Abstract: Reservoir, Seal, and Source Rock Distribution in Essaouira Rift Basin

Abdallah Ait Salem

The Essaouira onshore basin is an important hydrocarbon generating basin, which is situated in western Morocco. There are seven oil and gas with condensate fields; six are from Jurassic reservoirs and one from a Triassic reservoir. As a segment of the Atlantic passive continental margin, the Essaouira basin was subjected to several post-Hercynian basin deformation phases, which resulted in distribution, in space and time, of reservoir, seal, and source rock. These basin deformations are synsedimentary infilling of major half grabens with continental red beds and evaporite associated with the rifting phase, emplacement of a thick postrifting Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary wedge during thermal subsidence, salt movements, and structural deformations in relation to the Atlas mergence

The widely extending lower Oxfordian shales are the only Jurassic shale beds penetrated and recognized as potential and mature source rocks. However, facies analysis and mapping suggested the presence of untested source rocks in Dogger marine shales and Triassic to Liassic lacustrine shales. Rocks with adequate reservoir characteristics were encountered in Triassic/Liassic fluvial sands, upper Liassic dolomites, and upper Oxfordian sandy dolomites. The seals are provided by Liassic salt for the lower reservoirs and Middle to Upper Jurassic anhydrite for the upper reservoirs.

Recent exploration studies demonstrate that many prospective structure reserves remain untested.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90982©1994 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, August 21-24, 1994