Late Cretaceous Deformation of the Arabian Plate: Analogue Modelling and Geodynamic Implications

Summary The Late Cretaceous deformation phase of the Arabian Plate remains poorly understood, despite its critical role in forming structural traps within some of the world’s largest petroleum systems, such as the Ghawar Field ( Afifi, 2005 ). To better constrain the tectonic activity during this period, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the main active structural features across the Arabian Plate. These structures were then incorporated into a series of analogue sandbox experiments designed to test how the orientation of pre-existing weaknesses influences fault patterns under strike-slip and oblique convergence settings. This ongoing research aims to refine our understanding of the tectonic regimes that prevailed during the Late Cretaceous and to advance our knowledge of the Arabian Peninsula’s petroleum systems. Ultimately, this study may lead to the development of a simplified plate-tectonic model that explains the coexistence of NW–SE-trending transtensional structures in the northern Arabian Plate and NNW–SSE-trending transpressional structures in the south.