Depositional environment and hydrocarbon exploration potential based on sedimentary facies and architectural analysis of the Upper Cretaceous Shendi Formation in Musawwarat-Naga area, Shendi-Atbara Basin, Sudan

This study examines both vertical and lateral facies changes as well as petrographic characteristics of the outcropping section of the Upper Cretaceous Shendi Formation in the Musawwarat-Naga area with a view of interpreting the depositional environment, provenance, and tectonic setting that prevail...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth sciences research journal 2023-08, Vol.27 (2), p.109-138
Main Authors: Babkir, Mohamed Diaeldin Babkir Hassan, Nton, Matthew E., Eisawi, Ali A. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analog data
Arenites
Bed forms
Bedforms
Cratons
Cretaceous
Feldspars
Fluvial deposits
GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Gravel
Hydrocarbons
Lithofacies
Outcrops
Palaeocurrents
Quartz
Sandstone
Sediment
Sedimentary facies
Sedimentary rocks
Sedimentary structures
Sediments
Subsurface deposits
Tectonics
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Summary:This study examines both vertical and lateral facies changes as well as petrographic characteristics of the outcropping section of the Upper Cretaceous Shendi Formation in the Musawwarat-Naga area with a view of interpreting the depositional environment, provenance, and tectonic setting that prevailed during the deposition of the sediments. Field studies revealed the presence of eight different sedimentary lithofacies. The predominant is the trough cross-bedded sandstone facies (St), representing 75% of the total succession. Four architectural elements were recognized: sandy bedforms (SB), channel fill (CH), gravelly bars and bedforms (GB), and overbank fines (OF). Moreover, the mean value of paleocurrent directions was 285.3°, suggesting a southeasterly located source area. The majority of the sandstones were classified as quartz arenites with subordinate sublithic-arenites. Ternary plots of quartz-feldspar-lithic fragments (QFL) revealed that the tectonic setting is predominantly within the interior craton. It can be suggested that the sediments were sourced from the southeast region and associated with a braided, proximal, fluvial depositional environment. The results of this study provide outcrop analog data that might be useful in exploring hydrocarbons. Specifically, it can enhance the understanding and prediction of the proximal fluvial depositional styles in the subsurface deposits in the Shendi-Atbara Basin and similar rift basins in Sudan and Africa.
ISSN:1794-6190
2339-3459
DOI:10.15446/esrj.v27n2.98795