Geochemical Evaluation for the Hydrocarbon Potential of Source Rocks in the Anza Basin ()
ABSTRACT
Anza basin is located in the extensional arm of the
central African rift system in the North-Eastern part of Kenya. Cretaceous
sedimentary rocks were sampled from the four wells namely, Chalbi-3, Sirius-1,
Ndovu-1 and Kaisut-1. Anza basin occurs on a fault block within a Paleocene-Cretaceous
rift basin. The methodological approach
used for the evaluation of source rocks included petrophysical and
geochemical methods to ascertain their potential. Well sections with a higher
shale-volume ratio were sampled for geochemical screening to determine the organic richness and thermal maturity of potential
source rocks, respectively. Source rock with organic richness ≥ 0.5% were
evaluated further for their petroleum potential using Rock-Eval pyrolysis to
determine their thermal maturity, organo-facies and in-situ generated
hydrocarbons present in sedimentary facies. The geochemical evaluation of rock
samples from the drilled wells’ sections of Chalbi-3 and Sirius-1 confirmed
both oil and gas potential. Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GCMS)
were used to characterize the biomarker signatures and oil-oil correlation of
Sirius-1 samples. A predictive model was developed to integrate the
petrophysical and geochemical data to reveal hydrocarbons’ potential in the
Anza basin.
Share and Cite:
Gilbert, B. , Olago, D. , Ichangi, D. and Rop, B. (2021) Geochemical Evaluation for the Hydrocarbon Potential of Source Rocks in the Anza Basin.
International Journal of Geosciences,
12, 572-583. doi:
10.4236/ijg.2021.126032.