Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Figures
1. Location map showing the Senegal Province boundary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
2. Generalized geologic map of northwest Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
3. Generalized map of the central and southern parts of the Senegal Basin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
4. Generalized stratigraphic column for the Casamance region of the Senegal Basin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
5. Location map for Guinea-Bissau, southern Senegal Basin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
6. Schematic cross section, Guinea-Bissau, southern Senegal Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
7. Generalized stratigraphic column, Casamance offshore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
8. Generalized stratigraphic column for northern and southern Mauritania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
9. Schematic east-to-west cross section through The Gambia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
10. Schematic cross section through Cape Verde. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
11. Organic facies distribution of the Cenomanian to Turonian source rocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
12. Paleogeographic reconstruction of the Silurian Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
13. Examples of maturation evolution involving the Silurian, Jurassic, basal Neocomian,
and the Cenomanian to Turonian source rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
14. Examples of maturation evolution involving the Albian, Turonian, Senonian,
Campanian, Maastrichtian, and Paleocene source rocks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
15. Isogeneration map of the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
16. Schematic cross sections showing the position of the zone of oil generation,
Senegal Basin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
17. Schematic cross section of Guinea-Bissau offshore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
18. Schematic cross section of the Mauritania offshore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
19. Events chart for the Lower Paleozoic Total Petroleum System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
20. Events chart for the Sub-salt Total Petroleum System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
21. Events chart for the Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Tables
(Tables follow References Cited)
1. Estimated sizes, numbers, and coproduct ratios of undiscovered oil and gas fields
2. Estimated undiscovered conventional oil, gas, and natural gas liquids volumes
iii
Assessment of the Undiscovered Oil and Gas of the
Senegal Province, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia,
and Guinea-Bissau, Northwest Africa
By Michael E. Brownfield and Ronald R. Charpentier
Foreword emphasize similarities in the rocks. The mapped area of the total
petroleum system, as defined for this study, includes all geneti-
cally related petroleum that occurs in seeps, shows, and accu-
This report was prepared as part of the World Petroleum mulations (discovered and undiscovered) generated by a pod or
Assessment 2000 of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Energy by closely related pods of mature source rock (Klett and others,
Resources Program. The purpose of the World Petroleum 2000b). The area also includes the essential geologic elements
Assessment 2000 is to assess the quantities of oil, gas, and nat- (that is, reservoirs, seals, traps, and overburden rocks) that con-
ural gas liquids that have the potential to be added to reserves trol the fundamental processes of petroleum generation, expul-
within the next 30 years. These volumes either reside in undis- sion, migration, entrapment, and preservation. The “minimum”
covered fields whose sizes exceed the minimum-field-size cut- petroleum system is that part of a total petroleum system
off value of at least 1 million barrels of oil equivalent, or occur encompassing discovered shows, seeps, and accumulations
as reserve growth of fields already discovered. together with the geologic space in which the various essential
In order to organize, evaluate, and delineate areas to elements have been proved by these discoveries.
assess, a hierarchical scheme of geographic and geologic units
was developed. This scheme consists of regions, geologic prov- An assessment unit is a mappable portion of a total petro-
inces, petroleum systems, and assessment units. In the World leum system in which discovered and undiscovered fields con-
Petroleum Assessment 2000, regions serve as organizational stitute a single, relatively homogeneous population. The meth-
units and geologic provinces are used as prioritization tools. odology of our resource assessment is based on the probability
The project divided the world into 8 regions and 937 geo- of number and size of undiscovered fields and, therefore, is sen-
logic provinces. Provinces were ranked according to the discov- sitive to the homogeneity of each population being assessed.
ered oil and gas volumes within each (Klett and others, 1997; A total petroleum system might equate to a single assess-
Klett and others, 2000a). Seventy-six “priority” provinces ment unit or, if necessary, may be subdivided into two or more
(exclusive of the United States and chosen for their high rank- assessment units such that each assessment unit is sufficiently
ing) and 26 “boutique” provinces (exclusive of the United homogeneous in terms of geology, exploration considerations,
States and chosen for their anticipated petroleum richness and risk to assess individually. Heterogeneity cannot be allevi-
or special regional economic or strategic importance) were ated in all assessment units. In such cases, accumulation density
selected for appraisal of oil and gas resources. and exploration concepts are not extrapolated across the entire
A geologic province is an area that characteristically has assessment unit.
dimensions of hundreds of kilometers and that encompasses a
A numeric code identifies each region, province, total
natural geologic entity (for example, sedimentary basin, thrust
petroleum system, and assessment unit; these codes are uniform
belt, accreted terrain) or some combination of contiguous geo-
throughout the project and throughout all publications of the
logic entities. Province boundaries were drawn as logically as
project. The code used in this study is as follows:
possible along natural geologic boundaries, although in some
places their location is based on other factors such as a specific Unit Name Code
bathymetric depth in open oceans.
Region Sub-Saharan Africa 7
Total petroleum systems and assessment units are delin-
eated within each of the geologic provinces assessed for undis- Province Senegal Basin 7013
covered oil and gas. Although the boundaries of total petroleum Total petroleum system Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite 701301
systems and assessment units are usually contained within a Assessment unit Coastal Plain and Offshore 70130101
geologic province, it is not required. The petroleum system con-
cept emphasizes the similarities in oil composition (Magoon The codes for the regions and provinces are listed in Klett and
and Dow, 1994), unlike geologic provinces and plays that others (1997, 2000a).
1
Known oil and gas volumes quoted in this report which three fields (two gas and one oil) exceed the minimum
are derived from Petroconsultants, Inc., 1996 Petroleum size assessed in this study (1 MMBO; 6 BCFG). Discovered
Exploration and Production database (Petroconsultants, 1996) known oil resources in the Senegal Province are 10 MMBO,
and other area reports from Petroconsultants, Inc., unless other- with known gas resources of 49 BCFG (Petroconsultants,
wise noted. Increases in reported estimated total recoverable vol- 1996).
umes are commonly observed from year to year. To address this This study estimates that 10 percent of the total number of
phenomenon, the U.S. Geological Survey created a “reserve- potential oil and gas fields (both discovered and undiscovered)
growth” model. When applicable, this model is applied to the of at least the minimum size have been discovered. The esti-
reported data, and the resulting “grown” data rather than the mated mean size and number of assessed, undiscovered oil
“known” data are used in the assessment process. fields are 13 MMBO and 13 fields, respectively, whereas the
Figures in this report that show boundaries of the total mean size and number of undiscovered gas fields are estimated
petroleum system and assessment unit were compiled using to be 50 BCFG and 11 fields.
geographic information system (GIS) software. Political The mean estimates for undiscovered conventional petro-
boundaries and cartographic representations were taken, with leum resources are 157 MMBO, 856 BCFG, and 43 MMBNGL
permission, from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (table 2). The mean sizes of the largest anticipated undiscovered
ArcWorld 1:3 million digital coverage (Environmental Systems oil and gas fields are 66 MMBO and 208 BCFG, respectively.
Research Institute, 1992). These boundaries are not politically The Senegal Province is underexplored considering its
definitive and are displayed for general reference only. Oil and large size. The province has hydrocarbon potential in both the
gas field center points, shown in these figures, are reproduced, offshore and onshore, and undiscovered gas resources may be
with permission, from Petroconsultants (1996). significant and accessible in areas where the zone of oil gener-
ation is relatively shallow.
Abstract
Introduction
Undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources were
assessed in the Senegal Province as part of the U.S. Geological The Senegal Province (fig. 1), which includes the onshore
Survey World Petroleum Assessment 2000 (U.S. Geological and offshore (to a water depth of 2,000 m) parts of the Senegal
Survey World Energy Assessment Team, 2000). Although Basin, is situated along the northwestern African coast and
several total petroleum systems may exist in the province, includes parts of Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, The
only one composite total petroleum system, the Cretaceous- Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea. The Senegal Basin is
Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System, was defined classified as an Atlantic-type passive margin or marginal sag
with one assessment unit, the Coastal Plain and Offshore basin of Middle Jurassic to Holocene age overlying a Paleozoic
Assessment Unit, having sufficient data to allow quantitative basin (Wissmann, 1982). Figure 2 is a generalized geologic
assessment. map of northwest Africa showing the location of Senegal
The primary source rocks for the Cretaceous-Tertiary and adjoining provinces. The northern limit of the Senegal
Composite Total Petroleum System are the Cenomanian- Basin is the Precambrian Reguibate Shield in Morocco, and
Turonian marine shales. The Turonian shales can be as much the southern limit is the Bove Basin of Guinea (fig. 3). The east-
as 150 meters thick and contain Type II organic carbon ranging ern edge of the basin is separated from the Taoudeni Basin by
from 3 to 10 weight percent. In the Senegal Province, source Precambrian rocks of the Mauritanide Mountains that were
rocks are mature even when situated at depths relatively shal- uplifted during the Late Paleozoic Hercynian Orogeny (figs. 2
low for continental passive margin basins. Reservoir rocks con- and 3).
sist of Upper Cretaceous sandstones and lower Tertiary clastic The Senegal Basin is the largest of the northwest African
and carbonate rocks. The Lower Cretaceous platform carbonate Atlantic margin basins (De Klasz, 1978), with a total land area
rocks (sealed by Cenomanian shales) have porosities ranging of about 340,000 km2 and an offshore portion in excess of
from 10 to 23 percent. Oligocene carbonate rock reservoirs 100,000 km2. The offshore portion of the basin was limited
exist, such as the Dome Flore field, which contains as much for this study to water depths of 2,000 m or less. Three major
as 1 billion barrels of heavy oil (10° API, 1.6 percent sulfur) subbasins (fig. 3) have been recognized in the Senegal Basin:
in place. The traps are a combination of structural closures (1) the Mauritania offshore subbasin, which extends north
and stratigraphic pinch-outs. from the Senegal River to the southern part of Western Sahara;
Hydrocarbon production in the Senegal Province to date (2) the Northern subbasin, which is located north of the Gambia
has been limited to several small oil and gas fields around River to the Senegal River; and (3) the Casamance subbasin,
Cape Verde (also known as the Dakar Peninsula) from Upper which extends south from the Gambia River through the
Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs bounded by normal faults, of Casamance region into Guinea-Bissau.
0° 30°
MOROCCO
30°
30°
ALGERIA AFRICA
A
AR
Atlantic 0°
H
Ocean SA
RN
TE
ES
30°
W
MAURITANIA
NIGER
l SENEGAL
THE GAMBIA MALI
BURKINA
FASO
GUINEA- BENIN
BISSAU GUINEA
EXPLANATION
IVORY Province boundary
LIB COAST GHANA
SIERRA LEONE ER Coastal Plain and Offshore
IA Assessment Unit boundary
and Cretaceous Composite
TOGO Total Petroleum System
0°
Figure 1. Location map showing the Senegal Province (7013) boundary, the Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum
System (701301), the Coastal Plain and Offshore Assessment Unit (70130101), and the center points for oil and gas fields.
Quaternary rocks
gu Paleozoic rocks
Re lift
20 faya
Up 8
66
6
r
20 Precambrian rocks
-Ta
24°
iun
Aa
Igneous rocks
l d
Shie
Water
ib ate
gu
Re Assessment Unit
boundary
20°
Taoudeni Basin Oil and Gas
7035 Province boundary
16°
Senegal
7013
Baffa 7105
12°
Volta
7114
West African
Shield
7021
8°
4°
Gulf of Guinea
7183
Figure 2. Generalized geologic map of northwest Africa (Persits and others, 1997) showing the Reguibate Shield, province bound-
aries, selected province names and codes as defined in Klett and others (1997, 2000a) and the boundary of the Coastal Plain and
Offshore Assessment Unit for the Senegal Province. The Baffa Province includes the Paleozoic Bove Basin.
Maurin, 1992). The opening of the Atlantic was not completed Pre-rift Section
until Albian time. The presence of Triassic evaporites and clas-
tics in the Senegal Basin provides evidence that rift-basin sedi- The pre-rift section consists of Precambrian- to Devonian-
mentation occurred during this time, associated with the age rocks that outcrop in the Bove Basin of southern Senegal
breakup of northwest Africa and North America. The basal and Guinea, which is an extension of the Taoudeni Basin
Jurassic and lowermost Cretaceous limestones of the Mesozoic- (figs. 2 and 3). The most complete pre-rift section was recog-
Tertiary platform (figs. 3 and 4) are most likely related to the nized in the Diana-Malari (DM–1) and Kolda (KO–1) wells
Tethys Sea rather than the South Atlantic because the final (fig. 3), which penetrated Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian
opening of the Atlantic did not take place before Albian time. rocks in southernmost Senegal, also known as the Casamance
? Salt
basin
DSPD 368
M A U R I TA N I A
LIM
Ma
Senghor Mauritania
?
B a se m
Seamount subbasin
uri
IT
17°
tan
OF
ide
AT L A N T I C
ent
River
PRO
Mo
Approximate Senegal
at
OCEAN
SP E
un
200-meter
1,000 m e
tai
bathymetric
CT
n
contour
s
IV
E
ters
Basem
A R EA Approximate
Cape Verde 2,000-meter
Seamount Northern
bathymetric
en
subbasin SENEGAL
contour
t at 4,0 0 0 mete
15°
EXPLANATION CAPE VERDE
Carbsozoic
She onate
2-S
ge
Salt dome
lf Ed
ECO
rs
DM-1
Me
Oil and gas exploration
ND
Province boundary—
approximately located
IME
THE GAMBIA
Mesozoic shelf edge—
NT
approximately located
Casamance Basement
H
Bove Basin
Deep sea drilling (Paleozoic)
project drill hole Salt basin
DSDP 367 and number 0 100 KILOMETERS
Figure 3. A generalized map of the central and southern parts of the Senegal Basin showing part of the Senegal Province, the Mauritania, Northern, and Casamance sub-
basins, the Mesozoic shelf edge, the northern and southern salt basins, the Mauritanide Mountains, the Bove Basin, the Deep Sea Drilling Project sites 367 and 368, the
2-second sediment isopach, and the onshore depth to basement isopachs. Also shown are the appropriate locations of the Diana-Malari (DM–1) and Kolda (KO–1) wells
that penetrated the Silurian source rocks (Buba Shale). Brick pattern delineates the Mesozoic carbonate rock platform. Modified from Bungener and Hinz (1995).
5
Thickness
Total
(meters)
Stratigraphy Lithology Description petroleum
system
Cenozoic
Oliogocene 150
Eocene 300 Limestone-marls, shales*
Paleocene 200
Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite
Upper
Anhydrite
(hypothetical)
Sub-salt
Triassic 2,000 Massive salt
Lower Paleozoic
(hypothetical)
Figure 4. Generalized stratigraphic column showing the three total petroleum systems in the Senegal Basin
and the rocks found in the Casamance region of southern Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, includes the Bove
Paleozoic Basin, which is an extension of the Taoudeni Basin of Mauritania and Mali. * denotes potential source
rocks. Modified from Dumestre and Carvalho (1985).
SENEGAL
Atlantic Ocean SD-1 GUINEA-BISSAU
CO-1
? CG-1
SF-1
Bissau
? ? PGO-1
A'
GBO-1
Geba River
PGO-3
PGO-2
Bi
PGO-6
ja
GUINEA
go
PGO-4
s
A
rc
hi
p
PGO-1
el
A
ag
o
EXPLANATION
100
Dry hole
2,000
1,000
Oil show
City
100 Bathymetric
contour (meters)
?
0 50 100 KILOMETERS
Figure 5. Location map for Guinea-Bissau showing line of section and oil and gas exploration holes, southern Senegal
Basin, northwest Africa. Cross section A to A’ is shown in figure 6. Modified from Dumestre and Carvalho (1985).
2,000 Cenomanian-Turonian
Ordovician
Aptian-Albian
Neocomian Cambrian
4,000
Cambrian
Neocomian
Neocomian
Infra-C
ambri
an and
Jurassic ce Precam
brian
6,000 rfa
su
Jurassic ic
zo
leo
- Pa EXPLANATION
? ? Triassic ity
Triassic salt salt m
or PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
8,000 onf
Jurassic nc Potential Zone of oil
U
source rock generation
s? Clastic Oil
s tic reservoir migration
Pe facies
cl a
10,000 pathway
rm
o- ic
Tr i a s s
? Carbonate
reservoir
facies
Paleozoic clastics
12,000
Figure 6. Schematic stratigraphic northeast to southwest cross section, Guinea-Bissau, southern Senegal Province, showing potential reservoirs and source rocks
with the zone of oil generation and possible oil migration pathways. Modified from Dumestre and Carvalho (1985).
Lithology Thickness Stratigraphy Lithology Thickness
Stratigraphy (meters) West East (meters)
West East
Tertiary
Miocene 20-350 Miocene 30-200
30-110
Cenozoic
Oligocene
Cenozoic
Tertiary
Eocene 100-350
Eocene 100-600
Paleocene 150-250
Campanian 90-300
Maastrichtian
Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite
Upper
Campanian 100-450
Cenomanian 300-900
Upper
Cretaceous
Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite
Senonian 300-1,000
Cretaceous
Aptian 700 Cenomanian 150-950
Mesozoic
Mesozoic
Neocomian 300-1,200 Albian 200-1,200
Lower
Aptian
150-1,450
500-2,000?
Jurassic
500-2000?
? - >2000
Triassic Jurassic
?-1500?
100?
Petroleum System
? - 2,000?
offshore subbasin, south of Cape Verde, Senegal Basin, north-
Sub-salt Total
west Africa. In the Casamance subbasin, the best source rocks
Triassic
are in the Cenomanian and Turonian units. Possible source
rocks may exist in the clastic section below the evaporites.
? - 1,500?
Modified from Dumestre (1985).
and offshore Guinea-Bissau, drilling has not yet penetrated Figure 8. Generalized stratigraphic column for the Northern
these rocks, but new and reprocessed seismic data have delin- subbasin and the southern part of the Mauritania subbasins (see
eated this section in some parts of the Senegal Basin. In the fig. 3). Type II and III source rocks are found in the Cenomanian
southern Senegal Basin, the evaporite section has undergone and Turonian units. Modified from Dumestre (1985).
extensive halokinesis evidenced by salt diapirs intruding
the overlying Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks (fig. 6). Seismic is present but the evaporites exhibit little halokinesis. The
studies have shown salt diapirs in offshore Mauritania, confirm- onshore part of central Senegal Basin has a thinner syn-rift sec-
ing that this section also is present in the northernmost part of tion consisting of probable Triassic age continental clastics and
the basin (fig. 3). Salt diapirs have not been recognized in the organic-rich lacustrine shales (fig. 10). The northwest Africa
Northern subbasin (fig. 3). Figure 9 is a schematic east-to-west basins have been virtually undisturbed by extension since the
cross section through The Gambia where the syn-rift section Jurassic (Lambiase, 1989).
METERS
Sea
level ert ry
Atlantic Ocean
1,000 E Senonian-Maastrichtian E
A
Cenomanian-Turonian C
2,000 e
S lop
n- ? D A
3,000 nia Albian
no ry
Se rtia D Paleozoic-
Te Precambrian
4,000 Aptian
Unconformity-
Paleozoic surface
5,000 Neocomian-Jurassic B
6,000
7,000
15°
SENEGAL
EXPLANATION
Shale Carbonate Unconformity
A THE GAMBIA
A'
1,000 m
Clastics Salt Fault
100 0 m
m
m
20
50
Sandstone Anhydrite Well location 14°
SENEGAL
Figure 9. Schematic east-to-west cross section through The Gambia showing locations of potential oil prospects with their associated total petroleum systems, reservoirs, and
source rocks. Modified from Bungener (1995).
A A'
WEST EAST
CV-1 DN-4 Do-1 DS-1 PI-2 Tl-1 D1.1
METERS
Sea 1 2
level Atlantic
Ocean
1,000 3
1,036m.
3 1,623m 4
2,104m.
5
3,000 3
4
3,403.3m
? 3,855m. 4 ?
4,010m. 6 4152.8m
7
5,000 ? 5 ?
?
? 7
6
?
7,000
6
7
9,000 ?
EXPLANATION
Index map
Figure 10. Schematic stratigraphic east-to-west cross section through Cape Verde showing producing zones, Senegal Basin, northwest Africa. Modified from
Petroconsultants (1979).
11
Post-rift Section such as listric faulting and slumping, reflecting a slope environ-
ment and the influence of the opening of the Atlantic. The cur-
Marine deposition began during the Early Jurassic in rent sedimentary depocenter is located west of the shelf edge in
Morocco with transgressing seas reaching the southern end water depths of 1,000–2,000 m.
of the Senegal Basin by the Late Jurassic (Uchupi and others,
1976). The post-rift section in the Senegal Basin consists of
Middle Jurassic to Holocene rocks. The section increases in Petroleum Occurrence in the Senegal Basin
thickness from east to west across the Senegal Basin. The basal
unit of the post-rift sequence is a thick, carbonate-rock shelf of
Middle to Late Jurassic to Neocomian age that is genetically There are both offshore and onshore hydrocarbon occur-
related to the Tethys Sea. The carbonate-rock unit ranges in rences in several formations in the Senegal Basin. The best
thickness from 2,300 m to 3,200 m in the Mauritania, Northern, understood hydrocarbon occurrences in the Senegal Basin are in
and Casamance subbasins (figs. 7 and 8). During the Aptian Cretaceous and Tertiary reservoirs in the Casamance, Northern,
and Albian this carbonate-rock unit continued to be deposited and Mauritania subbasins. The lower Paleozoic rocks contain
in the central offshore part of the basin, whereas in the northern oil-prone organic matter, and recent seismic data have delineated
part of the Mauritania subbasin and southernmost part of the a pre-salt clastic section in the Lower Triassic. The Jurassic and
Casamance subbasin it was replaced by deeper water sediments. Lower Cretaceous rocks have only been explored nearshore and
The Cenomanian rocks of the post-rift section are represented contain continental-derived organic matter, which may be gas-
by thick marine shales interbedded with marginal marine sand- prone.
stones, deposited after the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Minor Hydrocarbon production in the Senegal Basin has
carbonate-rock banks and reefs are present. The Turonian marks been limited to several small oil and gas fields (fig. 10) east
the time of maximum Cretaceous transgression and is repre- of Cape Verde (Brown, 1981; Woodside, 1983). Discovered
sented by widespread black, and commonly bituminous, shale oil resources in the Senegal Basin are 10 MMBO, with gas
that is an important hydrocarbon source rock in the basin. resources of 49 BCFG (U.S. Geological Survey World Energy
The Turonian shales range in thickness from 50 to 150 m. The Assessment Team, 2000, disc 4, data file provvol.tab).
Senonian stage was a time of major marine regression that cul-
minated with the deposition of widespread and thick sandstone
units in the Maastrichtian. Tertiary sediments are unconformable Hydrocarbon Source Rocks in the Senegal Basin
with the Upper Cretaceous and consist primarily of marine
shales and carbonates. The thickness of the post-rift section is The most effective Cretaceous source rocks related to
about 12,000 m in the depocenter near the GBO–1 well (fig. 5) hydrocarbon discoveries and production in the Senegal Basin
in the Guinea-Bissau part of the basin (Dumestre and Carvalho, are the Cenomanian-Turonian marine shale units (figs. 7 and 8).
1985). Cenomanian to Turonian source rock units developed in two
different subbasins (fig. 11). The first area is located north of
Two major stratigraphic domains delimited by the present
Cape Verde and includes the Mauritania and Northern subbasins
shelf edge are recognized within the Senegal Basin. The shelf of
(fig. 3) where samples from wells located along the shelf bound-
northwest Africa is characterized by a 35- to 100-km-wide plain
ary have exhibited good source rocks, up to 380 m thick, con-
cut by sparse, shallow channels, especially north of Cape Verde
taining Type II and Type III organic matter (fig. 11) with hydro-
(Egloff, 1972), while south of Cape Verde the shelf is more
carbon source potentials between 3 and 21 kg/ton (Reymond and
incised by canyons and affected by recent deltaic deposits. The
Negroni, 1989). The second area is located south of Dakar in
shelf and western edge of the Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous
the Casamance subbasin. Reymond and Negroni (1989) state
carbonate-rock platform (fig. 3) roughly parallels the 200-m
that the richest source rocks here contain Type II organic matter
bathymetric contour.
surrounded by a large area containing Type III organic matter
East of the present shelf edge is a gently westward dipping (fig. 11). These source rocks display source potentials ranging
Mesozoic and Cenozoic platform characterized by prograding between 5 and 75 kg/ton and range from 330 to 490 m thick. The
deposits separated by regressive episodes and regional unconfor- Turonian interval contains bituminous shales that were probably
mities. The section thins eastward so that the Paleozoic sequence deposited under anoxic conditions (Kuhnt and Wiedmann, 1995)
is accessible to drilling over a large area. The Mesozoic section with thickness up to 150 m (fig. 4). Samples analyzed from the
has not undergone any orogenic or compressional stress. Normal Casamance Maritime 10 well (fig. 11) contain Type II kerogen
faults generally strike north-south and are typically downthrown with total organic carbon (TOC) values ranging from about 7
to the west, reflecting the predominant tensional structural style to more than 10 percent. Geochemical data obtained from Deep
during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Salt diapirs in the offshore Sea Drilling Project well samples (DSDP 367 and 368, fig. 3)
Casamance and Mauritania subbasins have pierced the Mesozoic identified potential Neocomian to Cenomanian source rocks
section and are prominent structural targets for exploration. beyond the 2-second sediment isopach in the Senegal Basin
West of the shelf edge (greater than 200-m water depth) (Tissot and others, 1980; Rullkötter and others, 1982). The
where the sedimentary thickness can exceed 12,000 m, the source rocks contain mostly Type II kerogen with TOC values
regional structural style is dominated by gravitational features ranging from about 3 to more than 10 percent. Minor source
25
Type II organic matter
30
25
Control well
35 Geothermal gradient
(in oC/km)
35
MAURITANIA
High geothermal 40
gradient due
to volcanism
30
Diam Niadio
Cap Vert Marine-1 field
SENEGAL
40
Dakar Marine-2 MALI
30
THE GAMBIA
Dome Flore
heavy oil
accumulation DM-1
KO-1
CM-1
GUINEA-BISSAU
PGO-3
High
geothermal
gradient due
to salt diapirism
(>30° C/km) GUINEA
35
30
35
SIERRA
35
Figure 11. Distribution of organic matter in the Cenomanian to Turonian source rock. Also shown are the approximate
locations of the Diana-Malari (DM–1) and Kolda (KO–1) wells that penetrated the Silurian Buba Shale source rocks (TOC
as much as 5.5 percent) and the Casamance Maritime 1 (CM–1) well that penetrated the Turonian bituminous shales
(TOC from 7 to more than 10 percent). Modified from Reymond and Negroni (1989).
Himal
Sea
Mid-European
Ocean
30° 30°
40° 40°
AFRICA
50° 50°
SOUTH
ANTARCTICA
AMERICA
70° 70°
EXPLANATION
Silurian marine
deposition
Outline of present-
day Africa
Figure 12. Paleogeographic reconstruction of the Silurian Period showing relative positions of continents and areas of deposition for graptolite-bearing Silurian rocks.
Modified from Clifford (1986).
15
90 80
HYDROCARBONS GENERATED
PERCENTAGE OF POTENTIAL
HYDROCARBONS GENERATED
PERCENTAGE OF POTENTIAL
80 70
Jurassic
4,200 meters Base
70 Neocomian
60
Base Silurian 2,200 meters
60 2,330 meters
50
50 Top Silurian
2,205 meters 40 Oil generation
40 Oil generation zone Cenomanian-
zone Turonian
30 1,140 meters
30
20 Beginning of
20 Beginning of oil oil generation
generation
10 10
0 0
600 500 400 300 200 100 0 200 175 150 125 100 75 50 25 0
Figure 13. Examples of hydrocarbon maturation evolution in the Senegal Basin involving the Silurian, Jurassic, basal
Neocomian, and the Cenomanian to Turonian source rocks. Maturity levels are expressed in percentage of potential
hydrocarbons generated. Modified from Reymond and Negroni (1989).
50 50
HYDROCARBONS GENERATED
HYDROCARBONS GENERATED
PERCENTAGE OF POTENTIAL
PERCENTAGE OF POTENTIAL
40 40
Oil generation zone Oil generation zone
30 30
Albian Campanian
20 Beginning of Turonian 20 Beginning of Campanian-
oil generation oil generation Maastrichtian
Senonian
Paleocene
10 10
0 0
100 75 50 25 0 100 75 50 25 0
Figure 14. Examples of hydrocarbon maturation evolution on the shelf edge in the Senegal Basin involving the Albian,
Turonian, Senonian, Campanian, Maastrichtian, and Paleocene source rocks. Maturity levels are expressed in percentage
of potential hydrocarbons generated. Modified from Reymond and Negroni (1989).
500
1,000 Isogeneration contours in
1,5 00
00
1,000 tons of hydrocarbon
25
,0
per square kilometer
100
Exploration well
0° 30°
Subbasin boundary—
approximately located
V-1
30°
COP-1
0° Mauritania
subbasin— MAURITANIA
area 1
30°
1,500
?
SENEGAL
as
bb
00
su
MALI
1,0
n
er
500
rth
No
? THE GAMBIA
Dome ?
Flore
heavy oil ?
SENEGAL
accumulation
?
GUINEA-BISSAU
2,500
CM-10 ?
?
Casamance ?
subbasin— ?
area 2 GUINEA
500
25
100
25
SIERRA
LEONE
0 100 KILOMETERS
Figure 15. Isogeneration map of the Cenomanian to Paleocene source rocks in the Senegal Province. Two main
source/generation areas, the Casamance subbasin and a large offshore area in the Mauritania subbasin, were delineat-
ed using Rock-Eval; maturity levels expressed in percentage of potential hydrocarbons generated (fig. 14) and net thick-
ness of the source rocks. Modified from Reymond and Negroni (1989).
1
Oligocene
lioce ne
2 Miocene-P Eocene
KILOMETERS
ene ian
Paleoc ron
3 Upper Cretaceous -Tu
an
ani
om
4 Lower Cretac
eous Cen
5
Jurassic
6
7 + +
Triassic ? + + +
EXPLANATION +
+ Basement
Mature zone + +
+
Pale Upper
Turonian
3
Cretaceous
4
lower Senonian
5
Lower
6 Cretaceous +
7 Triassic + + +
Permian- + + +
+ +
EXPLANATION Jurassic
Triassic + +
+ Basement
Mature zone
+ + +
lbian +
3 Aptian-A mian
Neoco +
4 ++ Basement
n
ermia +
rous-P
+ ++
5
Carbonife
6 +
Devo
nian
ici
an +++
7 rian dov +
8
Silu
b ro
- + +
Or
+ + + +
an am + +
o vici C + +
Ord + +
+ +
EXPLANATION
Mature zone
Figure 16. Schematic cross sections showing the approximate position of the zone of oil generation in the northern, central,
and southern Senegal Province, northwest Africa. Zone of gas generation was not determined because gas data were not
available. Modified from Reymond and Negroni (1989).
WEST EAST
Sea
level
Atlantic Ocean
Eocene
Pliocene
5 Pliocene
Miocene
Eocene
DEPTH (X1,000 FEET)
Paleocene
Upper Cretaceous
Miocene
10
Upper Cretaceous
Paleocene
Upper Cretaceous
15 Lower Cretaceous
Lower Cretaceous
0 10 KILOMETERS
EXPLANATION
Shale Carbonate
Figure 17. Schematic cross section of the Mauritania offshore, northern Senegal Basin, northwest Africa. Several potential hydrocarbon areas have been identified in the
Mauritania offshore, but commercial hydrocarbon accumulations have not been found to date. Oil-prone source rocks (TOC as much as 5 percent) within the Albian-Turonian
and potential Upper Cretaceous deltaic reservoir sands with porosities of 17–25 percent have been identified. Lower Cretaceous carbonate rocks are untested in this part
of the basin. Miocene turbidite fans also are prospective. Modified from Clifford (1986).
WEST EAST
Sea
level
Shale
Atlantic Ocean
Clastics
5
Sandstone
Carbonate
Tertiary
undifferentiated
pe
oslo
Salt
pale
ian
Se non
DEPTH (X1,000 FEET)
10
Maastrichtian Albian
Aptian
Senonian
Cenomanian-Turonian
Neocomian
15
Total Petroleum Systems of the Senegal Province
Lower Cretaceous
undifferentiated
k
Ban
Malm
20
Triassic Dogger
?
Liassic 0 5 KILOMETERS
25
Figure 18. Schematic cross section of offshore Guinea-Bissau, Senegal Basin, northwest Africa. The Albian-Cenomanian Geba delta prograded westward across the carbon-
ate platform providing reservoir-potential sands and source rocks. The carbonate and deltaic rocks subcrop the Senonian paleoslope, offering several areas of potential traps.
Modified from Clifford (1986).
21
section in the Casamance region of southern Senegal (figs. 6
TPS Name: Lower Paleozoic (701302)
Date: 09-22-99
and 9). The Newark (New Jersey, USA) and Congo-Cabinda
SYSTEM EVENTS
GENERATION-MIGRATION-
(Congo and southern Gabon, Africa) analog rift basins contain
OVERBURDEN ROCK
CRITICAL MOMENT
PETROLEUM
TRAP FORMATION
lacustrine source rocks with Type I and Type II organic matter.
RESERVOIR ROCK
PRESERVATION
Hydrocarbon generation is inferred to have started in the early
ACCUMULATION
SOURCE ROCK
Cretaceous to middle Cretaceous. Reservoir rocks are inferred
SEAL ROCK
ROCK UNIT
GEOLOGIC
SYSTEM EVENTS
GENERATION-MIGRATION-
Paleogene Eoc
50
Pal
PETROLEUM
65
OVERBURDEN ROCK
CRITICAL MOMENT
L
TRAP FORMATION
RESERVOIR ROCK
ACCUMULATION
100 Cretaceous
PRESERVATION
SOURCE ROCK
E
SEAL ROCK
ROCK UNIT
GEOLOGIC
150 146 L
SCALE
TIME
M
Jurassic
E
200 0
208 Neogene Plio Mio
L
Triassic 24
Author(s): Michael E. Brownfield and Ronald R. Charpentier
Olig
245 EM Paleogene Eoc ? ?
250 L 50
65 Pal
Permian
E
L
290 X
300 L 100 Cretaceous
Pennsylvanian
EM E
323
L ?
Mississippian X
350 150 146 L
E ?
363 M
L
Devonian M Jurassic
E E
400 200
408 208
Province Name: Senegal (7013)
L L
Silurian Triassic
E M
Author(s): Michael E. Brownfield and Ronald R. Charpentier
439
245 E
450 L 250 L
Ordovician M Permian
E
E 290
500 300 L
510 Pennsylvanian
L E M
323
M L
Cambrian Mississippian
550 350 E
E
363
570 L
Precambrian Devonian M
600 400 E
408
Province Name: Senegal (7013)
L
Silurian
Figure 19. Events chart for the hypothetical Lower Paleozoic E
439
Total Petroleum System, Senegal Province, northwest Africa. Light 450 L
gray shading indicates rock units present. Light blue indicates sec- Ordovician M
ondary or possible occurrences of source rocks depending on E
500
quality and maturity of the unit. Age ranges of source, seal, reser- 510
L
voir, and overburden rocks and the timing of trap formation and M
Cambrian
generation, migration, and preservation of hydrocarbons are 550 E
shown in green and yellow. 570
Precambrian
600
The Sub-salt Total Petroleum System is related to the
Figure 20. Events chart for the hypothetical Sub-salt Total
syn-rift section and has not been tested in the Senegal Province, Petroleum System in the Senegal Basin, northwest Africa. Light
but seismic data suggest that this TSP may be present and it gray shading indicates rock units present. Age ranges of source,
may be an important future hydrocarbon objective. The poten- seal, reservoir, and overburden rocks and the timing of trap forma-
tial source rocks are lacustrine rocks below the thick Triassic tion and generation, migration, and preservation of hydrocarbons
salt unit. Recent seismic studies have delineated this clastic are shown in green and yellow.
Date: 09-22-99
TPS Name: Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite (701301)
SYSTEM EVENTS
Petroleum Systems were not assessed in this study because cur-
GENERATION-MIGRATION-
rent production and exploration data in the Senegal Province
PETROLEUM
OVERBURDEN ROCK
CRITICAL MOMENT
TRAP FORMATION
was almost entirely limited to the Cretaceous and Tertiary units.
RESERVOIR ROCK
PRESERVATION
These two total petroleum systems may have the potential to be
ACCUMULATION
SOURCE ROCK
significant hydrocarbon objectives in the future.
SEAL ROCK
ROCK UNIT
GEOLOGIC
SCALE
TIME
Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum
0
System Plio
Neogene
Mio
24
The Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum Olig
System (TSP) was defined in the Senegal Province. An events
Paleogene Eoc
chart (fig. 21) summarizes the age of the source, seal, and res- 50
ervoir rocks and the timing of trap development and generation Pal X
65
and migration of hydrocarbons for this TSP.
The principal source rocks in the Cretaceous-Tertiary L
Kuhnt, W., and Wiedmann, J., 1995, Cenomanian-Turonian U.S. Geological Survey World Energy Assessment Team,
source rocks—Paleobiogeographic and paleoenvironmental 2000, U.S. Geological Survey World Petroleum Assessment
aspects, in Huc, Alain-Yves, ed., Paleogeography, paleocli- 2000: U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS–60,
mate, and source rocks: American Association of Petroleum 4 CD–ROMs.
Geologists Studies in Geology 40, p. 213–231. Van Houten, F.B., 1977, Triassic-Liassic deposits of Morocco
Lambiase, J.J., 1989, The framework of African rifting during and eastern North America—Comparison: American Associ-
the Phanerozoic: Journal of African Earth Science, v. 8, ation of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 61, no. 1, p. 79–99.
no. 2/3/4, p. 183–190. Wissmann, Gerd, 1982, Stratigraphy and structural features of
Lehner, P., and De Ruitter, P.A.C., 1977, Structural history of the continental margin basin of Senegal and Mauritania, in
Atlantic margin of Africa: American Association of Petro- von Rad, U., Hinz, K., Sarnthein, M., and Seibold, E., eds.,
leum Geologists Bulletin, v. 61, no. 7, p. 961–981. Geology of the northwest African continental margin: Berlin
Heidelberg, New York, Springer-Verlag, p. 160–181.
Magoon, L.B., and Dow, W.G., 1994, The petroleum system,
in Magoon, L.B., and Dow, W.G., eds., The petroleum Woodside, P.R., 1983, Preliminary report on the oil and gas
system—From source to trap: American Association of evaluation of Senegal: U.S. Geological Survey Project
Petroleum Geologists Memoir 60, p. 3–24. Report (IR) SG–1, 26 p.
Manspeizer, W., 1981, Early Mesozoic basins of the central Ziegler, D.G., 1983, Hydrocarbon potential of Newark rift
Atlantic passive margins, in Geology of passive system, eastern North America: American Association of
margins—History, structure and sedimentologic record (with Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 67, no. 3, p. 574–575.
special emphasis on the Atlantic margin): American Associ- Ziegler, D.G., 1988, Early Mesozoic plate reorganization, in
ation of Petroleum Geologists Course Notes 19, p. 4.1–4.60. Evolution of the Arctic-North Atlantic and the Western
Petroconsultants, 1979, International oil and gas field records, Tethys: American Association of Petroleum Geologists
Senegal Basin: Houston, Tex., Petroconsultants, Inc. Memoir 43, p. 43–61.
References Cited 25
Table 1. Estimated sizes, number, and coproduct ratios of undiscovered oil and gas fields for the Coastal Plain and Offshore Assessment Unit in the Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total
Petroleum System of the Senegal Province, northwest Africa
[MMBO, million barrels of oil; BCFG, billion cubic feet of gas; CFG/BO, cubic feet of gas per barrel oil, not calculated for gas fields; BNGL/MMCFG or BL/MMCFG, barrels of natural gas liquids per million
cubic feet of gas or barrels of total liquids per million cubic feet of gas. BNGL/MMCF was calculated for USGS-defined oil fields, whereas BL/MMCFG was calculated for USGS-defined gas fields. The mean
size of the accumulation are within a lognormal distribution of field sizes for which the origin is the selected minimum field size. Shading indicates not applicable]
Table 2. Estimated undiscovered volumes of conventional oil, gas, and natural gas liquids for oil and gas fields for the Coastal Plain and Offshore Assessment Unit in the Cretaceous-Tertiary
Composite Total Petroleum System of the Senegal Province, northwest Africa
[MMBO, million barrels of oil; BCFG, billion cubic feet of gas; NGL, natural gas liquids; MMBNGL, million barrels of natural gas liquids. MFS, minimum field size assessed (MMBO for oil fields or BCFG
for gas fields). Volumes of undiscovered NGL were calculated for oil fields, whereas volumes of total liquids (oil plus NGL) were calculated for USGS-defined gas fields. Largest anticipated undiscovered field
is in units of MMBO for oil fields and BCFG for gas fields. Results shown are estimates that are fully risked with respect to geology and accessability. Undiscovered volumes in fields smaller than the selected
minimum field size are excluded from the assessment. Means can be summed, but fractiles (F95, F50, and F5) can be summed only if a correlation coefficient of +1.0 is assumed. Shading indicates not applica-
ble]
F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean
Oil fields 1 1.00 15 120 430 157 33 255 968 345 2 15 59 21 7 41 217 66
Gas fields 6 1.00 83 414 1,276 510 3 18 58 22 31 137 648 208
Total 15 120 430 157 116 669 2,244 856 5 33 118 43