and sediment influx in the tropics provides valuable information on the controls/drivers on climate evolution, eutrophication and sedimentary organic matter preservation. The seasonal migration of Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and variability in monsoonal strength determined by precessional forcing are...

ABSTRACT The quantity of sedimentary organic matter in hydrocarbon source rocks is a key factor in evaluating petroleum systems. Exploration geologists routinely measure the abundance of organic matter (kerogen) by means of total organic carbon analysis. Total organic carbon values, however, can be misleading, if interpreted without considering oth...

(((Follow this link to download the full-text: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NUVZBV5z4zawj4HV6fEF/full))) An emended diagnosis of the angiosperm pollen genus Cretacaeiporites is proposed to encompass all attributed species. A comprehensive review of all Cretacaeiporites species is also given with the description of C. aegyptiaca sp. nov. from...

Link to download full-text: http://bulletin.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/full/129/1-2/218?ijkey=1sDHK81sUphyU&keytype=ref&siteid=gsabull The present study represents the first attempt to provide palynological data about the southern Gulf of Mexico distal continental margin during the Eocene−Miocene time interval. In addition to documenting the...

A multi proxy investigation was carried out on three outcrop sections (NL4, NL8, NL10) in the Upper Cretaceous Numanha Formation in the Yola Arm of the Upper Benue Trough, northeastern Nigeria. The Numanha Formation is a predominantly shale sequence that preserves the Turonian¬–Coniacian depositional history of a rift basin influenced by both the T...

A detailed palynofacies study was carried out on 24 shale cutting samples from the Oligocene Dabaa Formation, which was penetrated in the Amana-1X well, Abu El Gharadig Basin, north Western Desert, Egypt. The investigation targeted primarily three main groups of palynological elements: phytoclasts, palynomorphs, and amorphous marine organic matter...

A ternary plot is proposed to represent the paleoenvironmental context of palynologically recovered sedimentary particulate organic matter (POM). This plot identifies three major marine paleoenvironmental parameters, namely redox conditions, proximal-distal distribution, and terrestrial influence. It also facilitates hydrocarbon source-rock (keroge...

Palynological analysis was carried out on five outcrop samples from the Bartonian (middle Eocene) Sannor Formation exposed at Gebel El-Goza El-Hamra in the Shabrawet area, Egypt. These samples cover about 40 m of section representing floodplain-dominated alluvial deposits comprised mainly of mottled mudstone with alternations of sandstones and cong...

This study aims to provide the depositional facies, sequence stratigraphic and paleoclimatic characteristics of the Mid-Eocene (Bartonian) continental succession exposed at Gebel El-Goza El-Hamra (Shabrawet Area, NE Eastern Desert, Egypt). The studied succession consists of siliciclastic rocks followed upward by carbonate rocks. Detailed field obse...

This study aims to provide the depositional facies, sequence stratigraphic and paleoclimatic characteristics of the Mid-Eocene (Bartonian) continental succession exposed at Gebel El-Goza El-Hamra (Shabrawet Area, NE Eastern Desert, Egypt). The studied succession consists of siliciclastic rocks followed upward by carbonate rocks. Detailed field obse...

A detailed palynofacies study was carried out on twenty-four shaly cutting samples retrieved from the Oligocene Dabaa Formation encountered in the Amana-1X well drilled in the Abu El Gharadig basin, north Western Desert, at depths between 515.1 and 304.8 m (1690 and 1000 ft). The investigation targeted primarily three main groups of palynological e...

Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) site 94 recorded extensive biogenic carbonate sedimentation on the Yucatan Peninsula shelf marked by significant hiatuses from the Albian to Holocene. A palynological investigation of upper Eocene to lower Miocene section revealed sparse and poorly preserved palynomorph specimens that defined two palynomorph assembl...

Palynomorph and palynofacies analyses have been performed on 93 cutting samples from the Jurassic Masajid Formation and Cretaceous Alam El Bueib, Alamein, Dahab, Kharita, and Bahariya formations in the Sharib-1X and Ghoroud-1X wells, north Western Desert, Egypt. Two palynological biozones are proposed for the studied interval of the Sharib-1X well:...

The Gray Fossil Site (GFS) includes multiple karst sub-basins that are filled with lacustrine sediments. Early paleontologic work on one of the sub-basins (GFS-2) indicates a late Miocene/early Pliocene age based on an assemblage of well-preserved vertebrate fossils. However, detailed palynological analysis of the 38.7m deep GFS-1 core recovered fr...

The present study combines palynological applications with advanced microscopic techniques to characterize the Utica, Haynesville and Fayetteville shale-gas source rocks. This unprecedented approach could offer an alternative way to measure the total organic carbon (TOC) content using the 2D subsurface Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images. Thi...

The state of Louisiana alone has been hit by hurricanes 28 times in the past two decades, and eight of them were classified as category 3 and 4. It is possible that this hurricane pattern existed in the geologic past and dramatically affected the fossil record in the region. Samples from two closely spaced borings drilled in New Orleans in 2006, in...

The Late Neogene represents warm Earth conditions immediately prior to the development of extensive northern hemisphere glaciation, and this period in Earth history may therefore provide the best available analog for the projected outcome of continued global warming. There are few interior continental sites of Late Neogene age from the eastern half...

Bahariya Formation and Abu Roash “G” Member sediments in the Razzak Well #7, North Western Desert, Egypt contain abundant kerogen and fossil palynomorphs. In this study, we examined changes in these organic components and use them to interpret paleoenvironmental conditions and biostratigraphy. Terrestrial organic components dominate the Bahariya Fo...

The Gray Fossil Site (GFS) was thought to be entirely late Miocene/early Pliocene based on an assemblage of well preserved vertebrate fossils. Detailed palynologic study of the 38 m long GFS-1 core recovered from the site indicates an older age. The presence of Caryapollenites imparalis, C. inelegans, C. prodromus and C. veripites association along...

Bahariya Formation and Abu Roash "G" Member sediments in the Razzak #7 well, North Western Desert, Egypt, contain abundant kerogen and fossil palynomorphs. In this study, we examined changes in these organic components and use them to interpret paleoenvironmental conditions and biostratigraphy. Terrestrial organic components dominate the Bahariya F...

The Gray Fossil Site preserves a paleolake sequence that contains a well preserved faunal and floral biota. It occurs as Miocene? aged fill which occupies a karst feature developed within Cambro-Ordovician carbonates. The palynofacies analysis of twenty eight subsurface core samples has revealed the presence of diverse and well preserved particulat...