College of Science, University of Basrah discussed a Ph.D. thesis on the structural pattern and tectonic evolution of the Zubair oil field in southern Iraq by the postgraduate student, Mr. Ayman Adel Lazem.

The thesis aimed at conducting a structural and tectonic analysis of the Zubair oil field to understand the patterns of faults and folds and their impact on the distribution of reservoir properties in the field.

The thesis demonstrated detailed structural geological analysis of the fractures and folds of the four domes (Hammar, Shuaiba, Rafidiya, and Safwan) within the Zubair oil field and proposed a tectonic model for the field from the Jurassic period to the present.

The thesis concluded that the Zubair oil field contains numerous faults extending across the four domes, and that folding operations have been ongoing since the Pre-Jurassic period to the present.

The thesis confirmed that the reasons for the formation of faults and folds are due to the role of Hormuz salts, the activity of the basement faults and the collision between the Arabian and Eurasian plates.