Salt Tectonics and its Controls on the Prospectivity of Miocene Sands, Offshore Angola

The basins offshore Angola hold a surprising number of sand channels and trubidites during the Oligocene and Miocene ages. Previously published work by Gee& Gawthorpe (2006) and others have discussed the influence of salt tectonics on the deposition of these sands in specific areas. The joint work by Petroleum Geo-Services and Sonangol on the 60,000 sq km Angola MegaSurvey gives great insight on a regional basis of how the salt diapirs and walls have influenced the deposition, direction, stratigraphy and structural framwork of these channels and turbidites. Through the use of various geologic software and attributes, an analysis on the salt and sand stratigraphy and structure is possible. The goal was to create a basinal understanding of the salt and sand geometries to better understand the potential prospectivity of Miocene sands. Existing producing fields outline how prolific these hydrocarbon reservoirs are. By better understanding this geologic model on a regional basis, the prospectivity of these sands can be increased, reducing the risk to drill and increasing the chance of success.