From Neoproterozoic to Early Cenozoic: exploring the potential of older and deeper hydrocarbon plays across North Africa and the Middle East

Craig, Jonathan; Grigo, D.; Rebora, A.; Serafini, Giuseppe; Tebaldi, E.

doi:10.1144/0070673

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…The epicontinental seas opened to the Rheic Ocean located to the NW (Scotese et al 1999). The Gondwana landmass consisted of several terranes, which accreted during the late Proterozoic Pan-African orogeny (Craig et al 2010;Eschard et al 2010;Galeazzi et al 2010). Major north to south Pan-African faults resulting from this accretion were reactivated several times during geological history, although away from these faults the landmass was relatively rigid and stable.…”

Section: Geological Setting Of Se Algeriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Ordovician proglacial sediments in Algeria: insights into the controls on hydrocarbon reservoirs in the In Amenas field, Illizi Basin

Hirst

2012

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Ordovician proglacial deposits form gas reservoirs in the In Amenas field, Illizi Basin, Algeria. Depositional models were developed to understand the context and disposition of the main reservoirs through an evaluation of core and analogous outcrops from the Tassili N'Ajjer.Tunnel valleys initially accumulated sandstones with tractional structures. Subsequent failures of subaqueous grounding line sediment deposited proglacial debrites comprising poorly sorted argillaceous sandstone with granules. These were interbedded with high-density turbidity sandstones; their fine grain size indicates they were dynamically disconnected from the lithologically varied debrites. A lobate geometry has been defined for one subsurface composite turbidite.Periodic catastrophic outflows, possibly evacuating subglacial lakes, incised the network of subglacial tunnels and in the process delivered sand to the turbidite outwashes. Bedforms indicate high-energy, transcritical to supercritical outflows that were stable for extended periods. During ice retreat, a period of ice margin stability may have occurred due to grounding over the In Amenas granitic palaeohighs. Outwash fan apices were located along this grounding line with feeder channels developing where the substrate was more easily eroded such as between the palaeohighs. Following further ice retreat, deposition evolved to variably sinuous channels and thence to pelagic fines with dropstones.

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Section: Geological Setting Of Se Algeriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Ordovician proglacial sediments in Algeria: insights into the controls on hydrocarbon reservoirs in the In Amenas field, Illizi Basin

Hirst

2012

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“…The North Africa petroleum prospects are made up of basins in Morocco (Anti Atlas), Algeria (subsurface Illizi basin) and Libya (Murzuq and Al-Kufra basins) (Le ). The petroleum system of North Africa is broadly Cambrian to Ordovician with some isolated cases of early Silurian to Devonian source rocks observations (Craig et al 2010). The Ordovician quartzites of the Hamra formation, which are the main reservoir rocks in the Illizi basin of Algeria are separated from the underlying El Gassi Shale which is about 200 m thick in Tassili N' Ajers areas.…”

Section: Northwest Africa Petroleum Prospectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Globally, the interest in Neoproterozoic stratigraphically deeply buried petroleum systems, which is otherwise known as unconventional hydrocarbon system, is increasing (Craig et al 2009(Craig et al , 2010(Craig et al , 2012. This is as a result of their large recoverable potential, the tight shale and sands gas as well as coal bed methane storage properties (Jarvie 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Mesoproterozoic–Paleozoic intracratonic Voltaian Basin, West African Craton, Ghana

Abu

Adeleye

Ehinola

et al. 2020

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

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Neoproterozoic sedimentary basins are increasingly gaining hydrocarbon exploration attention globally following results of significant discoveries in these basins as a result of long, consistent and focused research and exploration efforts. The hydrocarbon prospectivity of the unexplored Mesoproterozoic–Early Paleozoic Voltaian basin is reviewed relative to global Neoproterozoic basins. Like the Voltaian basin of Ghana, global Neoproterozoic basins have experienced similar geological event of glaciation with accompanying deposition of marginal–shallow marine carbonates and associated siliciclastic argillaceous sediments. These carbonates and argillaceous sediments coupled with deep anoxic depositional environments, favored the preservation of organic matter in these sediments and carbonates globally making them source rocks and in some cases the reservoir rocks as well, to hydrocarbon occurrence. The hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Voltaian is highly probable with Neoproterozoic basins of similar geologic analogies, Amadeus basin, Illizi basin, the Tindouf and Taoudeni basins of the WAC, having proven and active petroleum systems with some listed as world class oil/gas producing basins together with other Neoproterozoic basins like South Salt Oman basin, Barnett shales and giant gas reserves of southwestern Sichuan basin of China.

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“…This landmass consisted of several terranes that accreted during the late Proterozoic Pan-African Orogeny (Craig et al 2010;Eschard et al 2010;Galeazzi et al 2010). Major north-south faults resulting from this accretion were reactivated several times during geological history, although, away from these faults, the landmass was relatively rigid and stable.…”

Section: Geological Setting Of Se Algeriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Ordovician shallow-marine tidal sandwaves in Algeria – the application of coeval outcrops to constrain the geometry and facies of a discontinuous, high-quality gas reservoir

Hirst¹

2016

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The Tiguentourine field in the Illizi Basin, Algeria, is a multi trillion cubic feet (TCF) gas accumulation, with production primarily from Late Ordovician proglacial density flow deposits with permeabilities typically in the range 100-0.1 mD. The proglacial succession is truncated by an erosive surface, above which a thin interval of shallow-marine sandstones with higher permeabilites is present in a few wells. These well-sorted, high-energy sandstones were, in turn, succeeded by Silurian-age graptolitic shales that form both the seal and the source rock. Although the shallow-marine sandstone is a high-quality reservoir interval, it is thin (,12 m), discontinuous and not resolvable on seismic; it therefore represents a challenging target to predict.Coeval equivalents of the reservoir interval are exposed in the Tassili N'Ajjer, over 200 km south of the field. An erosive surface at the top of the proglacial sequence is succeeded by sandwaves with wavelengths of .100 m. The geometries and facies relationships have been documented from Landsat and outcrops; they were then compared to modern marine settings. The varied facies and the localized absence of the shallow-marine unit at outcrop serve to explain why the better quality sandstone is variably developed in the subsurface and remains a high risk target. Downloaded from Fig. 12. (a) Higher-resolution Landsat image of ridges 5, 6 and 7 (Quickbird data from Dixon et al. 2008); the white lines pick out two surface traces of the eastwards-dipping planar sets that are evident in the end view (b). These sets exhibit a higher degree of curvature in plan view than the gross sand ridge does. (c) Detail of small cross-sets resulting from bedforms that migrated eastwards down the main sets. Small clasts are also evident.

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From Neoproterozoic to Early Cenozoic: exploring the potential of older and deeper hydrocarbon plays across North Africa and the Middle East

Cited by 16 publications

References 92 publications

Ordovician proglacial sediments in Algeria: insights into the controls on hydrocarbon reservoirs in the In Amenas field, Illizi Basin

Ordovician proglacial sediments in Algeria: insights into the controls on hydrocarbon reservoirs in the In Amenas field, Illizi Basin

The hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Mesoproterozoic–Paleozoic intracratonic Voltaian Basin, West African Craton, Ghana

Ordovician shallow-marine tidal sandwaves in Algeria – the application of coeval outcrops to constrain the geometry and facies of a discontinuous, high-quality gas reservoir

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