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Burial and unroofing history of the base Tanezzuft ‘hot’ Shale source rock,
Murzuq Basin, SW Libya: new AFTA constraints from basin margin outcrops.

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Geology of Southern Libya 2012, vol. 0, ppBURIAL AND UNROOFING HISTORY of the Base Tanezzuft Hot Shale
00-00 - SL-206 1

Burial and Unroofing History of the Base Tanezzuft ‘Hot’ Shale

Source Rock, Murzuq Basin, SW Libya : New AFTA Constraints
from Basin Margin Outcrops
D.R.D.Boote1, A.Dardour2, P.F.Green3, J.D.Smewing4, F.Van Hoeflaken5

ABSTRACT

A reconnaissance petroleum systems analysis of the Murzuq Basin, SW Libya, identified three discrete
palaeo-depocentres associated with base Tanezzuft-Mamuniyat/Hawaz systems active at times immediately
prior to major uplift and exhumation in mid-Cretaceous (Austrian event) and mid-late Tertiary (‘Alpine’ event).
This analysis was based on regional isopach reconstructions supported by well maturity profiles. However the
information used was of very variable quality and sometimes contradictory. Consequently a comprehensive
apatite fission track based analysis of outcrops along the western (Western Traverse – Ghāt and Al ‘Awaynāt
Sections), northern (North Al ‘Aṭshān Traverse) and eastern (Eastern Traverse – Wāw al Kabīr and Dūr al
Quṣṣah Sections) margins of the modern basin, was undertaken to better constrain the regional burial history of
the base Tanezzuft ‘hot’ shale source rock. The AFT interpretation was tested against outcrop and subsurface
control to provide a robust interpretation of regional uplift and unroofing. Intra-Palaeozoic exhumation events
were largely overprinted by later burial, but four significant cooling events were identified in the Mesozoic and
Tertiary:
 Base Jurassic Event (+/- 210-190 Ma) apparently driven by a deep crustal perturbation in heat flow related
to ‘non-plume magmatism and rifting’ in the Central Atlantic (McHone, 2000).
 Mid-Cretaceous Event (+/- 180-90 Ma) related to regional intra-Aptian (Austrian) uplift and unroofing.
 Late Cretaceous ‘Laramide’ Event (+/- 80-55 Ma) observed on only one side of the basin of uncertain
origin.
 Mid-Late Tertiary ‘Alpine’ Event (+/- 40-10 Ma) related to regional exhumation and tectonic warping
expressed by the modern outcrop.
These outcrop based reconstructions were integrated with subsurface control. Preliminary 2D burial history
modelling along two regional well transects supported the earlier reconnaissance study, suggesting peak
expulsion from the Tanezzuft source occurred during the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous with a possible secondary
expulsion episode in Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary.

INTRODUCTION and Al ‘Aṭshān Saddle, to the west by the Tihemboka Arch

and Hoggar Massif and by the Tibīstī-Sirt Uplift to the
The Murzuq Basin of SW Libya (Fig. 1) is one of east. A near complete Palaeozoic succession outcrops
several large Palaeozoic depressions on the North African around its flanks. This plunges below Triassic, Jurassic and
Platform. It is bounded to the north by the Al Qarqaf Arch Lower Cretaceous continental sands and shales towards
the basin centre where the total section preserved is some
3500-4500m thick (Echikh and Sola, 2000; Hallett,
2002). The outcropping Palaeozoic was once part of a
1
DavidBoote Consulting Ltd. 12 Elsynge Road, London, SW18, 2HN,
UK. regionally continuous first order stratigraphic sequence
2
Libyan Petroleum Institute, Gargaresh Road, PO Box 6431, Tripoli, extending across the North African and the Arabian
Libya. Platform. This was subsequently reformed into a number
3
Geotrack Int.Pty.Ltd. 37 Melville Road, Brunswick West, Victoria
3055, Australia. of often isolated intra-cratonic depressions separated by
4
Earth Resources Ltd. Forest Lodge, 138 Bronallt Road, Hendy, basement rooted structural arches and highs. The striking
Pontarddulais, Swansea, SA4 0UD, UK.
5
Hoeflaken, GeoConsultants, Nieuwmarkt 36, 1012 CS, Amsterdam,
similarity of the Palaeozoic succession in the Murzuq and
The Netherlands. neighbouring Illizi, Berkine and Libyan Ghadāmis basins,
2 D.R.D.BOOTE, ET AL.

Fig. 1.  Surface geological map of the Murzuq Basin, SW Libya. The location of the basin margin outcrop traverses (and associated measured
sections and apatite/vitrinite sample points) and regional outcrop to well correlation cross-sections are highlighted. The NNW-SSE correlation
section (continuous black line) is shown in Figs 8, 9, 10).

reflects its original stratigraphic continuity, with common reserves and +1TCF gas have been discovered so far in
source and reservoir facies. The larger region is a very Ordovician sandstones in the northern part of the basin,
prolific petroleum province with a variety of petroleum charged by a thin organic-rich interval at the base of the
systems, variably charged by basal Silurian Tanezzuft overlying Tanezzuft Shale. The accumulations in this
and/or Upper Devonian Frasnian ‘hot’ shale source rocks. area are all now at quite shallow depths. Clearly such a
However despite their stratigraphic similarity, these prolific system must have been charged at some time in
systems differ quite significantly in response to differing the past when the overburden was significantly greater.
amounts of post-charge exhumation. The Murzuq Basin An earlier reconnaissance analysis (Nubian Consulting,
and northern Murzuq (Al ‘Aṭshān Arch) in particular, 2007) demonstrated that peak expulsion, migration and
has suffered quite severe unroofing. Over 3 MMbbls oil entrapment must have occurred during the mid-Mesozoic
 BURIAL AND UNROOFING HISTORY of the Base Tanezzuft Hot Shale 3

(Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous?). However reconstructions dramatically expressed in outcrop to the north (Fig. 3a
of palaeo-generative areas, optimum migration directions and b, Al ‘Aṭshān Saddle and Al Qarqaf Arch), northeast
and charge timing have proved difficult to constrain (Fig. 4, Al Qarqaf Arch and Dūr al Quṣṣah area) and east
with any certainty, because of late uplift and erosional of the basin (Tibīstī -Sirt Arch), where later Cretaceous
unroofing. This removed much of the stratigraphic and early Tertiary variously onlap older Cretaceous to
evidence which originally framed the petroleum systems. Basement rocks (Fig. 5) with sometimes spectacular
As a result, reconstructions of expulsion/charge history unconformity. Although speculative, it is argued that
have necessarily relied upon regional stratigraphic the younger section once extended across SW Libya
projections and somewhat indifferent VRo (vitrinite and the restructured basin below. Its original thickness
reflectance) and AFTA (apatite fissian track) data was difficult to assess with the available maturity data.
acquired from well penetrations in the area. Because However it appeared insufficient to have reburied the base
of the ambiguity, a comprehensive apatite fission track Silurian to pre-Aptian depths or greater, except towards
based analysis of outcropping sections along margins of the basin centre. A final period of mid-late Tertiary uplift
the modern basin, was undertaken (LPI-DBCON., 2008) and unroofing created the modern basin architecture and
to better constrain the regional burial history of the base terminated further maturation of the Silurian source rock.
Silurian. This review records the various steps taken to The isopach-based reconstruction identified three
unravel the maturation and expulsion history of the ‘hot’ depocentres, each deep enough to have matured and
shale source. generated hydrocarbons from the Tanezzuft source
facies, where ever present. Pre-Austrian and pre-mid/late
RECONNAISSANCE BASIN HISTORY Tertiary (‘Alpine’) petroleum systems are provisionally
RECONSTRUCTION illustrated in Figs 6, 7. Based upon this reconstruction, all
three generative areas appear to have been active prior to
The Murzuq Basin has experienced several periods Austrian unroofing (Fig. 6). Subsequent uplift/unroofing
of regional uplift and erosional unroofing. This halted further maturation to the north and west, but may
had a very profound influence on Tanezzuft source have continued in the central depocentre during early
maturation, expulsion and charge timing (Nubian Tertiary, following Late Cretaceous-Tertiary reburial (Fig.
Consulting, 2007). In order to reconstruct its rather 7), finally ending with mid-late Tertiary uplift.
complex evolution, the base Silurian burial history This reconnaissance petroleum systems analysis
was initially reconstructed using regional isopachs and of the Murzuq Basin was necessarily approximate and
maturity profiles from wells around the basin. More poorly constrained locally, because of limited and
significant unroofing events represented by major imprecise information. However it provided a testable
unconformities were first identified from outcrop and working hypothesis on a regional level.
subsurface control. Isopachs of unconformity bounded
intervals were then added sequentially to create a series APATITE FISSION TRACK ANALYSIS and
of base Silurian ‘palaeostructure’ maps through time. REGIONAL INTEGRATION
Although the Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic are well
exposed around the basin margins, mid-late Tertiary Subsequent work focussed on three outcrop traverses
unroofing removed the younger Mesozoic and Tertiary along the northern, western and eastern margins (Fig.
rocks formerly covering the region and the thickness 1) of the basin (LPI-DBCON., 2008). These traverses
information needed to complete the reconstruction had crossed the complete Palaeozoic-early Mesozoic
to be projected from regional control. Although the succession. The prolific source-reservoir sequence of the
approach was necessarily speculative, the total amount northern Murzuq was directly observed in outcrop and
of erosional unroofing could be assessed by comparing more significant 2nd/3rd order unconformities mapped out
maturity profiles from wells around the basin (Fig. 2) and in some detail. Stratigraphic thicknesses were measured
then used to constrain the isopach-based reconstruction. along each traverse to create profiles mimicking well
The resulting synthesis suggested the base Silurian sections with samples collected at key points of the
source rock probably achieved maximum burial depths succession. These were processed for apatite and
during the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, immediately vitrinite. Sample yields were sufficient to provide a very
preceding Austrian (mid-Aptian) uplift and unroofing. robust and high quality data set. This was analyzed (VRo
Typically this is more severe on inter-basin highs, most ~ vitrinite reflectance) following standard procedures
4 D.R.D.BOOTE, ET AL.

Fig. 2.  Estimated maximum amount, Murzuq Basin, SW Libya. The contours illustrate the maximum net unroofing throughout the basin. This was
estimated by comparing well maturity profiles around the basin with a central basin type well and as such is a minimum value. The map is poorly
constrained to the south with very limited/ambiguous well support.

described by Bray et al. (1992), Duddy et al. (1991), identified and examine the possible heating and/or
Green (1988) and Green et al. (1989) and used to define, cooling mechanisms responsible. Thermal events
characterize and quantify major episodes of heating associated with pre-Mesozoic unroofing were typically
and cooling along the margins of the basin. Information overprinted by later burial, but four significant cooling
derived from the analysis was combined with regional episodes were established in the Mesozoic and Tertiary
geological evidence to assess the palaeothermal events (Note: the time intervals specified for each event refer
 BURIAL AND UNROOFING HISTORY of the Base Tanezzuft Hot Shale 5

Fig. 3a.  Austrian (mid-Aptian?) unconformity, north flank of the Al ‘Aṭshān Arch, Western Libya. Outcropping geology after the IRC 1:1 MM
Geological Map of Libya. The unconformity is highlighted, illustrating the strongly truncated early Mesozoic-Palaeozoic section below and
onlapping Turonian-Maastrichtian section above. The unconformity can be traced northwards across the Ghadāmis Basin to outcrops on the Jabal
Nafūsah Arch and west into Tunisia, where the oldest overlying sediments are ?late Aptian.

to the uncertainty in estimating the time cooling started equivalent event was not observed in samples taken
and not the period when cooling took place.) along the western traverse. The reason for this is
unclear. The Aptian unconformity appears to have
Base Jurassic Event (+/- 210-190 Ma): a base Jurassic regional expression. It is recognized in the Illizi
AFTA event recognized on all three margins did not Basin to the west and extends east with increasing
appear to be associated with an unconformity. Instead intensity towards the Sirt Rift Province. However
it may reflect some deep crustal perturbation in heat as the youngest rocks outcropping in the western
flow related to ‘non-plume magmatism and rifting’ of Murzuq are Early Cretaceous in age, there is no
the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (Logan and direct stratigraphic evidence of Austrian unroofing
Duddy, 1998; McHone, 2000). Palaeotemperatures remaining locally. It is possible that the cooling
may have reached a maximum at this time, but were episode may be related to rift shoulder uplift of the
maintained over a very short period (+/- 2Ma ~ western Sirt and simply becomes more pronounced
McHone, 2000). in that direction. Alternatively it may have been
overprinted by a later Laramide event. A third
Mid-Cretaceous Event (+/- 180-90 Ma): a Mid- possibility, considered more likely here, is that
Cretaceous AFT event, recorded on the northern the sampled section may have been located some
and eastern margins of the basin, was correlated distance basinward of an unroofed Austrian basin
with the intra-Aptian (Austrian) unconformity. An margin, later eroded during Tertiary uplift.
 6
D.R.D.BOOTE, ET AL.

Fig. 3b. Stratigraphic correlation of the Upper Cretaceous sequence onlapping the unconformity along the northern flank of the Al ‘Aṭshān Saddle and Al Qarqaf Arch.
Measured sections are from the Geological Map of Libya (1:250,000 scale), Ain Aramas (NH 32-15), Toughirst (NH-3216), Marar (NH33-13) and Hasawnah (NH33-14)
(NH-32-16) map sheets.
Fig. 4.  Austrian (mid-Aptian?) unconformity, NE Murzuq Basin. Outcropping geology after the IRC 1:1 MM Geological Map of Libya. The highlighted unconformity truncates older Palaeozoic-
BURIAL AND UNROOFING HISTORY of the Base Tanezzuft Hot Shale

Basement on the flanks of the Al Qarqaf and Dūr al Quṣṣah (Tibīstī -Sirt) arches and on younger rocks to Lower Cretaceous (Messak Fm) in the Dūr al Quṣṣah basin re-entrant. It is overlain by
Maastrichtian onlapping to the south with Eocene on basement upon the Tibīstī-Sirt Arch. The numbers represent measured section locations after Furst (1965). Measured sections are from Korab
7

(1984) and Woller (1984).

 8
D.R.D.BOOTE, ET AL.

Fig. 5.  Simplified stratigraphic architecture of the (post-Austrian) Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary transgression from the Hūn Graben south across the NE part of the Murzuq Basin and Tibīstī
-Sirt Arch beyond, west-central Libya (see Fig. 4 for location). The Bin Affin sandstone facies is diachronous, ranging from Maastrichtian to Eocene in age, passing outboard into a series of
shallow marine carbonate/marl dominated cycles (adapted from Furst, 1965)
 BURIAL AND UNROOFING HISTORY of the Base Tanezzuft Hot Shale 9

Fig. 6.  Pre-Austrian (Tanezzuft – Mamuniyat/Hawaz) Petroleum Systems, Murzuq Basin. Isopach based reconstructions defined three pre-
Austrian depocentres to the north (Al ‘Aṭshān), west (Ghāt) and central part of the basin. Each of these appears to have been a generative area,
although the effectiveness of the two southern ones is uncertain. The approximate limit of the Tanezzuft shale seal and regional migration directions
are also highlighted. Gas shows and the shallow gas field on the Al Atshan Arch may represent charge by depressurization during uplift and
unroofing (adapted from Nubian Consulting, 2007).
10 D.R.D.BOOTE, ET AL.

Fig. 7.  Pre-Alpine (Tanezzuft – Mamuniyat/Hawaz ) Petroleum Systems, Murzuq Basin. Mid-Cretaceous uplift and erosion partially exhumed
the northern (Al ‘Aṭshān) and ?western depocentres, terminating further maturation. However the central depocentre may have remained depressed.
Regional projections suggest the Murzuq region was reburied during the later Cretaceous and early Tertiary. While the northern and western
generative areas remained dormant at this time, the additional cover was probably sufficient to have encouraged further maturation/expulsion from
Silurian source rocks in the central basin depocentre (adapted from Nubian Consulting, 2007).
 BURIAL AND UNROOFING HISTORY of the Base Tanezzuft Hot Shale 11

Late Cretaceous ‘Laramide’ Event (+/- 80-55 Ma): a significant impact on Tanezzuft source maturation and
a Late Cretaceous event was only observed locally expulsion. To a large extent, the AFTA based thermal
on the western side of the basin. The causative history interpretation supported the earlier isopach-
mechanism is unknown but may be related to some as based basin history reconstruction but with significant
yet undefined local fluid flow. new implications:
(1) The effect of the base Jurassic thermal event on
Mid-Late Tertiary ‘Alpine’ Event (+/- 40-10 Ma): Tanezzuft source maturation and expulsion is uncertain.
mid-late Tertiary uplift and unroofing is clearly Although the estimated palaeotemperatures were high
demonstrated by the modern outcrop architecture and at this time, the driving ‘non-plume magamatic’ event
is strongly represented in the AFTA data along all of NW Africa (McHone, 2000) was very short lived,
three traverses. suppressing its impact.
Palaeotemperatures recorded for each episode were (2) The apparent absence of an Austrian thermal
converted into estimates of additional burial required to event on the western margin is surprising in view of
explain the observed temperatures for assumed values the stratigraphic support for its more regional effect.
of palaeogeothermal gradients. The estimated section The suggestion that uplift/unroofing was restricted to
missing at each sample location was then compared an outlying Austrian basin margin some distance to
with thickness projections from nearby outcrop and the west of the sampled traverse, provides a possible
wells and integrated into a burial-unroofing model of explanation. If correct it would imply that the western
two trans-basin outcrop-well correlation sections (Fig. depocentre may have continued to have generated
1). These models provided a non-unique solution of hydrocarbons into the early Tertiary.
the preserved and eroded thickness estimates from (3) The AFTA solutions from all three margins
well, outcrop and AFTA along each section. The imply a significant amount of Upper Cretaceous-Tertiary
section displayed in Figs 8, 9, and 10 runs south cover prior to mid-late Tertiary unroofing – somewhat
from the southern Ghadāmis Basin across the Al more than can easily be supported by stratigraphic
‘Aṭshān Saddle and northern outcrop traverse (North projections from the neighbouring Ghadāmis Basin
Al ‘Aṭshān Traverse), to the Murzuq Basin and then and western Sirt Basin. This can only be resolved
southeast to the eastern margin (Dūr al Quṣṣah/ Wāw by assuming all of western Libya was once covered
al Kabīr Traverse). Using the burial-unroofing model uniformly by a comparatively thick early-middle
as a guide, the section was reconstructed for times Tertiary sedimentary blanket, no longer preserved in
of maximal burial, immediately preceding Austrian any the control wells.
(Fig. 9) and mid-late Tertiary unroofing (Fig. 10). Despite these uncertainties, apatite fission track
Burial history modelling (1D) of wells along the analysis (AFTA) of three outcrop traverses has provided
section suggested the base Silurian interval on the Al very significant new insights into the thermal history
‘Aṭshān Saddle was deeply buried prior to the Austrian of the basin margin. Extending this work by further
event (Fig. 9) and certainly deep enough to generate analysis of wells within the basin itself should provide
hydrocarbons. Subsequent reburial during the Late even more rigorous insights into basin centre uplift and
Cretaceous-early Tertiary (Fig. 10) was apparently unroofing.
insufficient to trigger further maturation in the Saddle
itself, though this may have continued to the south in REFERENCES
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Fig. 8.  Regional NNW-SE Well-Outcrop Structural Correlation, Murzuq Basin, SW Libya (see Fig. 1 for location). The section passes south from the southern Ghadamis region, across the Al
‘Aṭshān Arch and pre-Austrian depocentre, the northern part of the central basin depocentre and southeast to the eastern margin outcrop traverse.
BURIAL AND UNROOFING HISTORY of the Base Tanezzuft Hot Shale 13
 14 D.R.D.BOOTE, ET AL.

Fig. 9.  Regional NNW-SE Well-Outcrop Structural Correlation, Pre-Austrian Reconstruction, Murzuq Basin, SW Libya (see Fig. 1 for location). The reconstructed Mesozoic well thicknesses
were extrapolated from outcrop estimates derived from AFTA along the three traverses. These thickness estimates were then projected across the basin and integrated/made consistent with the
residual well sections still remaining after Austrian and Alpine erosion. The resulting reconstruction is non-unique but accomodates the available information fairly closely. Each reconstructed
well section was then modelled using Zetawares Genesis basin modelling software and the results plotted on the section. This synthesis suggests the base Silurian interval across both the Al
‘Aṭshān Arch (northern depocentre) and central basin (central depocentre) was mature and capable of expulsing hydrocarbons at this time.
View publication stats
Fig. 10.  Regional NNW-SE Well-Outcrop Stratigraphic Correlation, Pre-Alpine (Oligocene) Reconstruction, Murzuq Basin, SW Libya (see Fig. 1 for location). As in the pre-Austrian model,
AFTA constrained Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary outcrop thicknesses were projected across the basin to provide a non-unique reconstruction of the pre-‘Alpine’ (mid-late Tertiary) basin
architecture along the line of section. Each reconstructed well section was then modelled and the results plotted on the section. This synthesis suggests that reburial of the partially exhumed Al
‘Aṭshān Arch was still insufficient to drive further maturation (beyond that achieved in pre-Austrian time), while maturation and expulsion continued in the central basin area around well A1-
NC58. Mid-Late Tertiary regional uplift is assumed to have terminated maturation/expulsion throughout the Murzuq region.
BURIAL AND UNROOFING HISTORY of the Base Tanezzuft Hot Shale 15