Productive Series of the South-Caspian Basin. The Modern Architecture of the South Caspian Megabasin Derived from Seismic and Other Methods

The South Caspian Megabasin (SCMB) is a significant tectonic element of the Earth’s crust and a highly potential sedimentary basin within the central segment of the Alpine-Himalayan mobile belt (AHMB). The SCMB appears to have a distinct tectonic position and includes the most deep-seated depression of the South Caspian Basin (SCB) and its troughs: the Kur Trough (KT) from the west and the West-Turkmenian trough (WTT) from the east. The two troughs being opened and widened appear to coalesce with the SCB. The megabase trends in a sub-latitudinal direction and is framed by the Greater Caucasus, Kopetdag, Lesser Caucasus, Talysh, Elburs, and Aladag-Benaluda mountain structures. The SCMB modern structure has been formed due to the active tectonic movements and intensive sedimentation processes dominated during separate evolutional stages. All the SCB, KT, and WTT sections are distinguished by the presence of many types of structural elements and sedimentary complexes being different by their scales and preservation degree as well as by individual geometrical and morphological features from those developed within the other basins of the mobile belt and neighboring platform region.