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GEOCHEMISTRY OF OIL SEEP IN TANZANIA COSTAL BASIN CONTRIBUTING

TO OIL SEARCH

Poster · May 2021

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.21159.68004

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Rachel Angelo Sabuni Cassy Mtelela

University of Dar es Salaam University of Dar es Salaam
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 Geochemistry of Oil Seeps in the Coastal Tanzania Basin: Contributing to the Search for Oil Accumulation
Rachel Sabuni*, Meshak Kagya, Cassy Mtelela
<<<<

Department of Petroleum science and Engineering, P.O. Box 35052, University of Dar es Salaam

INTRODUCTION
Petroleum exploration in Tanzania began in the early 1950s (TPDC 1992) . Earlier
exploration efforts were marked by an extensive study of the coastal belt, across the
large islands of Mafia, Zanzibar, and Pemba, and in some inland basins. A long while
(Pereira et al. 2013)
exploration activities with no discovery of economically relevant hydrocarbons
accumulation, finally, resulted in the first discovery of large natural gas reserve in 1974
in the Songo Songo Island, which was subsequently followed by another natural gas
discovery in the Mnazi Bay in 1982. Altogether, the natural gas discovered so far in the
coastal Tanzania belts totals about 58 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). To date, no economically
Wingayongo oil seep
relevant oil discovery has been made across the coastal Tanzania basin, besides a
number of oil shows, condensates documented in some of the exploratory wells such
as Pemba-5, Kisangire, Songo Songo, Makarawe 1, Mandawa-7, Mafia-1, Mita Gama-1
and several oil seeps emanating in places including Tundaua, Wingayongo, Kilwa
Masoko and Msimbati across the Tanzania off- and onshore basins (Fig 3). The
Kilwa Masoko oil seep
occurrence of these oil shows and oil seeps presents an important opportunity to Pereira et al. 2013

geochemically scrutinize them to obtain vital information that can aid in oil
exploration across the Tanzania coastal belt, and forms the basis for this study.
Fig. 3. A map showing the oil seeps locations (left) major geologic structures across coastal Tanzania (middle) and a schematic composite
stratigraphy (right) modified from Said et al. (2015) and Angelo et al. (2019)

METHODOLOGY Interpretation of source rock and oil data

Mkuranga
Mkuranga (2007)
(2007) 0.2
0.2 TCF
TCF
Kerogen Type Ro (%)
Kiliwani (2008) 0.07 TCF Oil Prone Generation

Songo Songo (1974) 2.5 Generation stage Ro (%) Type I 0.7

TCF

Immature <0.6 Type II 0.6

Mnazi bay 1982 5 TCF
Type IIS 0.45 - 0.5
Early Oil 0.6-0.8
Ntorya 2012 0.178 TCF Type III 0.8
Deep sea 2016 50 TCF
Peak oil 0.8-1.0
Richness TOC
Late oil 1.0-1.35
TOTAL GIIP(2018)= 58 TCF Poor 0 - 0.5
Wet gas 1.35-2.0
fair 0.5-1.0

Dry gas >2.0 Good 1.0-2.0

Very Good >2.0

Vitrinite reflectance interpretation values after Dembicki 2017

Fig 1. Total gas discoveries to date and a cartoon representing oil exploration in Tanzania

OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY

This research focus on geochemical analysis of the oil seeps, condensates and rock
cuttings from across the coastal Tanzania basin to constrain oil generation potential, and
provide insights into locating potential accumulation across the coastal Tanzania.
The specific objectives are:
i. To determine the existence of effective source rocks across the coastal Tanzania basin.
ii. To determine the effective source rock maturity, age, organic-matter source and the
depositional environments from the oil seeps across the coastal Tanzania basin.
iii. To identify existing oil families and their relationship to source rocks across the
Wang 2016

coastal Tanzania basin

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Fig 6. Tmax plot After Espitalié et al. 1984.
Fig 7. GC-MS plot example fromWang 2016

Fig 4. Pseudo-van Krevelen plot, Tissot and Welte

• This study will provide an understanding of 1984

coastal Tanzania basin's oil potentiality, and

set insightful information that will aid in the
efforts to locate commercial oil accumulations
in these basins.
• Besides, the findings will also add to general
body of literature and serve as a reference
guideline for further studies on oil generated
across coastal Tanzanian basin.

Fig. 2 Diagram to represent natural processes of Oil seepage

https://images.app.goo.gl/2449CZuvtYPtaA277
Fig 5. (a) Sofer plot (Sofer, 1984) and (b) Galimov Stahl isotope diagram (Galimov, 2006) for samples and fractions from the Mirador Formation Colombia

Biomarker interpretation after Wang 2016

Angelo RS, Ehinola O, Mtelela C, Edwin AN 2019 Integrated Seismic Stratigraphic and Structural Analysis of the SongoSongo Gas-Field, Shallow Offshore Tanzania, Using Seismic and Well Data. J
GeolGeophys 8: 2381-8719.
Dembicki H 2017 practical petroleum geochemistry for exploration and production analysis. Candice Janco, pp 330.
SYNOPSIS
Espitalie J 1986 Use of Tmax as a maturation index for different types of organic matter: comparison with vitrinite reflectance, pp 475–496.
Galimov EM 2006. Isotope organic geochemistry. Organic Geochemistry, 37, 1200-1262. To date no significant oil accumulation has been identified despite the presence
Pereira MC, Carr AD, Cameron NR 2012 Gas Success along the Margin of East Africa, But Where Is All the Generated Oil. The East Africa Petroleum Province, 21st Century Conference, October 24-26. of oil seep, oil shows and condensates in Coastal Basin. This study represents
The Geological Society, London, England
the first comprehensive geochemical investigation of oil seep in the search of
Sofer Z 1984. Stable carbon isotope composition of crude oils: application to source depositional environments and petroleum alteration. AAPG Bulletin, 68, 31-49
Tissot BP and Welte DH 1984 Petroleum Formation and Occurrence, 2nd edn. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, pp 699.
significant oil accumulation.
Wang Z, Yang C, Yang Z, Brown CE, Hollebone BP, Stout S A 2016 Petroleum biomarker fingerprinting for oil spill characterization and source identification, pp131-254.

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