Geochemical Characterization of Potential Source Rock of the Central (Saltpond) Basin, Ghana

摘要

This research characterized the potential source rock of 3 exploratory wells from the Central (Saltpond) Basin, Ghana. Ten (10) samples each of the drilled cuttings from the three key exploratory wells were geochemically characterized for total organic carbon contents (TOC), rock-eval pyrolysis techniques and vitrinite reflectance measurements (Ro). The results revealed that they have fair to good total organic carbon (TOC) contents, suggesting that there might exist conditions in the Saltpond Basin that favour organic matter production and preservation. The rock-eval results showed that all the samples from the 3 exploratory wells contain predominantly types II and III kerogen with a capacity to generate gas-oil and gas respectively. They have good generation potential. Results of the vitrinite reflectance measurement also reveal that all the samples from the 3 exploratory wells have poor to low source-rock grade. The Saltpond Basin can be regarded as having fair petroleum source rocks and could be part of a petroleum system if sufficient burial and maturation have occurred.