An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Petroleum Geology of Africa
Petroleum Systems Across the African Continent
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,500
Starting From
06 Dec 2027
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Petroleum Geology of Africa
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Petroleum Geology of Africa - GG-REGAF-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-REGAF-PEA27 | 06 - 10 Dec 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3500 |
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Petroleum Geology of Africa
This training covers the petroleum geology of Africa. It works through the tectonic framework and the breakup of Gondwana, the North African basins, the West African transform and divergent margins, the pre-salt and post-salt plays of the South Atlantic, the Niger Delta, the East African rift system and its lakes, the East African margin gas province, cratonic and interior basins, regional source rock distribution and the exploration potential by province.
Description
Africa contains petroleum provinces of almost every type: intracratonic Palaeozoic basins in the Sahara, Mesozoic rift basins in Sudan and East Africa, salt basins on both Atlantic margins, one of the world's great deltas in Nigeria, transform margins in the Gulf of Guinea and a major deepwater gas province off Mozambique and Tanzania. The common thread is the breakup of Gondwana, which created most of them, and the diversity reflects how differently that breakup proceeded in different places.
This training covers the continent province by province. The tectonic framework and the breakup of Gondwana are established first, since they explain the distribution of basins. The North African basins follow, covering the Palaeozoic plays of Algeria and Libya and the Mesozoic systems of Egypt. The West African margins are then developed, distinguishing transform from divergent segments. The pre-salt and post-salt plays of the South Atlantic follow. The Niger Delta is then addressed in detail. The East African rift system and its lake basins follow. The East African margin gas province is then developed. Cratonic and interior basins are addressed. Regional source rock distribution follows. The training closes with potential by province.
The Silurian hot shale charges most of North Africa's Palaeozoic oil. A thin but extremely rich organic-rich shale of early Silurian age, deposited during post-glacial transgression over Gondwana, extends across Algeria, Libya and into Arabia, and is the principal source for the Palaeozoic plays of the Illizi, Ghadames, Murzuq and Sirte basins. Its distribution, maturity and the depth of the Hercynian unconformity above it control where those plays work.
West Africa divides into transform and divergent margin segments with different plays. The segments between the major fracture zones, from the Ivory Coast to Ghana, are transform margins with narrow basins, limited salt and plays dominated by Cretaceous clastics in structural and stratigraphic traps. South of the Niger Delta, from Gabon to Angola, the margin is divergent with a well developed Aptian salt and the pre-salt lacustrine and post-salt marine play pairing. The two settings require different exploration approaches.
The pre-salt play of the South Atlantic works on both sides of the ocean. Before the Aptian salt was deposited, the opening rift held large lakes in which organic-rich lacustrine source rocks accumulated, overlain and interbedded with carbonate and clastic reservoirs. The same configuration occurs on the conjugate Brazilian margin, where the Santos and Campos pre-salt discoveries proved its scale. The salt provides the seal and complicates the imaging, which is why the play was recognised late.
Finally, the East African margin gas province is a deepwater turbidite play charged from Jurassic and Cretaceous sources. The Rovuma and Mafia basins off Mozambique and Tanzania contain very large gas accumulations in Cretaceous and Palaeogene deepwater sandstones, sourced from underlying marine shales, in a margin that formed during the Jurassic separation of Madagascar and Africa. The reservoirs are excellent, the traps are largely stratigraphic and structural combinations, and the province transformed the region's gas position within a decade.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Relate African basin distribution to the breakup of Gondwana
- Describe the North African Palaeozoic and Mesozoic plays
- Distinguish transform from divergent West African margin segments
- Describe the pre-salt and post-salt South Atlantic plays
- Describe the Niger Delta petroleum system and its structural styles
- Describe the East African rift basins and their lacustrine systems
- Describe the East African margin deepwater gas province
- Describe cratonic and interior basin plays
- Map regional source rock distribution and its controls
- Assess exploration potential by province
The training works through regional cross sections, basin summaries and field case studies province by province. Participants build petroleum system summaries, compare conjugate margin plays, and assess exploration potential. Discovery and failure histories are examined to establish what controlled the outcome in each province.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Assess African opportunities with regional context
- Recognise play types by margin setting
- Apply conjugate margin analogues appropriately
- Understand the charge systems behind each province
- Improve screening of African acreage
- Support new ventures work on the continent
Participants will:
- Know Africa's main petroleum provinces
- Relate basins to Gondwana breakup
- Describe the plays in each province
- Apply conjugate margin thinking
- Assess provincial exploration potential
- Work with regional context on African projects
- Geoscientists working in African basins
- New ventures and acreage evaluation staff
- Exploration geoscientists screening opportunities
- Development geologists in African assets
- Technical staff supporting African operations
- Graduate geoscientists in regional companies
- Advisors assessing African opportunities
Module 1 - Tectonic Framework
- African cratons and mobile belts
- Pan-African orogeny
- Palaeozoic Gondwana platform
- Late Ordovician glaciation
- Hercynian deformation in the north
- Karoo and Permo-Triassic basins
- Jurassic separation of Madagascar
- Cretaceous South Atlantic opening
- Transform and divergent margin segments
- Cretaceous West and Central African rifts
- Cenozoic East African rifting
- Basin distribution and its tectonic control
Module 2 - North Africa
- Illizi and Berkine basins
- Ghadames basin
- Murzuq basin
- Silurian hot shale source
- Ordovician and Devonian reservoirs
- Hassi Messaoud and the Cambrian reservoir
- Hassi R'Mel gas
- Sirte basin and its rift structure
- Libyan plays and reservoirs
- Western Desert of Egypt
- Gulf of Suez rift basin
- Nile Delta and Mediterranean gas
Module 3 - West African Transform Margins
- Transform margin architecture
- Fracture zones and their control
- Senegal and Mauritania basins
- MSGBC basin plays
- Cretaceous source rocks
- Ivory Coast and Tano basins
- Ghana Tano and Jubilee discovery
- Turbidite plays on transform margins
- Stratigraphic traps in transform settings
- Benin and Dahomey embayment
- Guinea margin
- Exploration history and results
Module 4 - South Atlantic Salt Margins
- Divergent margin architecture
- Syn-rift lacustrine phase
- Pre-salt source rocks
- Pre-salt carbonate and clastic reservoirs
- Aptian salt deposition
- Salt tectonics on the African margin
- Post-salt Albian carbonates
- Post-salt deepwater turbidites
- Gabon and Congo basin plays
- Lower Congo and Kwanza basins
- Angolan deepwater fields
- Conjugate margin comparison with Brazil
Module 5 - Niger Delta
- Delta setting and evolution
- Akata, Agbada and Benin formations
- Akata shale source rock
- Agbada reservoir intervals
- Depobelt structure
- Growth faults and rollover anticlines
- Toe thrust and deepwater fold belt
- Shale diapirs and mobile shale
- Trap styles across the delta
- Deepwater turbidite plays
- Giant fields of the delta
- Remaining potential
Module 6 - East African Rifts and Interior Basins
- East African rift system architecture
- Half graben geometry and accommodation zones
- Lacustrine source rocks
- Lake Albert and the Albertine graben
- Lokichar and the Kenya rift
- Turkana and South Lokichar discoveries
- Ethiopian and Tanzanian rift basins
- Sudan Muglad and Melut basins
- Central African rift basins
- Chad and Doba basin plays
- Karoo and interior basins
- Volcanic interference and imaging
Module 7 - East African Margin
- Margin formation and Madagascar separation
- Rovuma basin architecture
- Mafia and Tanzania coastal basins
- Jurassic and Cretaceous source rocks
- Cretaceous deepwater reservoirs
- Palaeogene turbidite reservoirs
- Trap styles on the margin
- Mozambique gas discoveries
- Tanzania gas discoveries
- Madagascar basins
- Somalia and the Horn of Africa
- Development and commercialisation geology
Module 8 - Source Rocks and Potential
- Silurian hot shale distribution
- Devonian source rocks
- Jurassic marine sources
- Cretaceous marine sources
- Lacustrine source rocks in rifts
- Tertiary deltaic sources
- Maturity controls by basin
- Charge access and migration
- Under-explored basins
- Frontier plays by province
- Data availability and quality by country
- Screening African opportunities
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
