The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin
V. 72, No. 9 (September 1988), P. 1033-1058,25 Figs.
Petroleum Geology of East-Central I^inisia^
WILLIAM F. BISHOP'
ABSTRACT
The tectonic features of Ihnisia are complex and
include folds, all types of faults, evaporite diapirs, and
the Saharan flexure, which separates a stable Paleozoic
province on the south from a subsidence zone of Meso-
zoic and Cenozoic strata of the offshore Ashtart and Tri-
poUtania basins. The remainder of the offshore region is
mostly stable shelf of the Pelagian craton, which also
extends onshore. The present study focused on this shelf,
where two carbonate intervals contain proven hydrocar-
bon reservoirs: the Metlaoui Formation of earliest
Eocene (Ypresian) age and the Zebbag Formation of
Late Cretaceous (Itaronian) age.
Regionally, well-defined belts of Metlaoui carbonates
trend northwest. On the northeast are open-marine deep-
water micrites and marls with abundant planktonic fora-
minifers. Thick bars of nummulitid packstone/
grainstone were deposited in shallow water at an angle to
the paleoshelf. The reservou- is confined largely to the
bars, and visible effective porosity is best developed in
those areas among the foraminifers filled with sand-size
nummulitid debris, where secondary solution enlarge-
ment has occurred. This lithology tested oil in two recent
wildcat wells and is a commercial reservoir at Sidi El
Itayem and Ashtart fields.
Distribution of Zebbag carbonates is more complex. A
northwest-trending platform was bounded on three sides
by deep water, where shale and micrite with planktonic
foraminifers were deposited. Predominately back-reef
and lagoonal foraminifer/rudist wackestones and pack-
stones occur in narrow belts, apparently controlled at
least locally by block faulting. They tested oil in two
recent discoveries. The most significant porosity is inter-
particle, generally enlarged by solution, in foranunifer
©Copyright 1986. The American Association of Petroieum Geoiogists. All
rights reserved.
^Manuscript received, Junes, 1987; accepted, May 30,1988.
^Consulting Geologist, 11543 Riverview, Houston, Texas 77077. Formerly
regional exploration coordinator. International Division, Tenneco Oil Explora-
tion and Production, Houston, Texas.
The writer thanks Tenneco for permission to publish and for making availa-
ble drafting and secretarial services. Permission also was granted by ETAP, the
Tunisian government oil entity, but the confidentiality agreement requires that
no well names or test data be given. Wail numbers used in the text are arbitrary
for each subject heading.
Many people at Tenneco contributed material and/or ideas to this paper.
These people Include H. S. Bratlle, B. D. Carey, A. Kamel, M. Maiek-Aslani, C.
E. Ragadale, R. E. Stowers, and I. C. Wylis. M. A. McDonald produced the Ini-
tial drafts of the text and figures in the geochemistry section. Detailed petro-
iogic studies of carbonate intervals with oil-productive reservoirs were carried
out by R. T. J. Moody and staff at Kingston Polytechnic, Kingston upon
Thames, England. P. N. McDaniel of ERICO kindly granted permission for the
use of Rgure 1. Sarah Plunkstt typed the manuscript and David Barta finalized
the drafting. The assistance of all Is gratefully acknowledged.
The paper In Its final form Incorporates many comments and suggestions
from AAPG reviewers Q. D. Howell, R.J. Murrls, and S. Schamel.
1033
packstones, but intraparticie voids in foraminifers and
rudists commonly contribute to the porosity.
Analyses of surface and subsurface samples identified
the Bahloul (basal Ibronian) and Bou Dabbous (Ypre-
sian) formations as source rocks. Fluorescence spectra of
several oils were compared with extracts from these sam-
ples and indicate the Bahloul to be the source of oils in
recent Metlaoui and Zebbag discoveries.
INTRODUCTION
This paper describes the geology of that part of lUnisia
that extends westward to the Algerian border, eastward
to the Libyan and Italian borders, southward a little
beyond Jerba Island and the Chotts (approximately lat.
33 "30 'N), and northward to Tlinis and Cap Bon (lat.
37 °N). However, the focus is on east-central TUnisia and
the offshore area in and around the Kerkennah West per-
mit (Figure 1), which was awarded to Houston Oil &
Minerals during 1979. Since 1981, operations have been
conducted by Tenneco.
No wells have been drilled in the offshore portion of
the permit, although four dry holes are located a few
kilometers east on Rharbi, southernmost island of the
Kerkennah group. A marine seismic survey was con-
ducted during 1979, and during 1983, these data were tied
with land seismic surveys in the permit by a shallow-
water program.
Onshore, the central area of drilling and seismic activ-
ity to date is an area of about 15 x 20 km in and west of
the city of Sfax, Ibnisia. Four wells were drilled and
abandoned by previous operators from 1966 to 1972.
TWo discoveries were made by Houston Oil during 1980-
1981 and two by Tenneco during 1982; four wells were
dry. Several dry holes were drilled outside the limits of the
permit, and the Sidi el Itayem field (1971) and the non-
commercial Sidi Behara wells (1972) are about 20 km to
the northwest.
The emphasis of this paper is on the regional and local
stratigraphy of reservoirs (proven and potential) and
source rocks; the sections on tectonics and structure are
intended to provide only a basic framework. The plate-
tectonic history of TUnisia could support a major article
(cf. Cohen et al, 1980) and is beyond the scope of this
paper.
REGIONAL TECTONICS
North of the stable Saharan platform (Bishop, 1975),
the tectonic features of TUnisia and the largely submerged
block of the Pelagian shelf on the east are extremely com-
plicated and include normal-faulted folds (both upright
and overturned), thrust faults and nappes, postdeforma-
tional extension faults and grabens (Cohen et al, 1980;
1034 Petroleum Geology of East-Central TUnlsia

Figure 1—Tectonic map of Ikinisia nortli of Saliaraiiflexure(not sliown) and offsliore region as far as Sicily. Adapted from propri-
etary study by ERICO Tectomap N. V. Used wltli permission. Note location of Kerlcennah West permit at Sfax. Unlalwled circles in
permit are recent discoveries. Subsea contours at top of Cretaceous outline major positive and negative features. Dot-dash line
shows international boundaries.

Abbes et al, 1981; Blanpied and Bellaiche, 1983), evapo-
rite diapirs with decollement and volcanism (Bellaiche et
al, 1977; V. Perthuisot, 1981; TniiUet and DelteU, 1982),
strike-slip and transcurrent faults (Ben Ayed and Viguier,
1981; Zargouni et al, 1981; Horrenberger and Zargouni,
1983a, b), and flexures contemporaneous with deposi-
tion (Busson, 1967; Coque and Jauzein, 1967).
These features occur more or less in zones (Figure 1),
and the predominant structures in each from northwest
to southeast are (1) Numidian nappes and thrust sheets of
the Tellian Atlas; (2) the autochthonous(?) and parau-
tochthonous zone of Hedil and Medjerda; (3) a zone of
Triassic gypsum (formerly anhydrite) diapirs (a reviewer
of this paper, R. J. Murris, stated that these actually are
salt diapirs, the salt being absent from outcrops; salt
piercement domes and walls are present in the subsurface
of the Pelagian shelf east-southeast of Gabes, and,
according to Bellaiche et al (1977), diapiric structures
resembling salt domes were indicated seismically 100 km
east of Sousse); (4) northeast-trending folds of the lUni-
sian Atlas; (5) north-trending folds and faults of the
North-South axis, which limits the Atlasic folds; and (6)
the Pelagian shelf, the onshore part of which is known as
the Sahel. Complete discussions of this vast and tectoni-
cally complex region were given by BuroUet (1967a),
BuroUet et al (1978), Salaj (1978), Winnock and Bea
(1979), and Blanpied and Bellaiche (1983). More local-
ized aspects of lUnisian tectonics are referenced at the
end of this paper.
South of about lat. 33 °30 'N, Tlinisia is part of the sta-
ble Saharan platform where super-Middle Jurassic strata
are relatively thin and unfolded. North of the platform is
a subsidence zone of much thicker folded and faulted
Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks (Busson, 1967). The Umit
 William F. Bishop 1035

Figure 2—Reference log of Metlaoui and Zebbag reservoirs in

Kerkennah West permit. Solid blaclt in resistivity column
indicates oil recovered on production test; diagonal pattern
indicates oil and water recovery. Measured depths in meters.

between these provinces partly follows the trend of the

Jeffara flexure (Figure 1). The relation of this flexure to
the Gafsa fault or "accident sud-tunisien" of Castany
(1954) is uncertain, as is the relation between this system
and the Saharan flexure ("accident sud-atlasique"),
which extends across north Africa to the Atlantic coast at
Agadir in Morocco. The latter feature has been shown
variously in unreferenced proprietary reports to breakup
west of Gabes, to connect with the Gafsa fault, or to pass
through Chott Jerid and reach the coast just north of
Gabes.
Offshore Tlinisia and the onshore part east of the
North-South axis (the Sahel) are on the stable shelf of the
Pelagian craton, the highest part of which is the Lampe-
dusa high (Figure 1). The western margin of this platform
along the North-South axis became unstable during the
Neogene, forming the elongate asymmetrical East Tuni-
sian basin, which contains the Sidi el Itayemfieldin its
shallower eastern part. Note, in Figure 1, the position of
the Ashtart structural and Tertiary depositional basin
and the Ashtart field on the southeast.
Little is known about the structure of the Sahel
because of the Neogene-Holocene sedimentary cover, but
subsurface studies show it to be complex. For example,
seismic data indicate strike-slip faulting associated with
the graben near Mahdia, approximately SO km southeast
of Sousse (Figure 1). Kamoun et al (1980) reported a
major sinistral transcurrent fault of post-Tyrrhenian
(latest Pleistocene) age, extending from Monastir (east-
southeast of Sousse) some 70 km north-northwest to
Hanunamet.
On Landsat images, a regional lineament, possibly
representing Alpine rejuvenation of a Hercynian trend,
extends southeastward from the North-South axis
through the permit, at least to the blunt southwestern end
of Rharbi Island and possibly far offshore. This feature
probably exerted considerable influence on reservoir and
source rock facies in the region (cf. favorable trends of
these facies in Figures 9 and 21). The straight southeast-
ern coasts of Rharbi and Chergui, the main island, also
suggest fault control. Davis et al (1982, p. 872) noted
"faint traces of faults on the submarine topography that
extend into the land area near Sfax harbor." 2800

STRUCTURE

Local struaure is complicated by abundant faulting of

various ages and orientations. Seismic interpretations are
not unequivocal because much of the section penetrated
to date consists of carbonate rocks. The absence of veloc-
ity contrasts does not produce good reflectors, particu-
larly beneath the two Upper Cretaceous unconformities
commonly present (Figure 2).
1036 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia

Figure 3—Seismic structural map at Aptian-Albian horizon, onshore portion of Kerkcnnah West permit. Contour interval - 100
msec. Girded wells are sub-Zebbag tests. Note line of section of Figure 4 across horst. Faults dashed where poorly controlled.
Diagonal indicates city of Sfax.

The dominant feature of the Kerkcnnah West permit at lineament noted earlier. Several hundred meters of
the Aptian-Albian horizon (Figure 3) is a northwest- lUronian-Coniacian rocks are absent at the crest of this
trending horst, which probably is related to the regional feature, presumably because of pre-Santonian erosion
(Figure 4). Truncation to a much lesser extent has
occurred in the two deep wells northeast of the horst (Fig-
ure 3), but a full section is present in the well on the south-
west. Gravity modeling and seismic control suggest a
throw of nearly 2,000 m on the east flank and somewhat
^ H O L - O L I Q . NORMAL
\ T E N S I O N A L FAULTS less on the west.
XSTRIKE-SLIP
METLAOUI Strike-slip faulting of Eocene age is suggested by seis-
FM.
SZONE mic and subsurface data along the horst (Figure 4). The
old faults of the horst are believed to have been reacti-
TOP
CENOMANIAN
vated in an oblique strike-slip sense, causing normal
throw of 100-260 m in the upper Paleocene-lower Eocene
section, as well as an undeterminable amount of lateral
displacement. Post-Senonian strike-slip movements are
Figure 4—Schematic cross section showing various periods of documented in other parts of Tlinisia, including the sub-
faulting associated with horst. Line of section in Figures 3, S. surface example near Mahdia mentioned above and sur-
Unconformity is of pre-Santonian age. face studies such as those by Ben Ayed (1980), Abbes et al
 William F. Bishop 1037

r^, METLAOUI OIL

V J TEST/PROD.

0 S

Figure 5—Seismic structural map at Metlaoui Oower Eocene) horizon, onshore and immediate offshore portion of Kerkcnnah
West permit. Contour interval = SO msec. Note line of section of Figure 4 and wealcer expression of horst than in Figure 3. Faults
dashed where poorly controlled. Diagonal indicates city of Sfax.

(1981), Ben Ayed and Viguier (1981), Zargouni et al FORMA IONS

(1981), and Horrenberger and Zargouni (1983a, b). A
seismic structural map at the basal Eocene Metlaoui hori- DJEBS
zon (Figure S) shows the definite northwest trend of small CHERAHIL SOUAR
(25-70 m) normal faults and a prominent northeast cross-
trend of small structtu-al highs extending through the
block and beyond. The horst still is expressed at this hori- FAID
zon, but the west fault is much less pronounced. EL GARIA
D
Detailed seismic coverage shows a still younger series o EVAR NUMMULITE
SOU DABBOUS
of northwest-trending faults, including a well-defined < FACIES
graben above the horst (Figure 4). These faults com- -I FAC. QLOBIQERINID
monly appear to die out downward, possibly because of I-
UJ FACIES
plastic deformation in the shale above the Metlaoui. The
CHOUABINE

Figure 6—Metlaoui nomenclature. Formations are after TSELJA

Fonraie (1978) except for "Ain Merhotta," which is an
informal term suggested by R. T. J. Moody (1985, personal EL HARIA
communication).
1038 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia

Figure 8—Isopacli map of interval from base of El Garia

marker (datum of Figure 7) to top of Metlaoui: Faid/"Ain
Merhotta'VEl Garia/Bou Dabbous fades. Contour interval =
50 m. Cumulative production figures given for Aslitart field
(southeast of permit) and Sidi el Itayem and abandoned Sidi
Behara fields (northwest).

faults appear to have been active several times since the

Oligocene, and some have surface escarpment. TWo wells
1 cut the largest fault (150-250 m) just above the Metlaoui,
and a fault-plane map constructed from seismic data
showed it to flatten from 55 ° on the south to 35 ° on the
north, allowing it to connect with a reactivated, older
fault of the horst.

STRATIGRAPHY

The reference log (Figure 2) shows the two known car-

bonate reservoirs in the Kerkennah West permit: the Met-
laoui of the early Eocene (Ypresian) at about 2,100 m and
the Zebbag of the Late Cretaceous (Tbronian) at 2,600 m.
I The interval between these units is affected by the com-
plex faulting just discussed, by a very substantial uncon-

I formity at the base of the Santonlan Aleg shale, and by a

lesser unconformity at the top of the Cretaceous. With
the exception of a few sandstones in the Oligocene and
Miocene, the section above the Metlaoui is limestone and
shale. The section below the Zebbag will be considered
after discussion of the two reservoirs.
o
w

Metlaoui
I The Metlaoui reservoir is a packstone in a biostrome of
very large benthonic foraminifers deposited in shallow
water. Porosity is best developed in those areas filled with
sand-size nummulitid debris between the foraminifers
where secondary solution-enlargement has occurred.
Porosity within nummulitid chambers, which are abun-
3 dant, is mostly isolated and ineffective. Oil shows were
s encountered in the top half of the cored interval (Figure
M
'3 2), and oil was tested from perforations.
a The data base used in the regional study of the Met-
e
laoui consists of about 70 points of outcrop data,
-a obtained principally from Castany (1951), Comte and
e
• Dufaurc (1973), Comte and Lehmann (1974), Bismuth
« and Bonnefous (1981), and various data from 115 wells.
Outcrops are confined to the region along and west of the
I North-South axis.
Regionally, the Metlaoui contains a number of differ-
ent Hthologies (Figure 6), which were termed formations
by Foumie (1978), the definitive work on Tertiary and
Upper Cretaceous nomenclature in Ibnisia. These
include Bou Dabbous deep-water globigerinid fades. El
Garia shallow-shelf nummulitid facies, "Ain Merhotta"
restricted-shelf gastropod facies, and Paid evaporitic
anhydrite/dolomite facies.
Underlying these formations is a widespread
phosphate-bearing unit, the Chouabine, which ranges
from a meter or two in thickness throughout much of the
William F. Bishop 1039

Italian
territorial
waters

Tunisian \
territorial \ / \
waters ^•^._-^' \

OIL TEST/PROD.
/ O GAS TEST
1040
Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia

; Italian
^ territorial
waters

Glikl|irlil« l l i t . / M i r l

Niiiilitkicliitic Pkit.

NiiailltiiWktt./Pktt./Srtt.
Blicliitic Nkti. w / N i i . Dikrit
Rii Algil-EcklMli Pktt./Grtl.
Bntropii C M U M

^^ l / $ i » r i t l l i l MIst./Wktt. i Dol. N
) • OIL TEST/PROD.
Eiipirlli
./ O GAS TEST
E i i M r l t i • / T i r r l i n i i t Clitllet
0 50 100 KH^'

Figure 9-Meti.oui Iithofades (excluding Chouabiue and Tse.Ja).NoteUneof ^tionofFig„re7.

 William F. Bishop 1041

M"" * % ^*^

^»**-.J«l-1,.'
'»^'»,',.

1 mm

I I
c. 1 mm 1 mm

L J
e. 200/<m 200/m

Figure 10—(a) Thin-section photomicrograph of Bou Dabbous facies; poorly laminated globigerinid mudstone. (b) Thin-section
photomicrograph of El Garia nummulithoclastic packstone; whole nummulitid (N) in sand-size nummulltid debris, (c) Thin-
section photomicrograph of El Garia nummulitid packstone with small patches of porous recrystallized micrite (microspar)
marked by M. Note large shelter cavity filled with second-generation blocky sparite. (d) Thin-section photomicrograph of "Ain
Merhotta" gastropod/bivalve wackestone; mud matrix is completely dolomitized and shells were removed by solution, (e) Scan-
ning electron micrograph of El Garia showing blunt dog-tooth phreatic calcite on "saddle" of nummulltid chamber. Note patchy
development because of low permeability in intraparticle porosity, (f) Scanning electron micrograph of El Garia showing partial
porosity occlusion by phreatic dog-tooth calcite.
1042 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia
area of subsurface control to 36 m at the type section in
the Metlaoui/Gafsa basin, where phosphates are
extracted commercially (BuroUet and Oudin, 1980; Four-
nie, 1980). Beneath the Chouabine is the evaporitic and
dolomitic Tselja unit, which is 90 m thick at its type sec-
tion in the same basin. Both of these units are thickly
developed in certain parts of the subsurface, specifically
at Ashtart field (Fournie, 1978) and in part of the
Kerkennah West permit. Although not a typical develop-
ment of either unit, the Chouabine does contain several
thin phosphatic zones in these areas, and the datum of
Figure 7 is a highly radioactive log marker representing
the uppermost of these beds.
Deposition.—Figaie 7 is a regional cross section
extending from the nearshore restricted lagoonal facies
of the Faid and "Ain Merhotta" on the southwest,
through shelf deposits of the El Garia, to open-marine
facies of the Bou Dabbous. Note that the Metlaoui is con-
formably underlain by shale of the Paleocene El Haria
Formation and overlain by dense limestone and shale of
the Lutetian Souar Formation and possibly by its Djebs
evaporite facies in well 1. The EI Garia and its equivalents
are Ypresian (early Eocene) in age, as is the Chouabine.
The Tselja was stated by Fournie (1978) to be Paleocene,
and the section queried as Tselja here may possibly be
Chouabine with little or no phosphate.
Neither the isopach (Figure 8) nor the Uthofacies maps
(Figure 9) include Chouabine or Tselja. Note the thick
evaporite basins (Faid and Meheri) around the flanks of
the emergent Kasserine Island (BuroUet, 1967a) and sug-
gested in the subsurface on the south. Based on close con-
trol near Sfax, other nummulitid buUdups have been
interpreted to be oriented northeastward at an angle to
the edge of the northwest-trending paleoshelf. The limits
of the Metlaoui are erosional on the north and deposi-
tional with local erosion on the south.
Distribution of Metlaoui Uthofacies is shown in Figure
9 and their vertical relation in Figure 7. The open-marine
deep-water facies (Bou Dabbous) is micrite and marl with
abundant planktonic foraminifers. The tongue of globi-
gerinid mudstone in well 5 marks the maximum trans-
gression. No core was avaUable for this facies, and Figure
10a shows a poorly laminated globigerinid mudstone
from the outcrop at Bou Dabbous.
The nummulithoclastic packstone is a transitional
lithology comprising silt to fine sand-size nummulitid
debris (Comte and Lehmann, 1974), and a large area in
central TUnisia (Figure 9) is known from outcrops. This
lithology is thickly developed in weUs 4 and 5 (Figure 7)
and may fringe the entire nummulitid facies on the
deeper water side. The packstone (Figure 10b) is com-
posed of fine sand-size nummuUtid debris with minor
amounts of micrite. The nummulithoclastic facies locally
contains whole nummuUtids, which increase in abun-
dance as it grades into nummulitid packstone.
1\vo weUs near Sfax tested oil from nummulitid wacke-
stones, packstones, and grainstones, which were depos-
ited on shoals of the shelf. These calcarenites have
effective porosity and are commercial reservoirs at Sidi el
Itayem and Ashtart (Figures 8, 9). The former has pro-
duced about 19 miUion bbl of oil from 18 wells at a depth
of about 2,350 m since discovery during 1971. Ashtart is
a major oil field, having produced more than 150 million
bbl of oil from 15 weUs (Oil and Gas Journal, 1985) at a
depth of about 3,000 m since going on stream during
1974. Water injection began during late 1975, and 32-
36% of original oU in place (720 milUon bbl) was esti-
mated ultimately to be recovered (Anz and EUouz, 1985).
A few gas discoveries and one oil discovery have been
made southeast of Ashtart. Exploration of the trend in
Libyan waters has led to several oU finds, one at least
believed to be of major importance.
Whole foraminifers are abundant in the nummulitid
packstone, and a grain-supported fabric with a little mud
is characteristic (Figure 10c). Sedimentary structures,
such as imbricated tests, are evident in cores and indicate
that clasts have been winnowed and sorted. TWo weUs in
the permit tested oil from this facies where it forms a
massive buildup, about 10 x 20 km in areal extent and
more than 160 m thick, trending northeastward at an
angle to the paleoshelf edge (Figure 8). The nummulitid
packstone is known regionally to pinch out landward and
seaward but probably does not reach zero on the flanks
before passing into a sheet or another buildup.
The small lens of nummulitid wackestone shown in
Figure 7 is a lower energy version of the packstone and
contains more mud matrix. The facies is not very impor-
tant in wells drilled to date, forming beds within the
packstone in tongues on the northeast and southwest. A
bioclastic wackestone with nummulitid debris is weU
developed and may be present elsewhere. From present
control, this wackestone appears to be confined to the
lagoonal end of the buUdup and thickens substantially in
that direction (Figure 7). The wackestone grades upward
and seaward into shsde and bivalve and echinoderm
mudstone/wackestone of the Souar Formation.
A lagoonal gastropod/bivalve coquina was cored in
weU 1 (Figure 7) and is common on outcrop. This lithol-
ogy appears to be present in a large area southeast of
Ashtart (Figure 9). The coquina has exceUent moldic
porosity (Figure lOd), and in some outcrop samples
porosity reaches 40%. Capping cycles of these coquinas
and occurring landward and locally seaward of them are
lagoonal and supratidal mudstone/wackestone and
dolomite (weU 1, Figure 7). This facies is widespread
between open-water deposits and thick gypsum and
anhydrite. These evaporites crop out in intermontane
basins and probably are present in the subsurface (Figure
9). The evaporite and the gastropod facies of weU 1 are
similar to the outcrop at Faid and indicate proximity to
the Ypresian shoreUne.
Minor amounts of peneropUd wackestone/packstone
occur in several wells as localized intercalations and thin
lenses in various facies. PeneropUds are indicative of
lagoonal environments. Although described by Arni
(1965) and Decrouez and Lanterno (1979) in the Sirte
basin of Libya, this facies has not been recorded in the
Metlaoui literature of Tlmisia. Another unique facies is a
sandy red-algal packstone/grainstone, which crops out
in the central part of the country (Figure 9) and may have
been deposited on a growing evaporite dome (Comte and
Lehmann, 1974).
 William F. Bishop 1043

10/<m

20 mm f. 0.5 mm

Figure 11—(a) Thin-section photomicrograph of El Garia showing equatorial section of nummulitid. Note open intraparticle
porosity (P), minor fringe of first-generation calcite (F). and second-generation, blocky sparite (S) in some pores, (b) Thin-section
photomicrograph of El Garia nummulitid packstone showing solution-enlarged interparticle void fQled with second-generation
blocky sparite (S) deposited syntaxially around echinoid fragment (E). Cement is partly stained by Alizarin Red "S" (A) indicating
its nonferroan nature, (c) Scanning electron micrograph of El Garia matrix showing microspar recrystallized from micrite. Many
micrite-size crystals are evident, but most are larger than 4 ^m. Such intercrystalline porosity in patches of friable microspar con-
tributes to reservoir efficiency, (d) Thin-section photomicrograph of El Garia packstone showing intemummulitid space with
sand-size nummulitid debris (D) and porosity (P). (e) Polished core slab of El Garia nummulitid packstone showing late-stage
unfilled fractures, (f) Thin-section photomicrograph of Zebbag foraminifer Qituolid and miliolid) packstone with S% solution-
enlarged interparticle porosity (P) where micrite matrix was partially removed. Rudist fragments are present elsewhere in this thin
section.
1044 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia

Figure 13—Isopach map of l^ironian part of Zebbag

FORM. LITH PALEO. Formation: log top of Zebbag (Figure 15) to top of Annaba in
and around Kerkennah West permit (elsewhere, Ttaronian
EL HARIA carbonate or equivalent). Contour interval = 50 m. Fanit
symbol indicates approximate trend of Jeffara flexure.

ABIOD
Diagenesis

< ALEG The following discussion is taken from a proprietary

CO SANTONIAN petrologic analysis of Metlaoui cores and cuttings from
z I
13 wells in and around the permit. The nummulitid pack-
stone apparently was a freshwater aquifer in which
< z z
< < porosity occlusion resulted from water-table fluctua-
o o z tions. Changes in fluid chemistry resulted in at least three
< phases: (1) precipitation of fringing cement and possibly
CO z < o micrite enlargement, (2) dissolution of most fringing
D o zo t= cement, and (3) precipitation of blocky sparite. Late-
o CO stage dissolution after burial caused varying degrees of
o stylolitization throughout the cored intervals studied.
First-generation fringing calcite cement was precipi-
LU tated early and in varying quantities. In some places (Fig-
ure lOe) the cement is thin and patchy, but elsewhere
O (Figure lOf), it is better developed and provides more
resistance to compaction but partially blocks pore
< r~T
T~n" throats.
H TTT Second generation sparry calcite, present in most sam-
T—L ples, is blocky and nonferroan, commonly having grown
LU I- into voids, such as the large shelter cavity beneath a num-
JZZI
OC mulitid of Figure Kk. Figure 11a shows open intraparti-
r r j cle porosity, partly filled with blocky sparite and minor
o first-generation, fringing cement. Porosity commonly
was occluded by blocky sparite during freshwater dia-
T—T genesis, especially where deposited syntaxially around
V~n
echinoid fragments (Figure lib). In one sample, even
OC o intranummulitid porosity is filled with blocky sparite.
Matrix in samples from several wells is a neomorphic
^ ^
LU cc : ^
S mosaic of calcite crystals 4-30 loa in diameter, resulting
Q. from patchy recrystallization of micrite to microspar
D ^ ^
(Figure lie). Friable patches of microspar have intercrys-
Q. SE O talline porosity and contribute to overall reservoir effi-
I- ciency, as illustrated by two of these patches impregnated
D ZEBBAG I I
with epoxy stain indicating porosity (Figure l()c).
Visible effective porosity occurs in intervals where
TTT nummulitid tests are randomly oriented and the spaces
among the nummulitids are sheltered and open or are
x==r occupied by nummulitid fragments comminuted to fine-
I • LJJ to-medium sand size (Figure lid). The best porosity
T-|-T resulted from secondary solution-enlargement, which
i=z was fabric selective and preferentially occurs within these
x=n:
I.. ' r
pockets of nummulitid debris. Fracturing may have
enhanced reservoir characteristics. The paucity of cores
does not allow a complete appraisal of this phenomenon,
but a few high-angle unfilled fractures were observed
ANNABA (Figure 1 le).

Figure 12—Snper-Annaba reference section from a well in Zebbag

Kerkennah West permit. Formation designations and
paleontologlcal age determinations are for local wells and do The section from the top of the Cretaceous to the Zeb-
not, in some places, correspond exactly with those elsewhere in bag (Figure 12) mostly consists of deeper water limestone
Itanisia (cf. Foumle, 1978, and others). and shale. One well in the permit and another nearby
William F. Bishop 1045
1046 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia

_33. LEGEND
g BASINAL
S TRANSITIONAL
M SHELF CALCARENITE
SUPRATIDAL(?) DOL&DOL LS
• ANHYDRITE
EPIGENETIC DOLOMITE
0 CONGLOMERATE

Figure 14—Itaronian Zebbag Uthofacies. Note line of section of Figure 15.

 William F. Bishop 1047

1
1

t
a
u
an
9

at
o
V
a
ac
XI

oo

I
I
•M
e

1
1

Sf

II
* id A«*»U iMjlAllAf'J\L.«.,.ve~--v t W
0ygg 3z
' M MyiNOidni
Sn033Vi3dO a3ddn
1048 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia

C. 0.5 mm

e. 5.0 cm
f. 7.0 <

Figure 16—(a) Thin-section photomicrograph of Zebbag rudist wackestone with fragments of rudist shell (R) and rare cuneolinids
(C). (b) Thin-section photomicrograph of Zebbag bioclastic wackestone with fragments of echinoderms, calcareous algae, mill-
olids, lituolids, and planktonic foraminifers; large neomorphosed mollusk fragment with micrite envelope at lower right, (c) Thin-
section photomicrograph of Zebbag foraminifer packstone with approximately 20*^0 undissolved matrix (M). Common breaching
of foraminifer chambers (F) allows intraparticle pores to contribute to total effective porosity (P). (d) Thin-section photomicro-
graph of Zebbag finely crystalline dolomite with intercrystalline porosity (P). Some pore spaces are blocked with calcite (C) or
anhydrite (A), (e) Polished core slab of Zebbag slightly dolomitic mudstone with fenestra! porosity (P) and argillaceous lamina-
tions (L). (f) Polished core slab of Zebbag foraminifer/rudist packstone with near-horizontal fractures mostly filled with sparry
calcite (white).
 Willlam F. Bishop 1049

tested substantial flows of oil from thin oolite zones just

FORM. LITH PALEO. above the Zebbag. Figure 12 was compiled from well 2
U.ZEBBAG ?=F? (Figure 15) in which the unconformities at the top of the
LU Cretaceous and base of the Santonian intervals shown in

otr
Figure 2 are unrecognizable.
ANNABA Zebbag facies patterns are considerably more complex
• than those of the Metlaoui, and the results of the Zebbag
D BAHLOUL
TT
xrri
a study are complicated by local structural influence dur-
ing deposition. Another complicating factor is less con-
?CENOMANIAN trol: 42 data points from outcrops along and west of the
LOWER North-South axis (Castany, 1951; BuroUet, 1956; Four-
ALBIAN/ nie, 1978; Bismuth ct al, 1982) and various data from 70
s ^ ^
ZEBBAG CENOMANIAN wells. A third, and probably the most serious complica-
o \ \ \ tion, results from the abrupt changes in facies and pau-
z I city of fauna in the Zebbag, which make correlations
LU (FOURNIE YTT- among outcrops and subsurface uncertain. However, in
o DCUJ
wells where logs are available, correlations are fairly
I
z 1978) good. For instance, shales within the Zebbag and the top
LUZ of the Annaba shale (Figures 2, 12) are good subsurface
< 1.1'. 1.1.1
I I I I r markers.
CO Z*^
De/)05/rio«.—Figure 13 is an isopach map of the Tliro-
CO nian part of the Zebbag, as determined paleontologically
I I 1.1,1
,1 I I or by log correlation (upper Zebbag of Fournie, 1978),
D CQ APTIAN/ which is the section of economic interest to this study. In
o =d:
YTT-
ALBIAN areas of log control, pronounced irregularities suggest
LJJ that regional and local structural movements had an
o Q.
<
\ ,v .^ important effect on Zebbag deposition and subsequent
erosion. Note the drastic thinning over the horst (dis-
< VV\' cussed above) and the broad thin area just to the north,
I- VTT the locus of epigenetic dolomite shown on the lithofacies
LU map (Figure 14). The overall impression is of a large
o z< LU
northwest-trending platform with local areas of uplift.
Note the absence of Tlironian strata over part of the
TTrtv North-South axis and on the high side of the Jeffara flex-
CC I-
1. ^. ^,\ .^
v v < ure as defined by the outcrop pattern. Local absence on
LU a. ^ ' ^ and southeast of Jerba Island probably results from salt
< movements (cf. Figure 1). Although at least local trunca-
p=^s^
oz I
\ \ V \ \
CC tion is probable on the north, Cenomanian-Santonian
lithologies to the north are a monotonous succession of
<
-I m basinal shales from which the lUronian is difficult to sep-
IE ^ v ^ LU arate.
LU O
.^ .^ A stratigraphic cross section (Figure 15) extends from
(T
CC
T ^ ^ ^ ^ mostly shallow-water calcarenites of the platform in well
< 1 to deep-water micrite of well 8 far out in the basin. The
X;x datum is the mechanical log top of the Zebbag. Seven of
CQ 3:=X
the eight wells of a proprietary petrologic study are
^S shown. A large amount of Zebbag presumably was
eroded from the horst where total missing section in the
I Tlironian-Coniacian ranges from 240 to 540 m, depend-
SIDI ing on which off-structure well is correlated with well 3.
S3=!=C Cores and cuttings of the petrologic study were
z KRALIF ,'^ i J . -? BERRIASIAN
assigned to 16 facies, grouped together for simplicity in
Figure 15. Least common is the concentration of supra-
tidal dolomite with anhydrite in wells 4 and 5, although
\ \ \ \
NARA thin zones occur in the rest of well 5, in well 1, and locally
elsewhere. The upper set of perforations in well 5 tested
oil from the dolomite. Foraminifer/pellet and locally
Figure 17—Sub-Zebbag reference section from a well in
Kerkennah West permit. Equivalents to Barremian-Aptian oolitic packstone/grainstone and rudist packstone/
Meloussi to Orbata Formations found elsewhere in Itanisia wackestone (with local floatstone and bafflestone) were
(Foumie, 1978) are present in permit area, but these units deposited largely under shallow subtidal conditions. The
themselves are not recognized. better visible porosities to date have been in these calcar-
1050 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia

LEGEND
AGE
0 CEN.
O ALB.
A APT.
/ - / ^ C A P BON
n JUR.
'' "^L.CRET. SS

HYDROCARBONS

e HC REC.
0 SIG. TEST/
PROD.
^m OIL
1 1 GAS

ADOULEB ? 16.8 MMBO m.

A S E M M A M A ] TO 7-1-85 ^

« //ATAMESMIDA
.OR4" / / L S MMBO
O / y © TO 7-1-85

T U N I S I A

NORTH LIMIT OF OPEN/

RESTRICTED MARINE
PLATFORM CARBONATES
^3CEN.
I APT.

-38«

\
\-
\
\
50 100 /
KM.
 William F. Bishop 1051

Figure 18—Locations of wells that produced or tested hydrocarbons from sub-Zebbag intervals and northern limits of potential
carbonate reservoirs of Aptian and Cenomanian ages. 1 = Aplian gas recoveries, 2 = Jurassic gas recovery, 3 = Jurassic and
Cenomanian oil and gas recovery; see legend for remaining symbols.

enites, and oil was tested from them in well 5 and above in the middle is largely rudist wackestone (Figure 16a) or
the Zebbag in wells 1 and 2. (Well 5 is the reference log of bafflestone. Finely crystalUne supratidal dolomite and
Figure 2, and the next section gives a detailed discussion dolomitic mudstone with thin anhydrites (up to 2 m)
of its Zebbag petrology and reservoir characteristics.) occur throughout and predominate near the top.
Deeper water lower energy bioclastic wackestone/ The entire succession is generally regressive, and zones
packstone yielded oil and water in well 6. This lithology ranging from slightly to about half dolomitized are com-
commonly is argillaceous elsewhere and includes mud- mon throughout. The rudists, miliolids, and cuneolinids,
stone and uncommon shallow-water indicators, such as which are important constituents of certain beds, indi-
dolomitization and a few oolhhs; the lithology composes cate predominantly back-reef and lagoonal environ-
most of the transitional facies of Figure 14. Deepest ments with emergent phases indicated by the evaporites.
water conditions are represented by silty mudstone and More normal marine facies with very few evaporites
planktonic foraminifer mudstone/wackestone. These appear in nearby wells (Figure 15), and syndepositional
are included in the basinal facies with some shale and faulting most likely exerted a controlling influence on
argillaceous limestone. Tbngues of this facies, represent- facies distribution. The top few meters of the Zebbag in
ing deep-water incursions onto the platform, are present well 5 are bioclastic wackestone (Figure 16b), marking
in wells 2 and 6. The deep-water facies comprises the ero- the beginning of the overlying transgressive succession
sional remnant of the Zebbag in well 3. Thick intervals of characterized by open-marine and peripheral shoal depo-
medium to coarsely crystalline dolomite in well 7 and the sition.
eighth well of the study (not shown) probably represent The most significant porosity type in the Zebbag reser-
late-stage dolomitization of transitional and basinal voir is interparticle, generally enlarged by solution, in
facies. The abrupt changes in facies and thickness of the foraminifer packstones (Figure llf). The position of this
Zebbag shown in Figure 15 strongly suggest faulting con- facies in upward-shoaling cycles resulted in several
temporaneous with deposition. Structuring through salt porous beds, which are closely related to emergent sur-
movement also is a possibility, but deep seismic data are faces or to supratidal evaporites. Intraparticle porosity in
poor and do not give any indication of this. foraminifers and rudists locally enhances the reservoir, as
Figure 14 shows the regional distribution of Zebbag in Figure 16c where foraminifer chambers breached by
facies. The basinal facies surrounds the carbonate plat- solution contribute to total effective porosity of about
form on three sides and may extend into it along the low 40%. Intercrystalline porosity in dolomitized zones is
side of the Jeffara flexure. The slope or transitional zone common, and Figure 16d shows approximately 12%,
appears to be much broader on the east, although this although some pores are reduced by calcite and anhy-
may be an artifact of interpretation or lack of control in
other areas. The narrow belts of foraminifer and rudist
shelf calcarenite in the permit appear to be controlled by
block faulting. A narrow sabkha with anhydrite is indi-
cated by cores in well 5 of Figure 15 (see below). A more
continuous belt of calcarenite is indicated by outcrops on
the northwest, again with a sabkha shown by the outcrop
at Oued Trif and a well at Douleb field (Bismuth et al,
1981,1982). The large area of calcarenite and anhydrite
on the south is conjectural because of questionable out-
crop correlations. An apparently local rudist bank within
the slope facies contains gas at Miskar. Although control
is poor, the rest of the platform lithology appears to be
mostly dolomitic limestone and dolomite, probably of
shallow intertidal to supratidal(?) origin.
Reservoir petrology.—Most of the Zebbag was cored in
well 5 (Figure 15), and oil shows were recorded through-
out this 153-m interval (cf. Figure 2). Only salt water was
tested from the lower two sets of perforations, but oil and
water were tested from the next set and clean oil from the
upper set.
By virtue of the extensive coring, well 5 has become the
de facto reference well of the Zebbag, even though its
lithology is somewhat atypical (cf. Figure 15), consisting Figure 19—Bahlonl reference log from a wdl in Kerkennah
mostly of foraminifer packstone (Figure llf) with com- West permit. Measured depths in meters. ELD = Induction Log
mon zones of rudist wackestone/floatstone. About 35 m Deep.
1052 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia

Figure 20—Stratigraphic cross section sliowing Bahloul

organic-rich fades. Line of section is in Figure 21. Middle log is
from reference well of Figure 19. Numbers indicate TOC
Sg *-wv^/\A^^ content as measured in cores and cuttings. Shaded areas on
bulk density curves show estimated organic carbon content
using resistivity data as described by Meyer and Nederlof
(1984). Measured depths in meters. ILD = Induction Log
Deep, LLD = Laterolog Deep.

drite. Fenestral porosity occurs in a few places (Figure

16e). All are modified by non-fabric-selective channels
and vugs and in some instances by fractures (Figure 16f).
The cored interval showed nearly 8(X) natural fractures.
According to fracture analyses performed by a service
company, most of these resulted from shear stress
imposed during folding and are not of the tensional type
which creates the best fracture permeability.
Sub-Zebbag

The remainder of the TUronian section below the Zeb-

bag consists of shale, marl, and micrite of the Aimaba
Formation (Figure 17). At its base, the Bahloul Forma-
tion is a proven source rock consisting of a thin dark-
colored commonly laminated and marly limestone with
large globigerinids. The Bahloul presumably was depos-
ited during the Cenomanian/lUronian culmination of
the generally poorly oxygenated conditions in the Tethys
seaway noted by Arthur and Premoli Silva (1982). As
described by these writers, the lowermost TUronian
Bonarelli strata of northern Italy, although less than 1 m
thick, are similar lithologically to the Bahloul and con-
tain as much as 22% total organic carbon (TOC).
The Cenomanian interval is mostly shale interspersed
with shelf carbonates. The top of the Aptian-Albian sec-
tion is taken at a characteristic mechanical log marker,
which is weakly supported by palcontological data. Most
of the section throughout the Barremian is dolomite
interbedded with local shales. Near the base of the Creta-
ceous is a probable Neocomian shale correlated by logs
and lithology to the Sidi Kralif as defined by Fournie
(1978). If correctly correlated, the massive dolomite at
total depth should be the Jurassic Nara Formation,
which is supported by a tentative Berriasian age determi-
nation from nannofossils just above it.
Hydrocarbon tests and production in central Thnisia
S--V ^ • from the sub-Zebbag section are shown in Figure 18. The
most significant are nearly 17 million bbl of oil produced
from the Aptian at Douleb-Semmama, 2,700 BOPD
tested from the Cenomanian at Isis and large quantities
of oil, gas, and condensate tested from Cenomanian-
Jurassic intervals at El Beiban. Potential reservoirs in
Aptian and Cenomanian platform carbonates exist south
of the limits shown in this figure.

GEOCHEMISTRY
TWenty-two surface sections were sampled for source
rock andysis, and crude oils (and in most instances, cut-
tings) were obtained from nine wildcat or field wells.
Eleven oil samples were analyzed geochemically, both in-
 William F. Bishop 1053

Figure 21—Distribution of Bahloul organic-rich facies. Note location of type section at Oued Bahloul and line of section of
Figure 20.
1054 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia
sw NE
Dolomite Bahloul Annaba or Aleg
rorganJC]
Shale
' - rich 1
1 ^acies i
Biif-VIA TtR
SHALE
CEHCMAHMM
fAHOineSHAU
Figure 22—Bahloul depositional model essentially along line of
section of Figure 20.
house and by commercial services. Although physical
properties and elemental and asphaltene contents vary
widely, geochemical parameters (saturate alkane con-
tents, carbon preference index values, pristane/phytane
ratios, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry finger-
prints, and carbon isotope values) showed less variation.
Thus, with the possible exception of Ashtart field, only
one family of oils is present and the basal Tbronian Bah-
loul Formation is the principal source. However, as
pointed out by Tissot et al (1980), several organic-rich
layers with good oil potential are interbedded with Tbni-
sian reservoirs ranging in age from middle Cretaceous to
Eocene. Their geochemical characteristics are similar,
varying little with age, and Tissot et al (1980) stated that
one type of oil seems to have been generated from sepa-
rate source beds with a recurrent organic facies.
Fluorescence spectra of the oils, together with extracts
from drill cuttings and outcrop samples, were obtained
using a total scanning spectro-fluorometer. The resulting
matrix was presented for the oils in three-dimensional
plots. The scans are very similar, both to each other and
between the Eocene and Tbronian reservoirs, except for
the light oil or condensate of uncertain age from a well
far out in the basin. Computer comparison of 496 points
per video scan gave a similarity index indicating that, of
the 11 oils compared, all but that one were derived from
the same or very similar source rocks.
The oU that had the highest similarity indices (>0.95)
when correlated with the other oils was selected as repre-
sentative of the group and was compared with extracts
from surface and subsurface samples of potential source
rocks, as selected from TOC, soluble hydrocarbon, and
mechanical logs. The extract most similar to the repre-
sentative oil is from an organic-rich zone in the Bahloul
Formation, which has similarity indices of 0.977 to 0.936
in three wells near Sfax, and 0.947 in a sample from the
outcrop at Ain Ganem. Figure 19 is the reference log of
the Bahloul. Note the organic-rich portion (high resistiv-
ity) near the base.
Figure 20 shows the change from shelf dolomite on the
southwest through organic-rich limestone to argillaceous
bivalve limestone in the basin. The large bulge in the
organic-rich facies (Figure 21) is controlled by outcrop
sections, but organic content appears to decrease north-
eastward. A thinly laminated black limestone at Oued
Bahloul contains almost 8"% TOC, the average being
approximately 3.9%. TOC content from well cuttings in
the organic-rich part of the Bahloul (Figure 20) ranges
from 0.84 to 6.42%. Organic carbon content estimated
from density and resistivity logs of the reference well
ranges as high as 9%.
Based on C carbon isotope values of - 24.8 to - 26.8
%o PDB, all but one of the 11 oils examined appear to
have been derived from kerogens of marine origin. The
depositional model of Figure 22 is similar to those pro-
posed by Fischer and Arthur (1977), Demaison and
Hoick (1983), and other writers. The oceanic circulation
pattern causes an oxygen minimum in a shelf-slope zone
(where water depth precludes oxygenation from the sur-
face), lying beneath a belt of high organic productivity
related to upwelling of nutrient-rich water. Decay of a
small proportion of the organic material maintains oxy-
gen depletion and allows preservation of most of the fall-
out from the biologically active zone at the surface. This
model predicts an organic-rich zone parallel to the paleo-
shoreline, which varies in width as the local morphology
affects the circulation (cf. Figure 21).
Another model was proposed by Tissot et al (1980) for
the previously noted, organic-rich layers which are of
limited extent and correlate poorly among wells. They
suggested locally anoxic conditions in topographic lows
of "a shallow, consistently oxygen-depleted basin with
an eutrophic planktonic growth" (Tissot et al, 1980, p.
205). A study of outcrop sections by A. Kamel (1983, per-
sonal communication) demonstrated wide and abrupt
variances in TOC content of the Bou Dabbous source
rock discussed below, and this model seems more appro-
priate for than that for the Bahloul.
Figure 23 shows the subsea depth at which the Bahloul
enters the zone of oil generation. Note the position of the
type section and that the areas of oil generation are con-
fined to the region east of the North-South axis where
burial depths are sufficient for maturation. The Tbronian
Miskar gas field and several Metlaoui gas discoveries
noted above are in the eastern part of the large gas-prone
area on the south.
A well in the Kerkennah West permit was chosen as
having a typical rate of deposition, and burial depth and
temperature of the Bahloul were plotted vs. geologic time
(Figure 24). Disconformities were considered to be of
minor importance in terms of maturation because
regional correlations indicate the amount of eroded sec-
tion in this well to be minimal. Elsewhere, missing section
totals considerably less than 1,000 m, most of which is in
the sub-Tertiary interval, where it is of little conse-
quence. Source rocks were not buried deeply enough to
achieve significant maturation until early Miocene, when
the geothermal gradient is assumed to have reached the
present high level of 4.0°C/100 m, as plotted from pro-
duction test data.
The next highest similarity index between the repre-
sentative oil and an extract is 0.936 from a Bou Dabbous
outcrop at Sidi Abdullah. However, the similarity index
 William F. Bishop 1055

Figure 23—Maturation-depth map with subsea contours at top of Bahloul or Cenomanian-Ttironian contact. Bahloul organic-rich
fades distribution is from Figure 21.
1056 Petroleum Geology of East-Central Tunisia
110 90 10 70 to SO 40/° 30 T Z O 10 f 0
v^^^^^ OIL
^v
60*C ^""^^^^^"^
OO'C
^ ^ ^ ,
lOO'C
^^^.
120'C N 29001
MO'C piik Ro»1.0
\
(Id R|-1 J
Figure 24—Burial depth and temperature history of Baliloul.
Geothermai gradients ranged from a Ugh of 4.8°C/100 m
(probably during Cretaceous as indicated by common presence
of volcanic roclcs in many wells of east-central llinisia) tea low
of 1.4 <t:/100 m (probably during Paleocene).
of an extract from a core sample of the reference well
(Figure 25), whereTOC ranges from 0.64 to 1.9%, is only
0.882. According to Salehi-Siavochani (1978), Fournie
(1980), and BuroUet and Oudin (1980), TOC content in
the Bou Dabbous ranges from 0.5 to 2.5%. The organic
matter is of the amorphous marine type, and these writ-
ers indicated it to be the oil source at the Sidi el Itayem
and Ashtart fields. Although an in-house determination
showed the latter oil to be isotopically lighter, implying
some input from terrestrial organic matter, the Bou Dab-
bous most likely is the principal source at Ashtart
because of its proximity to the field (Figure 9) and its bur-
ial depth of about 3,000 m.
Other possible source rocks were compared with the
representative crude oil. The similarity indices of extracts
from Aptian-Albian outcrop samples at Koudiat el Beida
and Jebel Chambi Nord are 0.927 and 0.920. No extracts
from well cuttings were analyzed. A core sample from
shales between oolites above the Zebbag reservoir yielded
an extract with an index of 0.922. A rather low index of
0.885 was obtained from shales in the lower part of the
Zebbag reservoir.
Volumetric calculations and known accumulations
indicate that effective source rocks, capable of yielding
economic quantities of hydrocarbons, are present in the
Bou Dabbous and Bahloul formations of east-central
lUnisia and the adjoining Pelagian shelf. Older sources
exist in parts of the region where these formations are
immature or not present, such as at Douleb-Semmama
field and the El Beiban discovery.
CONCLUSIONS
Good to adequate source rocks ranging from the early
Eocene to Middle to Late Jurassic have been reported in
east-central lUnisia. Thick sections of carbonate rocks
with good to excellent reservoir characteristics occur in
the Metlaoui and Zebbag intervals, and potential reser-
voirs are present in older rocks. With the exception of
lOOOlt
ISOOl
2001)1
300O*
35001
40001
Figure 25—Bou Dabbous reference log from a well formerly in
Kerkennah West permit. Measured deptlis in meters. IL =
Induction Log.
Ashtart field, accumulations found to date have been in
small faulted anticlines and traps closed by faults. Pro-
duction at Ashtart, however, is controlled primarily by
the change of El Garia nummulitid packstone/
grainstone to Bou Dabbous globigerinid mudstone (Anz
and EUouz, 1985). The regional mode of deposition of
Metlaoui reservoir rocks, and to some extent those of the
Zebbag, suggests an element of stratigraphic control and
the possibility of large accumulations associated with
regional fades changes. Further careful exploration in
the region of this study should result in significant addi-
tions to the reserve base of TUnisia.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Abbes, C , M. M. lUrki, and R. Tiuillet, 1981, Un £16ment structural
nouveau dans 1'Atlas lUnisien: le contact tangentiel, dicakilomitri-
que k vergence des Djebels Ousselat et Bou Dabbous ("axe Nord-
Sud" Tbnisie): Comptes Rendus des Siances de TAcadimie des
Sciences, sine 2, v. 292, p. 473-476.
Anz, J. W., and M. Ellouz, 1985, Development and operation of the El
Gueria reservoir, Ashtart field, offshore lUnisia: Journal of Petro-
leum Technology, v. 37, p. 481-487.
Ami, P., 196S, L'ivolution des Nummulites en tant que facteur de mod-
iflcation de dipdts littoraux, in Colloque Internationale de Micro-
pal^ontologie, Dakar: Mimoires du Bureau de Recherche
G6ologique et Miniires 32, (1963), p. 7-20.
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