Organic Geochemical Evaluation of Cretaceous Potential Source Rocks, East Sirte Basin, Libya

S. Aboglila, M. Elkhalgi

Tripoli University, Tripoli, Libya.

DOI: 10.4236/ijg.2013.44065                

Abstract

Cutting samples (n = 93) from the Sirte, Tagrifet, Rakb, Rachmat, Bahi Formations of Upper Cretaceous and Nubian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) derived from eleven wells (6C1-59, 6J1-59, 6R1-59, KK1-65, OO2-65, M1-51, KK1-65, B-96, B-95, B-99, E1-NC-59) locate in the Amal, Gialo, Nafoora, and Sarir Fields present in East Sirte Basin were analysed in the aim of their organic geochemical evaluation. A bulk geochemical parameters and evaluation of specific biomarkers by chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) implemented to find out a diversity of interbedded non-marine lithofacies including sandstones, siltstones, shales and conglomerates. Such rocks are good source and contain fair to good contented of organic matter passing in the course of very good, in which the excellent source rocks have organic carbon richness (TOC) reached to 5.16 wt%. The studied samples are ranged from gas to oil-prone organic matter (OM) of hydrogen index (HI) ranged between 115 - 702 mg HC/g TOC, related with gas prone (OM) of (HI) <150 and most beds contain oil-prone organic matter of (HI) > 300, associated with oxygen index (OI): 3 - 309 mg CO₂/g TOC indicate that organic matter is dominated by Type II/III kerogen. The maturity of these source rocks is variations ranges from mature to post-mature-oil window in the Sirte and Rachmat Formations, as inferred from the production index (PI: 0.07 - 1.55) and T_max and Ro% data (T_max: 425 - 440/Ro%: 0.46 - 1.38) and early to mid-stage maturities for the other formations. Low PI in some samples seems to imply that the most of the hydrocarbons have expelled and migrated from the rocks. Biomarker ratios of individual hydrocarbons in rock extracts (n = 21), were also used in order to investigate the samples’ thermal maturity and palaeo depositional conditions. Pristine/Phytane ratios of 0.65 - 1.25 and dibenzothiophene to phenanthrene (DBT/P) ratios of 0.04 - 0.47 indicated Anoxic and suboxic conditions of depositional source rock. The origin of OM of the studied samples attributed to a marine algal source as indicated from the dominated by the C₂₇ and co-dominant C₂₈ homologues sterane in molecular composition distributions. The marine shale and carbonate lithofacies of rock samples were also indicated by high C₁₉TT/C₂₃TT ratio and low relative abundance of C₂₄TeT/C₂₃TT, consistent with their interpreted marine affinity. An organic geochemical evaluation pointed out that the Sirte Shale formation (Campanian/Turonian) is the main source rock in this petroleum area.

Keywords

Sirte Basin; Libya; Sirte Formation; Biomarkers; Potential Cretaceous Source Rocks of Sirte Basin

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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