Partitioning and Amalgamation of the Greater Congo Drainage Basin as from Explanation for Cainozoic Sand Distribution in the Cameroon to Namibian Offshore in Relation to Deep Water Hydrocarbon Exploration

Amita Mohd Ali¹, Mazlam Hj Madon¹, Pieter van Heiningen², and Carl A. Watkins^2
1PRSS, Petronas, Bangi, Malaysia
²Sedimentology, Fugro Robertson Ltd, Llandudno, United Kingdom

A drainage study conducted on the Greater Congo and adjacent drainage basins along the Cameroon to Namibia coast has provided insight into the spational and temporal character and stratigraphic variation of sediment input points at the coast. In addition, shelf and deep-water seismic interpretation for hydro carbon exploration has revealed large scale sediment bodies which can be correlated to the identified input points.

The morpho-tectonic evolution of the hinterland has been investigated in GIS by means of topographic modelling and image enhancement of SRTM and Landsat data. This allowed the identification of drainage and landscape characteristics that provide the basis for a new interpretation of drainage evolution. Available thermochronology data in parts of the study area have been reviewed and incorporated in the reconstruction of hinterland denudation scenarios.

The research indicates that since the opening of the South Atlantic the configuration and geometries of the drainage basins have changed substantially. Flow reversal events, development of wind gaps and deformation of macro-scale drainage basin geometries are amongst the most important results. The presence of water gaps demonstrates that the hydrological and geomorphological situation of the hinterland in question is still dynamic, contrasting with the common perception of an old and considered stable topography for central and western Africa.

AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa 2008 © AAPG Search and Discovery