The series of strata below the halite have favourable petroleum geological conditions in southern Pre-Caspian basin.The extensively developed mudstones and marls have large hydrocarbon generating potentials

the high quality carbonate reservoirs

especially the bioherms

are widely distributed

and the thick halite cap-rocks in Kungurian Fm are well developed in the whole basin except some local areas on the basin margin.Therefore

the source-reservoir-cap rock combination is very good in this basin.The distribution of oil(gas)pools and fields are controlled by the development and distribution of traps and high quality carbonate reservoirs of shallow water platform facies(such as Astrakhan condensate gas field)and biohermal facies(such as Tengiz and Kashagan oil fields)that developed on the long-term stable palaeohighs and palaeoslopes below the thick halite layers.The western South-Enba depression(the northern part of Caspian sea)is the most favourable area for exploration of oil and gas pools below the halite in southern Pre-Caspian basin

followed by the eastern South-Enba depression

the northern Caspian uplift zone and Biikzhal uplift zone

while the Astrakhan quaquaversal dome with well developed deep carbonates

the southern Astrakhan structural zone and the South-Enba uplift are relatively favourable exploration areas.