In 1981, Yemen Hunt Oil Company (YHOC) negotiated a production-sharing agreement covering 12,600 km sq. in the northeast part of the Yemen Arab Republic. A reconnaissance seismic program of 1,864 km acquired in 1982 revealed the presence of a major half graben, designated the Marib/Al Jawf basin by YHOC. A sedimentary section up to 18,000 ft. thick has been recognized. Geologic field mapping identified Jurassic carbonates covered by Cretaceous sands overlying Permian glaciolacustrine sediments, Paleozoic sandstones, or Precambrian basement.

The first well, Alif-1, drilled in 1984, aimed at a possible Jurassic carbonate objective, encountered hydrocarbon-bearing sands in the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition zone between 5,000 and 6,000 ft. Appraisal and development drilling followed. The Alif field is believed to contain in excess of 400 million bbl of recoverable oil. Current daily production is of the order of 190,000 BOPD. Subsequent wildcat drilling has located additional accumulations while further amplifying basin stratigraphy.

Rapid basin development took place in the Late Jurassic culminating with the deposition of Tithonian salt. The evaporites provide an excellent seal for hydrocarbons apparently sourced from restricted basin shales and trapped in rapidly deposited clastics.

The overall Upper Jurassic stratigraphy is unlike that encountered elsewhere in the Arabian Peninsula while hydrocarbon-trapping appears to result from the unorthodox conjunction of two ages and styles of faulting.

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