After receipt of Block 49, Circle Oil completed a full inventory of all historic data on the area and interpreted the available 11,438 km seismic and 18,087 km of aeromagnetics and gravity data. In 2008 an extensive reprocessing and interpretation of pre-existing seismic was completed as well as 3D gravity modelling for the permit. This combination of data sets provided further evidence to support the existence of a salt basin in the southern half of Block 49. This new salt basin has been named the Ghudun Salt Basin and the subsequent exploration programme for Block 49 was designed as a two-fold objective of confirming the extent of salt and delineating any likely targets for drilling.
An Environmental Impact Assessment was completed in 2007 and repeated in 2010 as a precursor to planning new seismic acquisition, aimed at imaging prospective targets in the southern half of the block, especially within any Salt Basin.
3D
Circle requested and was granted, permission to conduct a large 3D seismic survey over an area of approximately 900 sq.km. The 3D seismic survey was undertaken from March - September 2010 and was subsequently processed and interpreted. The processed results have proven the potential for existence of the Ara Salt across the western two thirds of the survey area and also show indications of high amplitude reflections within the data with also a potential deeper large closure.
Block 49 seismic coverage is now to be augmented by the acquisition of a new 2D survey to the NE of and adjacent to the 3D survey acquired in 2010. The Ministry of Oil and Gas, Oman has granted an extension to the exploration period for our onshore Block 49 until 26 December 2012. Circle will acquire an additional 2,500 line kilometres of closely spaced 2D seismic survey and drill one exploration well. This 2D survey is intended to provide a better understanding of the whole southern permit area, and outline potential additional drilling targets. It will complement the existing dataset, and cover an area with sparse coverage of legacy 2D lines.