Field Trip: Unveiling the Structural Evolution of Eastern Arabia
Field Trip Instructors
Mohammed M. Marhoon
Lead Geologist
Aramco
Mohammed F. Saleh
Lead Geologist
Aramco
We are delighted to welcome you to the official field trip of the EAGE/AAPG Tectonostratigraphy Workshop, an immersive geological journey across some of the Arabian Plate’s most remarkable outcrops.
This two-day excursion will guide you through the Mesozoic stratigraphy and structures surrounding the Riyadh region—home to world-class examples of evaporitic sequences, anticlines, grabens, and fault-related folds. From the Evaporitic Hith Formation at Dahl Heet Cave to the deformed Sulay limestones of Narjis and the structurally complex Nisah Graben system, every stop has been carefully selected to highlight a key chapter in the region’s tectonostratigraphic evolution.
Whether you're an academic, industry geoscientist, or early-career explorer, this field trip offers a hands-on opportunity to observe:
- World class collapse structures
- Transtensional and transpressional fault systems
- Basin inversion history of Arabian Plate
- Real-world examples of fault kinematics and fracture systems
We encourage all participants to attend, observe, sketch, ask, and interpret—this is a learning experience designed to foster technical exchange and collaborative insight.
Let’s explore the story told by the rocks beneath our feet.
Welcome to the field!
Field Trip Objective:
The understanding of tectonics in exploring hydrocarbon reserves is vital for our industry. The Arabian plate contains numerous basins and hinterlands that have changed throughout time. The structural elements of these basins define our petroleum systems in terms of shape, content, and evolution. This field work aims to bring to light outcrop- and basin-scale structural elements that have affected or continue to affect the outcrop and subsurface of the Arabian plate.
Field Trip Outcomes:
Establishing tectonostratigraphic field trip and surface case studies in Saudi Arabia
Observing and characterizing folds and faults in the field in terms of stress, strain, scale, and associated features
Linking field observations to tectonostratigraphic knowledge to predict similar features in the subsurface and its impact on reservoir, seal, and trap.
Emphasizing the link between structural settings and sedimentation patterns
Comparing field-scale observations to subsurface and their impact on the petroleum systems
Field Trip Itinerary:
DAY 1 | Sunday, 02 November 2025
| Start Time | End Time | Duration | Description |
| 07:45AM | 07:45AM | 00:00:00 | FT Attendees gather |
| 07:50AM | 08:00AM | 00:10:00 | FT Briefing & HSSE by FT Leaders |
| 08:00AM | 08:30AM | 00:30:00 | Bus Depart from Hotel to Narjis Area |
| 08:30AM | 11:20AM | 02:50:00 | Narjis Area |
| 11:20AM | 12:00PM | 00:40:00 | From Narjis Area to King Abdullah Park |
| 12:00PM | 01:00PM | 01:00:00 | Lunch Break |
| 01:00PM | 01:30PM | 00:30:00 | From King Abdullah Park to Aziziyah Kharj Outcrop |
| 01:30PM | 02:20PM | 00:50:00 | Aziziyah Kharj Outcrop |
| 02:20PM | 02:50PM | 00:30:00 | From Aziziyah Kharj Outcrop to Heet Cave |
| 02:50PM | 03:20PM | 00:30:00 | Heet Cave Stop |
| 03:20PM | 04:10PM | 00:50:00 | From Heet Cave to Um Alshaal anticline |
| 04:10PM | 04:40PM | 00:30:00 | Um Alshaal Anticline Stop |
| 04:40PM | 05:40PM | 01:00:00 | Bus Arrive at Hotel |
| 05:40PM | 05:40PM | 00:00:00 | End of Day 1 |
DAY 2 | Monday, 03 November 2025
| Start Time | End Time | Duration | Description |
| 07:45AM | 07:45AM | 00:00:00 | FT Attendees gather |
| 07:50AM | 08:00AM | 00:10:00 | FT Briefing & HSSE by FT Leaders |
| 08:00AM | 09:30AM | 01:30:00 | Bus Depart from Hotel to Wadi Mawan |
| 09:30AM | 10:30AM | 01:00:00 | Wadi Mawan Stop |
| 10:30AM | 11:15AM | 00:45:00 | From Wadi Mawan to Sahba Nisah |
| 11:15AM | 12:30PM | 01:15:00 | Sahba Nisah Stop |
| 12:30PM | 12:45PM | 00:15:00 | From Sahba Nisah to the Al Hair Lakes Lunch Stop |
| 12:45PM | 1:45PM | 01:00:00 | Lunch Break |
| 1:45PM | 2:30PM | 00:45:00 | Al Hair Lakes Outcrops |
| 2:30PM | 3:30PM | 01:00:00 | From Al Hair Lakes Outcrops to the Edge of the World |
| 3:30PM | 4:00PM | 00:30:00 | Edge of the World Stop |
| 4:00PM | 5:00PM | 01:00:00 | Bus Arrive at Hotel |
| 5:00PM | 5:00PM | 00:00:00 | End of Day 2 |
