Diagenesis and reservoir potential of continental carbonates: Cretaceous of the South Atlantic rift

The project focuses on the diagenetic and pore network evolution of continental carbonates in Angola, combined with a characterization of diagenetic fluid chemistry and timing of fluid flow. By integrating data from outcrops and offshore reservoirs with the tectonostratigraphic context and paleoenvironmental position in the rift, the study will constrain the regional depositional, diagenetic and tectonic controls on reservoir quality. The regional view is possible through access to a large onshore dataset (samples, shallow cores, logs, outcrop mapping) and to a subsurface reservoir core, provided by BP and Statoil. Results of this study have direct application to South Atlantic reservoirs, but predictive rules are equally applicable to exploration in other rift systems.