Geochemistry of Upper Cretaceous Sediments of the Northeastern Slope of the Lesser Caucasus (Lok-Karabakh Zone): Insights into Provenance, Geodynamic Setting and Reservoir Quality

This article presents the results of studies of the geochemical characteristics of the Upper Cretaceous terrigenous complex in the northeastern slope of the Lesser Caucasus (Lok-Karabakh Zone). The aim of this research is to analyse the material composition, determine the genetic characteristics of provenance rocks, and reconstruct the geodynamic environment at the time of deposition of these sediments, thereby enabling the prediction of reser-voir rock quality within the Upper Cretaceous succession. The study reveals that the provenance of the Upper Cretaceous deposits in the Lok-Karabakh zone is composed of mafic igneous rocks. Paleogeodynamic recon-structions, based on the chemical composition of the Upper Cretaceous rocks, indicate the presence of an ensi-matic oceanic island arc in the studied area. Based on the obtained data, the Upper Cretaceous rocks are predict-ed to exhibit from weak to moderate reservoir properties.