NARG Newsletter July 2017
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Fieldwork New Projects New Starts Extensive fieldwork on the Sampling in Mauritania. Emmanuel Roquette and Cretaceous and Jurassic Reconnaissance studies Max Casson join the team sections in Morocco, see in Senegal (page 4) Three other PhDs expected latest publications now out to commence in 2017 New Sponsors New project to commence Dr Luc Bulot (CNRS Statoil and Woodside become Research Fellow) relocates North Africa Research Group Research North Africa on Triassic Synrift new NARG sponsors to Manchester (page 8) Building collaboration in New publication on Lower Senegal and Mauritania as Cretaceous biostratigraphy we extend studies along the Morocco for NW Africa Atlantic Margin A revised ammonoid biostratigraphy Regional studies integrating onshore / for the Aptian of NW Africa: Mauritania offshore geology Essaouira-Agadir Basin, Morocco Luber et al, 2017: Cretaceous Research A PhD has commenced working on regional Senegal • doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2017.06.020 tectonostratigraphy of the MSGBC Atlantic The first in a series of papers presenting a type margin, integrating onshore and offshore data section for the Early Cretaceous Aptian section from Senegal, Mauritania and The Gambia. in NW Africa. • Collaboration with Universities in Dakar (UCAD) and government bodies Petrosen The research integrates ammonite stratigraphy and Petrogaz with nannoplankton, • Field sampling onshore Mauritania has been foraminifera and carbon isotopes. carried out, with samples now in TuDelft for Welcome to our New analysis. This work will extend our apatite Sponsors More details and zircon fission track (FT) analysis, to on Page 2 generate the first subsidence history profiles of the MSGBC margin • Research projects initiated examining the main plays along the margin (see page 4) AcceptedPublished Manuscript: Luber et al., 2017: A revised ammonoid biostratigraphy A revised ammonoidfor the biostratigraphy Aptian of NW for Africa: the Aptian Essaouira of NW Africa:-Agadir Essaouira-Agadir Basin, Basin, MoroccoMorocco. Cretaceous Res.: doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2017.06.020 Lower Cretaceous - Tim L. Luber, Luc G. Bulot, Jonathan Redfern, Camille Frau, Angel Arantegui, Moussa Masrour Essaouira Agadir Basin Upcoming Paper/Manuscript: PII: LuberS0195-6671(17)30186-6 et al., 2017. Integrated stratigraphic study for the Aptian of NW Africa: DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2017.06.020 The first phase of the Lower Cretaceous study in the Reference: YCRES 3649 Tim Luber (3rd year PhD) Essaouira Agadir Basin (PhD student Tim Luber) is nearing and Dr Luc Bulot completion. The project, was based on extensive fieldwork To appear in: Cretaceous Research sampling and recording and multi-disciplinary analysis, drawing in researchers from the biostratigraphy during different disciplines. This highly significant work offers a type Received Date: 19 April 2017 this years field season. Revised Date: 28 June 2017 section for the Aptian biostratigraphy of NW Africa, with application offshore and along the Atlantic margin. Accepted Date: 29 June 2017 Important deliverables from the project: • First high-resolution ammonoid biostratigraphic framework for thePlease cite this article as: Luber, T.L., Bulot, L.G., Redfern, J., Frau, C., Arantegui, A., Masrour, M., Aptian of NW Africa. A revised ammonoid biostratigraphy for the Aptian of NW Africa: Essaouira-Agadir Basin, Morocco, • A regional chronostratigraphic framework based on bio, chemo, lithoCretaceous, Research (2017), doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2017.06.020. and sequence stratigraphic analysis of outcrops. • Investigation extended to offshore DSDP wells This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo • Palaeogeography constraints for the Early Cretaceous, focussingcopyediting, on typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please the late Barremian to Aptian. note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all • Identification of the main phase of coarse clastic delivery, mappinglegal of disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. the associated fluvial system, understanding of sequence stratigraphic evolution. • Extensive sample database to allow continued provenance work. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT MANUSCRIPT MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED Tim Luber is congratulated by Leonardo on the Manchester Doctoral College award for “Best Contribution Location of study area and an example of the high-resolution sedimentology and to PGR Environment “ biostratigraphy, detailed in the first papers to be published. TheACCEPTED study is benefitting from international collaboration for biostratigraphy and carbon isotope studies, working with the following colleagues: Jason Jeremiah (Golden Spike Ltd.), Mike Simmons (Halliburton), Camille Frau (PhD Student Heidelberg University), Moussa Masrour (Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco), Stéphane Bodin (Aarhus University, Denmark), Mike Bidgood (GSS International). 2 Angel Arantegui examining the Subsurface studies continue newly defined Bathonian section Redefining the stratigraphy near Ifni across the North African Basin Research Page 38 of 41 of the Tarfaya Area region 1 PhD student2 Angel Arantegui undertook further fieldwork in Nov 2016 (supported by Dr Luc Bulot3 and Jianpeng Wang) specifically targeting additional biostratigraphic sampling in 12 the Ifni area and field correlation of the Tan Tan sections. The current political / security 4 situation is preventing fieldwork across much of North Africa, with the exception of Morocco, however subsurface studies continue, and further integrated proJects are being planned, both onshore and offshore.The study5 has resulted in re-dating of a large area that on the existing geological maps was noted as 6“Cretaceous Undifferentiated”. The continental red beds at the base had no Newsletter June 2016 definitive 7dating, and are now interpreted to be Triassic to Liassic in age, based on superposition. The red beds are overlain by marine units, in which gastropods and bivalves 8 Diagenesis and thermal history of the Illizi collected by Angel and Luc have been definitively dated as Jurassic (Bathonian) in age by Basin during the Ordovician, Algeria.Prof. Stefano9 Monari and Dr. Roberto Gatto; Dipartimento di Geoscienze, Università di Padova, Italy.10 Kara English (Final Year)The research has 11worked is also generating: on the southern Illizi basin in Algeria, where a substantial • 12New litho- and sequence stratigraphic interpretation new dataset has been acquired by Petroceltic • 13Better understanding of the evolution of depositional environments through time International as part of the recent appraisal of the 14with implications for basin evolution and regional palaeogeography. Ain Tsila gas-condensate discovery. A number of A key dataset15 to assess the delivery of clastics to the offshore deepwater province. complementary methods have b16 een used to constrain the thermal and burial history of the 17 Ordovician reservoirs in the Ain Tsila field. 18 Techniques employed include: estimates of 19 20 missing stratigraphy based on regional observations and Schematic structural section across the Hoggar Massif from the Berkine Basin in the north to the 21 Figure 7: Schematic structural section across the Hoggar Massif from the Berkine Basin in the north to the cross-sections, estimates of the magnitude of Iullemmeden Basin in the south: from English et al 2016 exhumation based on sonic velocity 'over22 -compaction' Iullemmeden Basin in the south (see transect in Fig. 1). Note that the Hoggar had an earlier history of uplift Fieldwork Conferences 23New Start PhDswith significant erosion of the Paleozoic sequence during the Hercynian orogeny. Preserved thicknesses are of regionally homogeneous shale and sandstone packages, estimates of peak burial temperature and paleotaken from well data (Illizi-Berkine), geology maps and published-geothermal gradients based on cross sections (Iullemmeden Basin, vitrinite reflectance data, and constraints on thermal history provided by 24 apatite fission track (AFT) data. The resulting burial history models Updates on field studies. Presentations made at 25Nawwar Al-Sinawi joined Zanguina et al., 1998; Genik, 1993; Dautria & Lesquer, 1989). The eroded stratigraphy of the Tim Mersoï, Extensive logging and combineEAGE, IAS, all available fluid inclusion and source rock data to generate a model of the timing of hydrocarbon generation and migration AAPG, in April, to work on Hoggar and Illizi regions is projected above the present day surface and calibrated tofrom the ~ 1 km of exhumation sampling of sections in PESG/HGS Africa 26diagenesis of Jurassic. primary source rocks within the basin. Thesein models Well A, allow~ 0.9-1.6 predict kmion of exhumation the timing of a potential early in the Serouenout -area,oil fill within the Ordovician reservoirs in and peak burial depths of ~ 1.7-2.3 km for the the Agadir and Tarfaya Conference. Publication New Provenance PhD to Jurassic,27 Craimastart in Sept. Beach, nearr ViseanIfni. projected from the Arlit area. NoteJurassic that Nerinellathe actual Facies, magnitude Craima Beach, nearof exhumation Ifni. in Arlit/Arouta (on the Basins the Ain Tsila field, and also the timing of the main gasupdate. - condensate charge. The burial history models are utilized in order to construct some North Africa Research Group 28 flank of Aïr;