Geological Synthesis and Analysis of Potential Petroleum Systems

Summary The Bida and the Sokoto Basins are two of Nigeria’s inland basins that constitute another set of a series of Cretaceous and later rift basins in Central and West Africa whose origin is related to the opening of the South Atlantic. Geophysical aeromagnetic interpretation has assisted in the interpretation of the geology of the basins. Organic geochemical studies show that the Kudu Shale in the Northern Bida Basin equivalent to the Ahoko Shale in the Southern Bida Basin and the Dukamaje Formation (dark shales and limestones) in the Sokoto Basin constitute the source rocks in the potential petroleum system. With averages for source rock thickness of 40m, area of basin of 45,000km2, TOC of 9.0wt%, and HI of 220mgHC/gTOC, charge modeling indicates 623 million barrels of oil equivalent extractable hydrocarbons in the Basin at the appropriate kitchens.