Petroleum Systems of Deep-Water Basins - Gulf Coast Section SEPM
Petroleum Systems of Deep-Water Basins - Gulf Coast Section SEPM
Petroleum Systems of Deep-Water Basins - Gulf Coast Section SEPM
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The Rio Muni Basin <strong>of</strong> Equatorial Guinea:<br />
A New Hydrocarbon Province<br />
Paul Dailly<br />
Kenny Goh<br />
Phil Lowry<br />
Gene Monson<br />
Triton Energy<br />
6688 North Central Expressway<br />
Dallas, Texas 75206<br />
e-mail: daillyp@tritonenergy.com<br />
Abstract<br />
The Rio Muni basin underlies the continental shelf <strong>of</strong> the west African republic <strong>of</strong> Equatorial Guinea, located<br />
between Gabon and Cameroon. The basin is situated above a section dominated by a northeast-southwest trending<br />
oceanic fracture zone and its continental extension. This fracture zone constitutes the boundary between the Equatorial<br />
Atlantic margin and the West African salt basin.<br />
Despite its location between the prolific hydrocarbon provinces <strong>of</strong> the Niger delta to the north and the Gabon<br />
coastal basin to the south, the Rio Muni basin has been overlooked by the industry for much <strong>of</strong> the last decade. Previous<br />
wells have proved a viable source rock, but no accumulations. Triton Energy licensed Blocks F & G in 1997 and<br />
drilled the Ceiba 1 discovery well in 1999, proving a new hydrocarbon system in the deep water, Late Cretaceous post<br />
rift sequence. Deformation by Santonian-Coniacian transpression caused uplift <strong>of</strong> the shelfal area and deposition <strong>of</strong> a<br />
thick, slope fan sequence. Contemporaneous salt deformation <strong>of</strong> rafted deposits and the development <strong>of</strong> a base <strong>of</strong><br />
slope compressional belt are also evident. The resultant turbidite sequences form the reservoirs in the Ceiba discovery,<br />
which has been tested at 12,400 BOPD. Both Late Cretaceous and Tertiary turbidite reservoirs form exploration targets<br />
in the basin; these may be charged by a deep water source kitchen from which earlier, shelfal wells were<br />
shadowed.<br />
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