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Geochemistry of organic-rich shales in the Miocene Miadol Formation, Melut Rift Basin, South Sudan: implications for their organic matter input and oil/gas generation potentials

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Abstract

Organic-rich shale samples from the Miocene Miadol Formation were collected from seven exploration wells in the Melut Rift Basin, South Sudan and analyzed using organic geochemical analyses coupled with microscopic examination. We report the geochemical and petrological characteristics of 23 cuttings shale samples to provide information on the quantity, quality, and thermal maturity, thereby contributing to organic matter characteristics and their potential for oil and gas generation. The geochemical results indicate that the analyzed shale samples have moderate-to-high organic matter content with total organic carbon (TOC) content between 0.57 and 2.88 wt. %. The organic matter in the Miadol shale samples is primarily of type III kerogen, with a small amount of type II kerogen, as implied by the broad range of hydrogen index (HI) values (56 and 548 mg HC/g TOC), thereby exhibiting the ability to generate gas with some oil. The kerogen is consistent with the distributions of normal alkanes and isoprenoids in the aliphatic hydrocarbon. The n-alkane and isoprenoid distributions, with their ratios and parameters, suggest that the examined Miadol shale samples contain a mixture of organic matter and were deposited under suboxic to relatively anoxic environmental conditions. The analyzed Miadol shale samples at relatively shallow burial depths (470–820 m) are still immature as implied from their VR values of less than 0.50% VRo (0.28–0.39% VRo). Therefore, these Miocene organic-rich shales in the deeper burial depths may be promising source rocks for primarily gas and limited oil production in the Melut Rift Basin where they may reach high thermal maturity levels of oil- and gas-generation windows.

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Fig. 1

modified from Makeen et al. 2016) and B the Melut Basin, Sudan (modified from Dou et al. 2007)

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modified from Dou et al. 2007), including several cross sections showing the structural setting of hydrocarbons across the Melut Basin

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source rock potential that ranges from fair to very good

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source rocks due to the low burial temperatures

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank and appreciate the Ministry of Energy and Mining of Sudan for helping and giving the data for this research. The authors extend their sincere appreciation to the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP-2021/92), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The constructive comments by Associate Editor Dr. Barry J. Katz and an anonymous reviewer who have improved the original manuscript are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rawat Petroleum Operation Company, Khartoum, Sudan

    Atif N. Abass

  2. Geology Department, Faculty of Applied Science, Taiz University, 6803, Taiz, Yemen

    Mohammed Hail Hakimi

  3. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008, Russia

    Mohammed Hail Hakimi

  4. College of Engineering-Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11421, Saudi Arabia

    Aref Lashin

  5. Department of Geology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, P.M.B, Sokoto, 2346, Nigeria

    Nura Abdulmumini Yelwa

  6. Exploration Department, Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Nasr City, Cairo, 11727, Egypt

    Mohamed M. El Nady

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  1. Atif N. Abass
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Correspondence to Mohammed Hail Hakimi.

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Abass, A.N., Hakimi, M.H., Lashin, A. et al. Geochemistry of organic-rich shales in the Miocene Miadol Formation, Melut Rift Basin, South Sudan: implications for their organic matter input and oil/gas generation potentials. Arab J Geosci 15, 52 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-09263-w

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