Abstract: Surface Gas, Microbiological and Remote Sense Exploration for Oil and Gas: Experiences in the Kufra Basin, Libyan Desert

Said, F.; A.I. Asbali; B. Thusu - Arabian Gulf Oil Co.; R.P. Bedregal; M.R. Mello and J.B.L. Françolin - Petrobras/Cenpes

The application of surface exploration using geochemical, microbiological and remote sensing methods, as an investigative technique to reduce exploration risk, has been applied in the Kufra basin, Libya. The aim of this paper is to show the successful use of these non-conventional methods in a frontier area, like Kufra basin aiming the discovery of significant oil-condensate accumulations in a typical desert environment.

In these studies, around 120 soil and sediment samples were collected at or near the surface along structural traps and lineaments mapped using seismic data. Maps were made using the analytical results aiming to locate the microseep anomalies for thermogenic gases (C1-C5), and correlate them with structural traps present in the area.

In the previously mapped structural traps, samples were collected specifically for microbiological analyses. The results of the microbiological survey were compared to the light-gases anomalies in order to check the consistency of the results and to help the ranking of more prospective areas.

An integration of all geochemical analyses with geological and geophysical data allowed the recognition of areas, which are more likely to contain hydrocarbon accumulations in the subsurface, along the basin.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90933©1998 ABGP/AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil