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Algeria and Libya - Tanezzuft - Illizi
Algeria and Libya - Tanezzuft - Illizi
By T.R. Klett
Figures
1–3. Map showing approximate locations of:
1. USGS-defined geologic provinces and major structures in north-
central Africa ......................................................................................................................... 3
2. Areal extent of total petroleum systems and Silurian source rocks
(Tanezzuft Formation), and locations of stratigraphic cross
sections, north-central Africa............................................................................................. 4
3. Areal extent of assessment units within Illizi Province................................................. 6
4. Stratigraphic cross sections through Illizi and neighboring
provinces ..................................................................................................................................... 7
5. Columnar section and stratigraphic nomenclature for Illizi, Triassic, and
Ghadames (Berkine) Basins...................................................................................................... 9
6. Tanezzuft-Illizi Total Petroleum System................................................................................... 12
Tables
[Tables and Appendix follow References Cited]
1. Abbreviations, names, ages, and lithology of formations used in the total petroleum
systems events chart
2. Reservoir properties of accumulations for the Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic
Assessment Unit through 1995
3. Number and sizes of discovered fields for the Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic
Assessment Unit through 1995
4. Estimated sizes, number, and coproduct ratios of undiscovered oil and gas fields for
the Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic Assessment Unit
5. Estimated undiscovered conventional oil, gas, and natural gas liquids volumes for
oil and gas fields for the Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic Assessment Unit
III
Total Petroleum Systems of the Illizi Province, Algeria and
Libya—Tanezzuft-Illizi
By T.R. Klett
1
activity within the assessment unit. All four probabilities, or System are 2,814 million barrels of oil (MMBO), 27,785 billion
risking elements, are similar in application and address the cubic feet of gas (BCFG), and 873 million barrels of natural gas
question of whether at least one undiscovered field of minimum liquids (MMBNGL).
size has the potential to be added to reserves in the next 30 years
somewhere in the assessment unit. Each risking element thus
applies to the entire assessment unit and does not equate to the Acknowledgments
percentage of the assessment unit that might be unfavorable in
terms of charge, rocks, timing, or access. I thank Philip Farfan and Francois Gauthier of Anadarko
Estimated total recoverable oil and gas volumes (cumula- Algeria Corporation, Rob Hoar and Randie Grantham of Oryx
tive production plus remaining reserves, called “known” vol- Energy Company, and David Boote and Marc Traut of Occiden-
umes hereafter) quoted in this report are derived from tal Oil and Gas Corporation for their suggestions, which greatly
Petroconsultants, Inc., 1996 Petroleum Exploration and Produc- improved the text. I also thank Katharine Varnes, Gordon Dol-
tion database (Petroconsultants, 1996a). To address the fact that ton, and Gregory Ulmishek for their editorial review.
increases in reported known volumes through time are com-
monly observed, the U.S. Geological Survey (Schmoker and
Crovelli, 1998) and the Minerals Management Service (Lore and Introduction
others, 1996) created a set of analytical “growth” functions that
are used to estimate future reserve growth (called “grown” vol- Undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources were
umes hereafter). The set of functions was originally created for assessed within a total petroleum system of the Illizi Province
geologic regions of the United States, but it is assumed that these (2056) as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) World
regions can serve as analogs for the world. This study applied Petroleum Assessment 2000. This study documents the geology,
the Federal offshore Gulf of Mexico growth function (developed undiscovered oil and gas volumes, exploration activity, and dis-
by the U.S. Minerals Management Service) to known oil and gas covery history of the Illizi Province.
volumes, which in turn were plotted to aid in estimating undis- The Illizi Province is a geologic province delineated by the
covered petroleum volumes. These estimates of undiscovered USGS; it is located in eastern Algeria and extreme western
petroleum volumes therefore take into account reserve growth of Libya (fig. 1). The province encompasses approximately
fields yet to be discovered. 200,000 km2 (square kilometers) and coincides with the Illizi
Estimates of the minimum, median, and maximum number, Basin. Neighboring geologic provinces, delineated by the
sizes, and coproduct ratios of undiscovered fields were made USGS, are the Trias/Ghadames Basin (2054), Hamra Basin
based on geologic knowledge of the assessment unit, exploration (2047), Tihemboka Uplift (2057), Hoggar (7041), and Grand
and discovery history, analogs, and, if available, prospect maps. Erg/Ahnet Basin (2058).
Probabilistic distributions were applied to these estimates and More than one total petroleum system may exist within the
combined by Monte Carlo simulation to calculate undiscovered Illizi Basin (Boote and others, 1998). Data available for this
resources. study are insufficient to adequately determine the relative contri-
Illustrations in this report that show boundaries of the total bution of each system to individual accumulations and therefore
petroleum systems, assessment units, and extent of source rocks preclude further subdivision. Consequently only one “compos-
were compiled using geographic information system (GIS) soft- ite” total petroleum system is described in this report, which
ware. The political boundaries shown are not politically defini- contains all total petroleum systems, called the Tanezzuft-Illizi
tive and are displayed for general reference only. Oil and gas Total Petroleum System (fig. 2). Tanezzuft refers to the Tanez-
field center points were provided by, and reproduced with per- zuft Formation (Silurian), which is the oldest major source rock
mission from, Petroconsultants (1996a and 1996b). in the system; in the total petroleum system name, “Tanezzuft” is
then followed by the basin name in which the total petroleum
Abstract system exists. Due to scarcity of data, province and total petro-
leum system boundaries can only be approximately delineated
Undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources were and therefore are subject to future modification.
assessed within a total petroleum system of the Illizi Province One assessment unit was defined in the Tanezzuft-Illizi
(2056) as part of the U.S. Geological Survey World Petroleum Total Petroleum System; the assessment unit coincides with the
Assessment 2000. The Illizi Province is in eastern Algeria and a total petroleum system (fig. 3). The assessment unit is named
small portion of western Libya. The province and its total petro- after the total petroleum system with a suffix of “Structural/
leum system coincide with the Illizi Basin. Although several Stratigraphic.” This suffix refers to the progression from a struc-
total petroleum systems may exist within the Illizi Province, tural and combination trap exploration strategy to a stratigraphic
only one “composite” total petroleum system is identified. This (subtle) trap exploration strategy.
total petroleum system comprises a single assessment unit. The Illizi Province contains more than 4,600 million bar-
The main source rocks are the Silurian Tanezzuft Formation rels (MMB) of known (estimated total recoverable, that is,
(or lateral equivalents) and Middle to Upper Devonian mud- cumulative production plus remaining reserves) petroleum liq-
stone. The total petroleum system was named after the oldest uids (approximately 3,700 million barrels of oil, MMBO, and
major source rock and the basin in which it resides. 900 million barrels of natural gas liquids, MMBNGL) and
The estimated means of the undiscovered conventional approximately 45,000 billion cubic feet of known natural gas
petroleum volumes in the Tanezzuft-Illizi Total Petroleum (109 CFG or BCFG) (Petroconsultants, 1996a). The Illizi
2 Total Petroleum Systems of the Illizi Province, Algeria and Libya
o o o o o
5 W 0 5 E 10 E 15 E
Mediterranean Sea
TUNISIA
f sa te
Basin
lim oxima
lt
it o
pr
Zousfana
Maharez
Ap
Saddle
Ap
pr
Bechar/ Dome Oued Namous
ox
Allal High
Dome Ghadames
im
Abadla Oued Mya
at
Basins (Berkine)
e
Basin
Beni Abbes
Hamra
lim
Basin
Saddle
Grand Erg/Ahnet
it
Basin
of
Province 2058
sa
o
lt
Edjeleh
30 N
Idjer
si Touareg
Ougarta Range Timimoun Anticline
Basin
ane-
Axis
Mouydir
Azzene High
M'Za
Tihemboka Arch
Structural
Illizi
Structural
Amguid-Has
Basin Gargaf Arch
b Str
Terrace
Sbaa Djoua Saddle Illizi
uctu
Basin
Ahnet
x
Basin
is
Ha
ss
iA
tsh
o Hoggar Massif
an
25 N
Ar
ch
ALGERIA
Country boundary
Province boundary
Province of interest
o Structural axis (crest)
20 N 0 500 KILOMETERS Saharan flexure
Figure 1. North-central Africa, showing USGS-defined geologic provinces and major structures (modified from Aliev and others, 1971; Burollet
and others, 1978; Montgomery, 1994; Petroconsultants, 1996b; Persits and others, 1997).
Introduction 3
o o o o o
5W 0 5E 10 E 15 E
TUNISIA
o Tanezzuft-Melrhir
35 N TPS
MOROCCO
T-Shaped Anticlinorium A
Tanezzuft-Benoud
TPS
Tanezzuft-
Bechar/Abadla
TPS Tanezzuft-Oued Tanezzuft-Ghadames
Mya TPS TPS
Tanezzuft-Timimoun
o TPS
30 N
Tanezzuft-Sbaa
TPS B'
A'
B Tanezzuft-Mouydir LIBYA
TPS
Tanezzuft-Illizi
TPS
Tanezzuft-Ahnet
TPS
o
25 N
ALGERIA
Country boundary
Total petroleum system boundary
o
20 N
0 500 KILOMETERS Total petroleum systems of interest
Silurian source rock boundary
Oil field
Gas field
Figure 2. North-central Africa, showing the areal extent of total petroleum systems and Silurian source rocks (Tanezzuft Formation), and locations of
stratigraphic cross sections (modified from Petroconsultants, 1996b; Persits and others, 1997; Boote and others, 1998).
o
LIBYA
30 N
Silurian absent
Illizi Basin
o
28 N
Tanezzuft-Illizi
Structural/Stratigraphic
ALGERIA
o
26 N
Silurian absent
Country boundary
Total petroleum system boundary
Geologic province boundary
Silurian source rock boundary
Oil field 150 KILOMETERS
Gas field
Figure 3. Areal extent of assessment units within the Illizi Province (modified from Petroconsultants, 1996b; Persits and others, 1997).
0 TERTIARY CARBONIFEROUS
UPPER CRETACEOUS
DEVONIAN
1
LOWER CRETACEOUS
SILURIAN
2
JURASSIC
BASEMENT
SALIFEROUS UNITS
3
UPPER TRIASSIC
4
DEVONIAN
5
SILURIAN
6 EXPLANATION
ORDOVICIAN
Regional seal Fault
A
Figure 4. Stratigraphic cross sections through Trias/Ghadames and Illizi Provinces. A, North-to-south stratigraphic cross section
through the Ghadames (Berkine) and Illizi Basins (modified from van de Weerd and Ware, 1994, after Aliev and others, 1971).
WEST EAST
TERTIARY
UPPER CRETACEOUS
0 JURASSIC
JURASSIC - LOWER CRETACEOUS
AN
RI IAN
DEVONIAN MB VIC CARBONIFEROUS
CA DO
O R
1
SILURIAN
DEVONIAN
2 SILURIAN
CAMBRIAN-ORDOVICIAN
CAMBRIAN-
BASEMENT ORDOVICIAN BASEMENT
3
4
EXPLANATION
B
Figure 4—Continued. Stratigraphic cross sections. B, West-to-east stratigraphic cross section through the Mouydir and Illizi Basins (modified
from Makhous and others, 1997).
Province Geology 7
Petroleum was generated within the Illizi Basin from the kerogen (Daniels and Emme, 1995; Makhous and others, 1997).
Middle to Late Jurassic to early Tertiary (Daniels and Emme, The present-day total organic carbon (TOC) content ranges from
1995). Some spillage or secondary migration occurred (Boote less than 2 to 9 percent across the Illizi Basin, but may be
and others, 1998; van de Weerd and Ware, 1994). Many of the reduced by as much as one-half due to increased thermal matu-
structural traps were formed by vertical movements of the base- rity (Daniels and Emme, 1995). The TOC content is greatest at
ment during Mesozoic and Tertiary deformational events the base of the section (Daniels and Emme, 1995). The thick-
(Echikh, 1998). ness, richness, and kerogen type of this source rock are region-
ally variable and dependent on paleogeography (Daniels and
Stratigraphy Emme, 1995). The thickness of the Tanezzuft Formation, before
Hercynian erosion, ranged from about 200 m to greater than 500
The regional stratigraphy of lower Paleozoic sections is m (Boote and others, 1998).
generally continuous, but the Devonian and overlying sections The Tanezzuft Formation grades upward into sandstone and
show more localized depositional systems. Stratigraphic mudstone of the Silurian Zone de Passage. These sediments
nomenclature varies among the Saharan basins and countries. were deposited in marine to marginal marine environments and
This study primarily uses nomenclature given in Boudjema are laterally equivalent to the Acacus sandstone.
(1987), Montgomery (1993), and Echikh (1998). Columnar sec- Devonian rocks unconformably overlie the Upper Silurian
tions, stratigraphic nomenclature, and correlations are shown in sediments. Devonian rocks consist of interbedded marine sand-
figure 5. stone and mudstone. Sandstone members within the Devonian
Principal source rocks are the Silurian Tanezzuft Formation section are each given a code, F2 to F6 with F6 being the oldest
and Middle to Upper Devonian mudstone (Givetian to Famen- and F2 the youngest (fig. 5). These sandstone members are prin-
nian) (Tissot and others, 1973; Daniels and Emme, 1995). Other cipal oil and gas reservoirs in the Illizi Province.
minor or relatively unimportant source rocks are also present but Middle to Upper Devonian mudstone is another major
contributed significantly less petroleum than did the Silurian or source rock, particularly the Frasnian-aged mudstone, which is
Middle to Upper Devonian mudstone (Daniels and Emme, 1995; the richest in this interval (Daniels and Emme, 1995). This mud-
Boote and others, 1998). Reservoir rocks include sandstone of stone, like the Silurian Tanezzuft Formation, was deposited dur-
Cambrian-Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous ing a major regional flooding event and contains mostly
age. Intraformational Paleozoic marine mudstone provides the sapropelic and mixed (type I and II) kerogen (Daniels and
primary seals. Emme, 1995; Makhous and others, 1997). Distribution of rich-
During the late Precambrian and Early Cambrian, erosion ness and kerogen type were presumably controlled by paleo-
of a preexisting craton to the south occurred due to uplift during geography. The present-day TOC content generally ranges from
the Pan African deformational event. Eroded sediments were about 2 to 4 percent but can reach 7 percent (Daniels and Emme,
deposited northward as alluvial and fluvial deposits and make up 1995). Thickness of Middle to Upper Devonian mudstone
the thick Cambrian sandstone of the Hassi Leila Formation. The ranges from about 200 m to more than 400 m near the Hoggar
Hassi Leila Formation and its lateral equivalents, the Hassaouna Massif (Daniels and Emme, 1995).
and Hassi Messaoud Formations, are major oil and gas reser- The Lower to lower Middle Carboniferous rocks consist of
voirs (Petroconsultants, 1996a; van de Weerd and Ware, 1994). cycles of limestone or mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, and con-
The Lower Ordovician In Kraf Formation unconformably glomerate representing deltaic and shallow marine deposition.
overlies the Hassi Leila Formation. The In Kraf Formation con- Upper Middle to Upper Carboniferous rocks consist of lime-
tains mudstone and sandstone laterally equivalent to the Zone stones, marls, dolostones, and gypsiferous mudstone that were
des Alterances, Argile d'El Gassi, and Gres d'El Atchane deposited in evaporitic shallow-marine and tidal environments.
Formations of the Triassic Basin (fig. 5). The Argile d'El Gassi As with Devonian rocks, Carboniferous formations are divided
and equivalents may be locally minor source rocks (Makhous into members, each having a code from A to F, with A being the
and others, 1997; Malla and others, 1997). oldest and F the youngest (fig. 5).
Overlying the In Kraf Formation is the quartz-rich, marine No Permian rocks are present in the Illizi Province. Her-
to marginal marine sandstone of the Hamra Formation (van de cynian deformation started during the Late Carboniferous and
Weerd and Ware, 1994). Above the Hamra Formation is the continued into the Early Permian. Uplift caused deep erosion of
Middle Ordovician Edjeleh Formation. The Edjeleh Formation Carboniferous through Devonian sections on the bounding struc-
is a marine sandstone that is a local facies of the Argiles d'Azzel tural highs and the basin began to assume its modern form.
mudstone (D. Boote, oral commun., 1999). Both the Hamra and The lower Mesozoic transgression, which swept across the
Edjeleh Formations are important oil and gas reservoirs in the eroded Hercynian peneplain from the northeast, did not reach
Illizi Province. Upper Ordovician to Lower Silurian marine and the Illizi Province until very Late Triassic and Jurassic. The Tri-
glacial mudstone and fine-grained sandstone of the Gara Louki assic to Lower Cretaceous section is represented by nonmarine
Formation overlie the Edjeleh Formation. clastic rocks passing up into marginal marine clastics and then
Overlying the Gara Louki Formation is the organic-rich,
graptolitic, marine mudstone of the Silurian Tanezzuft
Formation. In the Illizi Basin, the Tanezzuft is sometimes Figure 5 (next two pages). Columnar section and stratigraphic nomen-
referred to as “Argileux.” The Tanezzuft Formation, a principal clature for Illizi, Triassic, and Ghadames (Berkine) Basins (modified from
source rock, was deposited during a major regional flooding Boudjema, 1987). Major reservoir rocks are shown in yellow, source
event and contains mostly sapropelic and mixed (type I and II) rocks in gray, and seals in red.
D
Assekaifaf Limestone and sandstone with concretions
C
Mudstone and sandstone
Visean
Mrar
Issendjel
Siegenian -
F6 Hassi Tabankort Tadrart Sandstone
Gedinnian
Late Silurian-Early Devonian Unconformity
Zone de Passage Acacus Sandstone and mudstone
Silurian
Hamra Haouaz
Quartzites De
Sandstone
Hamra
Ro
Sandstone
R2
Cambrian
Hassaouna
Hassi Leila
and
Mourizidie
R3 Sandstone and conglomerate
Pan-African Unconformity
Cambrian
Infra-
Infra Tassilian/
Socle Metamorphic and magmatic rocks
Mourizidie
Province Geology 9
General
System
Conglomerate
Pliocene
Marl, gypsum, and sandstone
Neogene
Zarzaitine
Moyen
Argilo-Greseux
Superieur
(Gassi Touil)
Triassic
600 550 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 GEOLOGIC 0
PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CEN. TIME
SCALE
PreC CAM ORD SIL DEV CARB P TR JUR CRET TERT
PETROLEUM
E. M. L. E. M. L. E. L. E. M. L. E. L. E. L. L. E. M. L. E. L. E OM SYSTEM EVENTS
F3
TZ
F2
HL
GL
ED
AO
HM
A, B
F4-6
ROCK UNIT
SOURCE ROCK
abbreviations used in rock unit column are given in table 1. Gray boxes
PRESERVA TION
Figure 6. Events chart for Tanezzuft-Illizi Total Petroleum System. Names for
CRITICAL MOMENT
Late Silurian-
Austrian Event
Frasnian Event
Pyrenean Event
Hercynian Event
Pan-African Event
Glacial Unconformity
Early Devonian Event
Late Cretaceous Event
TECTONIC EVENTS
from Silurian source rocks in the central and southeastern por- Trap Types in Oil and Gas Fields
tions of the total petroleum system peaked during the middle
Cretaceous, whereas in the northern and eastern portions, gener- Most of the accumulations discovered prior to 1996 are
ation probably peaked during the Middle to Late Jurassic within anticlines and faulted anticlines (Echikh, 1998; Boote and
(Daniels and Emme, 1995). Oil generation from Middle to others, 1998; Petroconsultants, 1996a, van de Weerd and Ware,
Upper Devonian source rocks peaked during the Eocene in the 1994). Accumulations within combination traps are present in
central portion of the total petroleum system and Early to Late the Illizi Basin. These are generally unconformity-related reser-
Cretaceous in the northern and eastern portions (Daniels and voir pinchouts across Hercynian or Austrian structures (Echikh,
Emme, 1995). Petroleum most likely migrated laterally into 1998). Hydrodynamic traps may also be present but are not
adjacent or juxtaposed migration conduits and reservoirs. Some common (Echikh, 1998; Chiarelli, 1978; Aliev and others,
vertical migration occurred along faults or fractures in structur- 1971). Accumulations within one of the largest oil fields of the
ally deformed areas (Boote and others, 1998). Illizi Basin, Tin Fouye-Tabankort, are presumed hydrodynami-
cally trapped (Echikh, 1998; Alem and others, 1998).
Overburden Rocks
Assessment of Undiscovered Petroleum by
Overburden rocks are variable across the area mainly due to
Assessment Unit
nondeposition and erosion during the Hercynian, Austrian, and
Pyrenean deformational events (fig. 4A and B). Carboniferous
One assessment unit was identified for the Tanezzuft-Illizi
and Mesozoic rocks comprise most of the overburden for the
Total Petroleum System, called Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Strati-
Tanezzuft-Illizi Total Petroleum System. Large portions of Pale-
graphic Assessment Unit (fig. 3). As of 1996, it contained 102
ozoic section were removed by erosion during Hercynian defor-
fields. Of these discovered fields, 51 are oil fields, 38 are gas
mation. Mesozoic rocks thin southward as a result of both
fields, and 13 fields are not classified because they contain less
original deposition and Tertiary uplift and unroofing in the south.
than 1 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE) (based on
As a result, Paleozoic rocks are thickest in the center of the basin
USGS oil and gas field definitions). Combined, these fields con-
(approximately 2,500 m, while the Mesozoic is thickest to the
tain 3,670 MMBO, 45,061 BCFG, and 898 MMBNGL, as
north and west (fig. 4A and B) (Bishop, 1975; Chiarelli, 1978;
known volumes (table 3) (Petroconsultants, 1996a). Minimum
Boudjema, 1987; Montgomery, 1993; D. Boote, oral commun.,
field sizes of 10 MMBO or 60 BCFG were chosen for this
1999). A thin Cenozoic section is present over the northern part
assessment unit based on the field-size distribution of discovered
of the total petroleum system.
fields.
The exploration density as of 1996 was 16 new-field wild-
Reservoir Rocks cat wells per 10,000 km2. The overall success rate as of 1996
was 32 discoveries per 100 new-field wildcat wells (or about one
The primary known reservoir rocks in the Tanezzuft-Illizi discovery per three new-field wildcat wells). The success rate in
Total Petroleum System are Devonian sandstone. Devonian res- terms of discoveries per number of new-field wildcat wells
ervoirs include paralic to marine sandstone of the F2, F3, F4, F5, drilled remained relatively constant through time. Plots showing
and F6 members (Petroconsultants, 1996a). Other known reser- exploration activity and discovery history are presented in the
voir rocks include Cambrian-Ordovician, Silurian, and Carbon- appendix at the end of this report.
iferous sandstone. Cambrian-Ordovician reservoirs include Exploration activity was not consistent through time: peaks
fluvial to marine sandstone of the Hassi Leila Formation, Hamra occurred from the late 1950’s to mid-1960’s, in the early 1970’s,
Formation, and marine and glacial sandstone of the Edjeleh For- and in the mid-1980’s. The first major discoveries were the
mation (Petroconsultants, 1996a, van de Weerd and Ware, 1994). Edjeleh field in 1956 and the Zarzaitine field in 1957. Little
Carboniferous reservoirs include the deltaic to marine sandstone exploration occurred and few discoveries were made between
of the B and D members, and Issendjel and Mrar Formations the early 1970’s and 1990. The sizes of discovered oil and gas
(Petroconsultants, 1996a). Only a few unnamed Silurian marine fields have decreased somewhat through time and with respect
sandstone reservoirs are known (Petroconsultants, 1996a). to exploration activity. Some large accumulations are still being
Names of laterally equivalent rock units are shown in figure 5, discovered, however. Exploration appears to be moderately
and known reservoir properties are given in table 2. mature across much of the area.
Until recently, only structural traps have been explored for
oil and gas. Continued exploration of structural and combina-
Seal Rocks tion traps is expected for the next 30 years. New exploration
concepts could include the search for both structural and strati-
Intraformational Paleozoic marine mudstone is the primary graphic traps. Potential exists for the discovery of hydrody-
seal for reservoirs in the Tanezzuft-Illizi Total Petroleum System namic traps along the flanks of structures that have already been
(Boote and others, 1998). Triassic to Jurassic evaporites, mud- explored (Chiarelli, 1978).
stone, and carbonate rocks that provide a regional top seal for This study estimates that about one-third of the total
reservoirs in the Ghadames (Berkine) Basin do not extend into number of fields (discovered and undiscovered) of at least the
the Illizi Province. minimum size have been discovered. The estimated median
Selected References 15
Table 1. Abbreviations, names, ages, and lithology of formations used in the total petroleum
system events chart.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Table 2. Reservoir properties of discovered accumulations for the Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic Assessment Unit through 1995. [nd,
represents either no data or insufficient data. Data from Petroconsultants (1996a)]
Number of
USGS Code fields Known (discovered) volumes
2056 Total
Oil fields 51 3,406 14,795 263
Gas fields 38 262 30,244 635
Fields < 1 MMBOE 13 2 22 0
USGS
Code Size of accumulations Number of accumulations Gas-to-oil ratio NGL-to-gas ratio
(MMBO or BCFG) (CFG/BO) (BNGL/MMCFG)
Minimum Median Maximum Mean Shifted mean Minimum Median Maximum Mean Mode Minimum Median Maximum Mean Mode Minimum Median Maximum Mean Mode
USGS
Code MFS Prob. Undiscovered conventional volumes Largest anticipated undiscovered field
(0-1) Oil (MMBO) Gas (BCFG) NGL (MMBNGL) (MMBO or BCFG)
F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean
All fields 601 2,520 6,000 2,814 8,464 25,685 54,020 27,785 269 795 1,740 873
2056 Total
Oil fields 601 2,520 6,000 2,814 2,655 11,444 29,734 13,235 55 244 685 291
Gas fields 5,809 14,241 24,286 14,550 213 551 1,055 582
All fields 601 2,520 6,000 2,814 8,464 25,685 54,020 27,785 269 795 1,740 873
APPENDIX
Exploration-activity and discovery-history plots for each of the assessment units. Two sets of
plots and statistics are provided, one set showing known field sizes (cumulative production plus
remaining reserves) and another showing field sizes upon which a reserve-growth function was
applied (labeled grown). Within each set of plots, oil fields and gas fields are treated separately.
• Oil- or Gas-Field Size (MMBO or BCFG) vs. Oil- or Gas-Field Rank by Size (With
• Number of Oil or Gas Fields vs. Oil- or Gas-Field Size Classes (MMBO or BCFG) (With
• Volume of Oil or Gas (MMBO or BCFG) vs. Oil- or Gas-Field Size Classes
(MMBO or BCFG)
Wildcat Wells
• Cumulative Oil or Gas Volume (MMBO or BCFG) vs. Cumulative Number of New-
Wildcat Wells
• Reservoir Depth, Oil or Gas Fields (m) vs. Cumulative Number of New-Field
Wildcat Wells
400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
DRILLING-COMPLETION YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
50
45
NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
56
58
60
62
64
66
68
70
72
74
76
78
80
82
84
86
88
90
92
94
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
DRILLING-COMPLETION YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
1,000
KNOWN OIL-FIELD SIZE (MMBO)
100
10
1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
OIL-FIELD RANK BY SIZE
OIL FIELDS (No.)
1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
to
2 <2
to
4 <4
to
8 <8
to
16 <1
to 6
32 <3
2
64 to <
6
12 to < 4
8 12
25 to < 8
2
51 6 to 56
1, 2 to <51
02 < 2
2, 4 to 1,0
04 < 24
2
4, 8 to ,04
09 < 8
8, 6 4,0
1 to 9
16 92 <8 6
,3 o t ,
< 19
32 84 16 2
, to ,3
65 768 <3 84
, t 2
13 536 o < ,76
07 < ,5
2 13 36
to 1
<2 ,07
6 2
>= 2 , 1
26 4 4
2,
14
4
fields
fields
of fields
discovered
discovered
discovered
First third of
Second third
Third third of
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
VOLUME OF OIL (MMBO)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1,000
to
<2
2
to
<4
4
to
<8
8
to
<1
16 6
to
<3
32 2
to
64 <6
to 4
12 <1
8 28
to
25 <2
6 56
51 to
2 <5
to 12
1, <1
02
4 ,0
to 24
2, <2
04
8 ,0
to 48
4, <4
20560101
09
6 ,0
8, to 96
19 <8
2 ,1
16 to 92
,3 <1
84 6,
32 to 38
4
KNOWN OIL-FIELD SIZE (MMBO)
,7 <3
68 2,
65 to 76
,5
36 <6 8
13 to 5,
1, 53
07 <1 6
2 31
to ,0
<2 72
62
>= ,1
44
26
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
2,
14
4
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
1,000
KNOWN OIL-FIELD SIZE (MMBO)
100
10
1
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
1,000
KNOWN OIL-FIELD SIZE (MMBO)
100
10
1
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
4,500
4,000
CUM. KNOWN OIL VOLUME (MMBO)
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
4,500
4,000
CUM. KNOWN OIL VOLUME (MMBO)
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
60
50
CUM. OIL FIELDS (No.)
40
30
20
10
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
60
50
CUM. OIL FIELDS (No.)
40
30
20
10
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
500
RESERVOIR DEPTH, OIL FIELDS (m)
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
500
RESERVOIR DEPTH, OIL FIELDS (m)
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
20,000
18,000
GAS/OIL, OIL FIELDS (CFG/BO)
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000
MEAN RESERVOIR DEPTH (m)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
1,200
NGL/GAS, OIL FIELDS (BNGL/MMCFG)
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000
MEAN RESERVOIR DEPTH (m)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
60
RESERVOIRS IN OIL FIELDS (No.)
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 to <10 10 to 20 to 30 to 40 to 50 to 60 to 70 to 80 to 90 to >=100
<20 <30 <40 <50 <60 <70 <80 <90 <100
API GRAVITY (DEGREES)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
10,000
KNOWN GAS-FIELD SIZE (BCFG)
1,000
10
1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
GAS-FIELD RANK BY SIZE
GAS FIELDS (No.)
6
to
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
12 <1
to 2
24 <2
to 4
48 <4
8
96 to <
9
19 to < 6
2 19
38 to < 2
76 4 to 384
1, 8 to <7
53 < 68
3, 6 to 1,5
0 3
6, 72 <3, 6
1 to 0
12 44 <6 72
,2 to ,1
24 88 <12 44
,5 to ,2
49 76 <24 88
, to ,
98 152 <4 576
, 9
19 304 to < ,15
6, to 98 2
39 608 <1 ,30
4
78 3,2 to 96,6
6, 16 3 08 <
43 to 93
20560101
of fields
discovered
discovered
discovered
First third of
Second third
Third third of
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
VOLUME OF GAS (BCFG)
6
to
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
<1
12 2
to
<2
24 4
to
<4
48 8
to
96 <9
to 6
19 <1
2 92
to
38 <3
4 84
76 to
8 <7
1, to 68
53 <1
6 ,5
3, to 36
07 <3
2 ,0
6, to 72
14 <6
4 ,1
12 to 44
,2 <1
88 2,
24 to 28
,5 <2 8
20560101
76 4,
49 to 57
,1 <4 6
52 9,
98 to 15
,3 <9 2
04
19 to 8,
6, 30
<1 4
KNOWN GAS-FIELD SIZE (BCFG)
60
39 8 96
3, to ,6
21 <3 08
78 6 93
6, to ,2
43 16
2 <7
to 86
<1 ,4
,5 32
72
>= ,8
1, 64
57
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
2,
86
4
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
10,000
KNOWN GAS-FIELD SIZE (BCFG)
1,000
100
10
1
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
10,000
KNOWN GAS-FIELD SIZE (BCFG)
1,000
100
10
1
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
40,000
35,000
CUM. KNOWN GAS VOLUME (BCFG)
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
40,000
35,000
CUM. KNOWN GAS VOLUME (BCFG)
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
40
35
30
CUM. GAS FIELDS (No.)
25
20
15
10
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
40
35
30
CUM. GAS FIELDS (No.)
25
20
15
10
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
0
RESERVOIR DEPTH, GAS FIELDS (m)
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
0
RESERVOIR DEPTH, GAS FIELDS (m)
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
100
LIQUIDS/GAS, GAS FIELDS (BL/MMCFG)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000
MEAN RESERVOIR DEPTH (m)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
1,000
GROWN OIL-FIELD SIZE (MMBO)
100
10
1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
OIL-FIELD RANK BY SIZE
OIL FIELDS (No.)
1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
to
2 <2
to
4 <4
to
8 <8
to
16 <1
to 6
32 <3
2
64 to <
6
12 to < 4
8 12
25 to < 8
2
51 6 to 56
1, 2 to <51
02 < 2
2, 4 to 1,0
04 < 24
2
4, 8 to ,04
09 < 8
8, 6 4,0
1 to 9
16 92 <8 6
,3 o t ,
< 19
32 84 16 2
, to ,3
65 768 <3 84
, t 2
13 536 o < ,76
07 < ,5
2 13 36
to 1
<2 ,07
6 2
>= 2 , 1
26 4 4
2,
14
4
fields
fields
of fields
discovered
discovered
discovered
First third of
Second third
Third third of
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
VOLUME OF OIL (MMBO)
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
to
<2
2
to
<4
4
to
<8
8
to
<1
16 6
to
<3
32 2
to
64 <6
to 4
12 <1
8 28
to
25 <2
6 56
51 to
2 <5
to 12
1, <1
02
4 ,0
to 24
2, <2
04
8 ,0
to 48
4, <4
20560101
09
6 ,0
8, to 96
19 <8
2 ,1
16 to 92
,3 <1
84 6,
32 to 38
4
GROWN OIL-FIELD SIZE (MMBO)
,7 <3
68 2,
65 to 76
,5
36 <6 8
13 to 5,
1, 53
07 <1 6
2 31
to ,0
<2 72
62
>= ,1
44
26
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
2,
14
4
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
1,000
GROWN OIL-FIELD SIZE (MMBO)
100
10
1
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
1,000
GROWN OIL-FIELD SIZE (MMBO)
100
10
1
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
4,500
4,000
CUM. GROWN OIL VOLUME (MMBO)
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
4,500
4,000
CUM. GROWN OIL VOLUME (MMBO)
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
60
50
CUM. OIL FIELDS (No.)
40
30
20
10
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
60
50
CUM. OIL FIELDS (No.)
40
30
20
10
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
500
RESERVOIR DEPTH, OIL FIELDS (m)
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
500
RESERVOIR DEPTH, OIL FIELDS (m)
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
20,000
18,000
GAS/OIL, OIL FIELDS (CFG/BO)
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000
MEAN RESERVOIR DEPTH (m)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
1,200
NGL/GAS, OIL FIELDS (BNGL/MMCFG)
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000
MEAN RESERVOIR DEPTH (m)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
60
RESERVOIRS IN OIL FIELDS (No.)
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 to <10 10 to 20 to 30 to 40 to 50 to 60 to 70 to 80 to 90 to >=100
<20 <30 <40 <50 <60 <70 <80 <90 <100
API GRAVITY (DEGREES)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
10,000
GROWN GAS-FIELD SIZE (BCFG)
1,000
10
1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
GAS-FIELD RANK BY SIZE
GAS FIELDS (No.)
6
to
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
12 <1
to 2
24 <2
to 4
48 <4
8
96 to <
9
19 to < 6
2 19
38 to < 2
76 4 to 384
1, 8 to <7
53 < 68
3, 6 to 1,5
0 3
6, 72 <3, 6
1 to 0
12 44 <6 72
,2 to ,1
24 88 <12 44
,5 to ,2
49 76 <24 88
, to ,
98 152 <4 576
, 9
19 304 to < ,15
6, to 98 2
39 608 <1 ,30
4
78 3,2 to 96,6
6, 16 3 08 <
43 to 93
20560101
of fields
discovered
discovered
discovered
First third of
Second third
Third third of
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
VOLUME OF GAS (BCFG)
6
to
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
<1
12 2
to
<2
24 4
to
<4
48 8
to
96 <9
to 6
19 <1
2 92
to
38 <3
4 84
76 to
8 <7
1, to 68
53 <1
6 ,5
3, to 36
07 <3
2 ,0
6, to 72
14 <6
4 ,1
12 to 44
,2 <1
88 2,
24 to 28
,5 <2 8
20560101
76 4,
49 to 57
,1 <4 6
52 9,
98 to 15
,3 <9 2
04
19 to 8,
6, 30
<1 4
GROWN GAS-FIELD SIZE (BCFG)
60
39 8 96
3, to ,6
21 <3 08
78 6 93
6, to ,2
43 16
2 <7
to 86
<1 ,4
,5 32
72
>= ,8
1, 64
57
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
2,
86
4
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
10,000
GROWN GAS-FIELD SIZE (BCFG)
1,000
100
10
1
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
10,000
GROWN GAS-FIELD SIZE (BCFG)
1,000
100
10
1
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
40,000
CUM. GROWN GAS VOLUME (BCFG)
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
40,000
CUM. GROWN GAS VOLUME (BCFG)
35,000
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
45
40
35
CUM. GAS FIELDS (No.)
30
25
20
15
10
0
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
45
40
35
CUM. GAS FIELDS (No.)
30
25
20
15
10
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
0
RESERVOIR DEPTH, GAS FIELDS (m)
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
FIELD-DISCOVERY YEAR
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
0
RESERVOIR DEPTH, GAS FIELDS (m)
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
CUM. NEW-FIELD WILDCAT WELLS (No.)
Tanezzuft-Illizi Structural/Stratigraphic, Assessment Unit
20560101
100
LIQUIDS/GAS, GAS FIELDS (BL/MMCFG)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000
MEAN RESERVOIR DEPTH (m)