Journal of Petroleum Geology, Vol.6, No.1, pp.83-88, 1983

©Copyright 2000 Scientific Press, Ltd.

AN APPROACH TO "HALOKINEMATICS" AND INTERPLATE TECTONICS (NORTH-CENTRAL ALGERIA)

Fakhry A. Assaad*

* Cité Sonatrach, Boumerdas, Bat. 21-83, Algeria.

Abstract

Plate tectonics continues to dominate geological thinking; the main object of this paper is to explain salt movements due to halokinesis in terms of plate kinematics. A term "halokinematics" is proposed by the author to define disturbances of salt flow caused by continuous indirect geologic events which might be a consequence of plate kinematics. Salt rocks constitute the caprock of detrital Upper Triassic reservoirs in the NC zone of Algeria whereas eruptive rocks, mainly basalts and spilites, constitute the cap-rock of the lower most series to the SE. The absenceof Cretaceous formations to the SW of the Pre-Atlas zone may be mainly attributed to the presence of salt domes.