Buried Mesozoic rift basins of Moroccan Atlantic continental margin
- ONREP, Rabat (Morocco)
The Atlantic continental margin is the largest frontier area for oil and gas exploration in Morocco. Most of the activity has been concentrated where Upper Jurassic carbonate rocks have been the drilling objectives, with only one significant but non commercial oil discovery. Recent exploration activities have focused on early Mesozoic Rift basins buried beneath the post-rift sediments of the Middle Atlantic coastal plain. Many of these basins are of interest because they contain fine-grained lacustrine rocks that have sufficient organic richness to be classified as efficient oil prone source rock. Location of inferred rift basins beneath the Atlantic coastal plain were determined by analysis of drilled-hole data in combination with gravity anomaly and aeromagnetic maps. These rift basins are characterized by several half graben filled by synrift sediments of Triassic age probably deposited in lacustrine environment. Coeval rift basins are known to be present in the U.S. Atlantic continental margin. Basin modeling suggested that many of the less deeply bored rift basins beneath the coastal plain are still within the oil window and present the most attractive exploration targets in the area.
- OSTI ID:
- 127662
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950995-; ISSN 0149-1423; TRN: 95:005942-0217
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin, Vol. 79, Issue 8; Conference: International conference and exhibition of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Inc.: managing change at the turn of the century, Nice (France), 10-13 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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