Regional tectonic controls on basement architecture and oil accumulation within the Muglad basin, Sudan

Abstract

The Muglad basin, Sudan, is a good example of polyphase rifting with at least three major phases of basin development. Each phase has resulted in the generation of source rock, reservoir and seal geology with structural traps often closely linked to basement highs. In this contribution we investigate the tectonic processes that have contributed to basin development at both macro and micro scales. The macro perspective investigates the basin?s evolution as part of an Africa wide rift system and how it is intimately linked to global plate tectonics and to changes in plate interactions. These changes in plate interactions have caused significant modifications in the orientation and magnitude of the African stress field which in turn has controlled the development of the rift system. On the micro basin scale, the methods used to investigate structure include the compilation of structural maps for different time periods of the individual rift basins into regional structural maps, the role and importance of stratigraphic unconformities within basins and geophysical mapping of the basement morphology of the Muglad basin using an integrated interpretation approach.