Petroleum geology of the Gulf of Aden

Conference · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5848760

Allen, R B ^[1]; Sikander, A H ^[2]; Abouzakhm, A G

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1. Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia (United States)
2. World Bank, Washington, DC (United States)

Evaluation of eight wells (seven offshore and one onshore) in Yemen and nine wells (two offshore and seven onshore) in Somalia, and a regional interpretation of all geophysical data available from ministry files in Yemen and Somalia has been carried out under the auspices of the World Bank-executed Red Sea/Gulf of Aden Regional Hydrocarbon Study Project. A northwest-southeast pre-Oligocene structural trend affecting the onshore pre-rift Mesozoic and early Tertiary rocks has been overprinted in the offshore by an east-west-trending extensional fault system forming the Gulf of Aden, and segmented by a series of northeast-southwest-trending left-lateral sets of transform faults. Free oil 42-44 API was recovered from Sharmah-1 well from the Eocene Habshiya limestone in Yemen and from the Late Jurassic Wanderer limestone (10-35{degree} API) at Dagah Shabei-1 well in Somalia. Geochemical analyses performed on well cuttings and a review of company data identify oil-sourcing potential in the pre-rift Upper Jurassic, Lower to Upper Cretaceous, and Paleocene to Eocene in Yemen, and Upper Jurassic and Upper Cretaceous in Somalia. The geothermal gradients (3.5C/100m) and maturation data (vitrinite reflectance, thermal alteration index, and T{sub max}) in the Gulf of Aden wells in the Yemen and Somali offshore imply that the oil window is relatively shallow (1,750-3,500 m). Relatively thin Paleogene in the Gulf of Aden area suggests that the Mesozoic and Lower Tertiary sediments which contain multiple source and reservoir sequences are situated within the oil window, and thus are highly prospective for oil and gas.

• OSTI ID: 5848760
• Report Number(s): CONF-910978--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 75:8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
AFRICA
ASIA
CARBONATE ROCKS
CENOZOIC ERA
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
EVAPORITES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
JURASSIC PERIOD
MESOZOIC ERA
MIDDLE EAST
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
OFFSHORE SITES
ONSHORE SITES
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
RIFT ZONES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SOMALIA
TERTIARY PERIOD
YEMEN