THE PREDOBROGEAN DEPRESSION IN ROMANIA AND MOLDOVA AND ITS HYDROCARBON PROSPECTS

The Predobrogean Depression contains a Precambrian to Triassic sequenc e many kilometres thick, overlain unconformably by Middle and Jurassic strata 2 km thick, which are capped by a thin Cretaceous-Neogene cove r. The depression lies southwest of the East European Platform and nor theast of the Hercynian-Kimmerian North Dobrogea orogen. No significan t hydrocarbon finds have been made. Scattered wells show bituminous cl ays at Vendian and Devonian levels and bitumen or hydrocarbon shows oc cur in Devonian dolomites, Permian Greywackes, Triassic sandstones and Jurassic strata. Minor oil and gas finds have been made in Neogene re servoirs but the main prospectivity is assessed to be in the Palaeozoi c formations. Seismic data quality must by improved to reveal the stru cture of the Palaeozoic section.