Early Cretaceous rifts of Western and Central Africa: an overview

Guiraud, René; Maurin, Jean‐Christophe

doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-89912-5.50035-1

Cited by 80 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…By Late Jurassic, a period of more extensive rifting began in Northeast Africa (Bosworth, 1994) affecting the larger parts of the Lamu embayment, Kenya, Blue Nile rift, Saudan and basins in Egypt (Keeley et al, 1990). Only during the Cretaceous did rifting commence in West Africa, and by Mid-Cretaceous, the West-Central African rifts were connected to the East African rifts by the Central African shear zone (Guiraud and Maurin, 1992). Cretaceous rifting was accompanied by southward transgression of the Tethyan Sea.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This led them to conclude that transcurrent movements are the basic tectonic mechanisms for the formation and subsequent evolution of the Benue Trough. Guiraud and Maurin (1992) as well as Maurin et al (1986) believed that the orientation of the trough is controlled by NE-SW trending dextral shear zones of Late Pan-African age, which were reactivated during the opening of the Benue Trough by sinistral shearing. The origin of the Benue Trough is intricately linked to the opening of the Atlantic Ocean in the Early Cretaceous and its shape and structure are controlled by pre-existing ductile/brittle shear zones periodically reactivated in response to regional tectonics.…”

Section: Origin and Evolution Of The Benue Troughmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Brittle deformation in the Afikpo Basin (Southeast Nigeria): Evidence for a terminal Cretaceous extensional regime in the Lower Benue Trough, Nigeria

Odigi

Amajor

2009

Chin. J. Geochem.

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This paper deals with the regional and structural framework of the Cretaceous rocks in the Afikpo Basin located in the southeastern part of the Lower Benue Trough. Results from regional tectonics are presented together with those of the microtectonic analysis of microfaults in the Owutu-Afikpo-Adadama area in the basin.The Owutu-Afikpo-Adadama ridge at the north-central part of the basin marks the boundary between the Late Cenomanian-Turonian-Conianian sediments and the Campanian-Maastrichtian sandstones. This ridge trends N45ºE on average and is faulted in three main directions, namely: (1) N-S normal faults; (2) NE-SW strike-slip faults; and (3) NW-SE strike-slip faults. The faulted rocks along these brittle discontinuities are mainly cataclastics with internal fracture cleavage and sigmoidal quartz mosaics that are reminiscent of extensional deformation. The cataclasites often bear slickenside striations.The NE-SW and NW-SE strike-slip faults are the results of the youngest brittle events on the Owutu-Afikpo-Adadama ridge. These faults were reactivated after deposition of the Campanian-Maastrichtain sediments (post-depositional faults) and, therefore, are post-Maastrichtain. Microfault analysis of these fault trends suggests an extensional regime that prevailed in the Lower Benue Trough. These results are of significance because this event is least poorly understood and less documented in contrast to the Cenomanian and Santonian events that affected the older Cretaceous strata in this region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Origin and Evolution Of The Benue Troughmentioning

confidence: 98%

Brittle deformation in the Afikpo Basin (Southeast Nigeria): Evidence for a terminal Cretaceous extensional regime in the Lower Benue Trough, Nigeria

Odigi

Amajor

2009

Chin. J. Geochem.

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“…Figure 3 shows an early stage of seafloor spreading at about 120 Ma, just prior to the separation of South America from Africa and illustrates the divergent pattern of deviatoric tension in Africa, as indicated by the continent-wide network of graben structures (Guiraud and Maurin, 1992). Divergent movements of the lithosphere are evident by crustal separation between Africa, North America and East Gondwana, followed by early opening of the Central Atlantic and Indian oceans.…”

Section: Origin Growth and Shape Of The African Platementioning

confidence: 98%

“…Divergent movements of the lithosphere are evident by crustal separation between Africa, North America and East Gondwana, followed by early opening of the Central Atlantic and Indian oceans. An intimate interaction between sea-floor spreading and intra-continental rifting is evident (Fairhead and Binks, 1991;Binks and Fairhead, 1992;Guiraud and Maurin, 1992).…”

Section: Origin Growth and Shape Of The African Platementioning

confidence: 99%

Rifting of Africa and pattern of mantle convection beneath the African plate

Pavoni¹

1992

Geodynamics of Rifting

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Pavoni, N., 1992. Rifting of Africa and pattern of mantle convection beneath the African plate. In: P.A. Ziegler (Editor), Geodynamics of Rifting, Volume III. Thematic Discussions. Tectonophysics,215: 35-53.The Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic setting of the African continent is characterized by an extensional stress regime, as is evident ffom the evolution of the West, Central and East African rift systems, the opening of the Indian and Atlantic oceans and the development of Tethys domain, as well as from the results of geophysical investigations.

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“…Structural diversity includes a succession of global tectonic events from the Mesozoic to the present day (Caire 1970;Wildi 1983;Dercourt et al 1985;Dewey et al 1989;Guiraud and Maurin 1992;Guiraud and Bosworth 1997;Piqué et al 1998). Tunisia underwent a geodynamic evolution interpreted by a great diversity of structures set up in successive pulsations during the Meso-Cenozoic (Castany 1952;Caire 1970;Haller 1983;Zargouni 1985;Ben Ayed 1986;Bédir 1995;Bouaziz et al 2002;Abbes 2004;Khomsi et al 2004a;Boussiga 2008;Sbeï 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Seismic and well log post-Cretaceous reservoir correlations in the Sahel, east Tunisia

et al. 2015

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International audienceThe eastern part of Tunisia is made up of the Atlasic chain foreland, a domain connected to a continental crust which thins northeastward. It is limited to the west and northwest by the corridor of the NS axis faults and by the Zaghouan fault which separates it from the Atlasic domain and trends toward the Pelagian Sea eastwards. It is regarded as a stable zone. The signs of the main events which generated the Atlasic structures are hidden under a thick Plio-Quaternary cover. From surface observations, microtectonic measurements, and lithostratigraphic sections and logs, including those of oil well log data and seismic profiles onshore and offshore, one notes (i) an in-depth and lateral variation of the lithostratigraphic series and (ii) a considerably faulted area at subsurface characterized by a complex structural evolution and shears associated with basins. Such variations are controlled by tectonics and eustatism. The eastern platform is affected only by N45° oriented folds, often accompanied by reverse faults and associated with N90–110° dextral and N160–180° sinistral shears. It corresponds to a tectonic foreland domain representing a folded and sheared deformation zone. The tectonic deformations recognized by seismic data only affect narrow corridors, lengthened and oriented according to three major directions: N45°, N100–120°, and N160–180°. These zones, mobile at several geological periods and tectonically complex, delimit large sectors which have undergone minimal deformation or none at all. Well developed in the Sahel, the reservoirs are carbonated and fractured types such as the limestones of Abiod, Metlaoui, Souar and Chérahil, Aïn Grab, and the Oum Dhouil group. Structural traps for the accumulation of hydrocarbons were formed following these Atlasic compression and folding phases. The deposit of thick argillaceous series during the Eocene (Souar and Chérahil) and during the Miocene (Oum Dhouil) constitutes good continuous covers which sealed the folded and faulted reservoir structures. The seismic profiles show traps which are associated with folded and closure structures by faults and stratigraphic traps through facies changes. The structural inversions and the thrust tectonics in eastern Tunisia play a significant role in the structuring of the cover and also in the evolution of the oil system emplacement. The reservoirs are supplied by bed rocks of the Cretaceous (Bahloul Formation) and the Eocene (Metlaoui Formation)

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Early Cretaceous rifts of Western and Central Africa: an overview

Cited by 80 publications

References 35 publications

Brittle deformation in the Afikpo Basin (Southeast Nigeria): Evidence for a terminal Cretaceous extensional regime in the Lower Benue Trough, Nigeria

Brittle deformation in the Afikpo Basin (Southeast Nigeria): Evidence for a terminal Cretaceous extensional regime in the Lower Benue Trough, Nigeria

Rifting of Africa and pattern of mantle convection beneath the African plate

Seismic and well log post-Cretaceous reservoir correlations in the Sahel, east Tunisia

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