EXPLORATION APPROACH OF THE SOUTH EAST, CONSTANTINE BASIN

ALGERIA

Boubekeur MALEK & Yahia OUYAHIA, Sonatrach Exploration, Algeria

This paper was presented at the 11th Offshore Mediterranean Conference and Exhibition in Ravenna, Italy, March 20-22, 2013.
It was selected for presentation by OMC 2013 Programme Committee following review of information contained in the abstract
submitted by the author(s). The Paper as presented at OMC 2013 has not been reviewed by the Programme Committee.

ABSTRACT

Research and exploration work on the basin of South East of Constantine is started during
the year 1950. The first discovery of gas, Djebel Foua was obtained by the exploration well
Fo-1 carried out in 1957 based on the mapping of surface.The limits of this basin covering
the Wilayas of Tébessa, Khenchela and Oum El Bouaghi have several accumulations of oil,
Djebel Onk put into production in 1960, Guerguit El Kihal and Hassi El Kerma discovered in
1986 and 2001 and gas in Djebel Foua and Djebel Darmoun recently. Production of gas
recorded from the Cretaceous of the DDNS-1 well reservoirs is doubly important, on the one
hand because it confirms a gas potential in the region in addition to the already proven oil
and on the other hand It has to redirect the exploration approach throughout the South East
of Constantine basin.

This result, added to the primarily discoveries in oil, encourages the intensification of the
work on this area for the development of oil and gas projects.
The geological context of the basin is marked by the presence of:
 Several anticlines structures emerging surface
 Several reservoirs carbonate aged Cretaceous (Aptian, Cenomanian-Turonian and
Coniacian).

All anticlines that supported traps correspond to rugged topography. Seismic coverage is
limited only to accessible areas. The Djebel Onk oil accumulation has been explored and
operated only on the basis of surface geology.
On the basis of the experience of Djebel Onk and taking account the geological data, the
approach is to test by drilling the most favorable prospects identified by seismic 2D and
those corresponding to the large structures not covered by the seismic for reasons of
accessibility, mapped by the interpretation of satellite photographs and confirmed by surface
geology. After the completion of drilling and the results, this approach will be complemented
by acquisitions seismic technology 2D and 3D Wireless (without cable) adapted to the
rugged topography.
Hydrocarbon resources expected on the basis of the assumption that the area north of the
basin would be gas from the latitude of Djebels Foua - Darmoun, are estimated at:
The average probability of success is in the order of 22%.

The key uncertainties are related with:

 the extension and characteristics of reservoirs
 the nature of the fluids (oil or gas) linked to the complex evolution of this area,

Key Words: Cretaceous, Limestone, alpine system, South East of Constantine, .

INTRODUCTION

The total area of the Southeast Constantine basins is 145 000 Km2, with 2D seismic
coverage of 42, 951 linear Km, a density of 0.8 Km/Km2 and seismic 3D of 900 Km2. A total
of 90 wells have been drilled with 26 for development, for 15 wells / 10,000 Km2.

Research and exploration work on the basin of South East of Constantine is started during
the year 1950. The first discovery of gas, Djebel Foua was obtained by the exploration well
Fo-1 carried out in 1957 based on the mapping of surface. The limits of this basin covering
the Wilayas of Tébessa, Khenchela and Oum El Bouaghi have several accumulations of oil,
Djebel Onk put into production in 1960, Guerguit El Kihal and Hassi El Kerma discovered in
1986 and 2001 and gas in Djebel Foua and Djebel Darmoun recently.
Production of gas recorded from the Cretaceous of the DDNS-1 well reservoirs is doubly
important, on the one hand because it confirms a gas potential in the region in addition to the
already proven oil and on the other hand It has to redirect the exploration approach
throughout the South East of Constantine basin. Recent oil and gas discoveries (2000 –
2011) in the reservoir rocks of the Coniacian, Turonian and Cenomanian increase the
chance of discovering hydrocarbons accumulations where conditions for better productivity
are met.
This result, added to the primarily discoveries in oil, encourages the intensification of the
work on this area for the development of oil and gas projects.

Fig1 : Sructural map and oil fields in Northern Algeria

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BUSINESS CONTEXT

The study area is located in between Algeria and Tuunisia, which correspond to the extreme
East of the Saharan Atlas East side. This region is located not far to the south of two very
important industrials pole, the oil port of Skikda, and the port city of Annaba (fig 1). Enrico
Matei pipeline linking Hassi R'Mel to Italy via Tunisia and the Western Mediterranean Sea
through the region in its central part.

HISTORIC EXPLORATION

Very early from the beginning of the fifties exploration drilling was based on the surface data
and the first well on the mountains of Djebel Foua has confirmed the presence of gas and oil

Results obtained in the eastern Sahara Atlas (cretaceous objectives with frequent shows
and productive deposits like those of Djebel Foua, Djebel Onk, Rass Toumb , Hassi El
Kerma and Djebel Darmoun permit to hop that appreciable deposits of hydrocarbons will be
discovered in the region, and thus, despite the geological complexity.

The exploration activity very little sustained gave very encouraging results and despite the
discovery of four accumulations of oil and two gas discoveries, the success rate remains low
and size limited accumulation.

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GEOLOGICAL SETTING

Northern Algeria is a region of complex geology. It is part of the Alpin system and separated
from the Sahara platform by the south atlasic fault system. It includes several regions which
are totally different from one another in their stratigraphic and structural characteristics.

The Saharan Atlas is a long chain of mountains running south-west to north east, which
dominates the Saharan platform and is separated from it by a complex system of flexures,
step faults and echelon faults. This chain seems to break off at the level of Bou Saada-
Biskra and picks up again, in a east-west direction, to continue through the Aures-Nemencha
and Tebessa

The South East Constantine Basin, is a passive margin, carbonate platform and ramp
developed during the mid-late Cretaceous. This carbonate platform formed a gently sloping
(North –Northeast) homoclinal ramp with relatively low rates of carbonate sedimentation and
modest bioconstructions, in a relatively low energy basin.
During the mid to upper Cretaceous, proximal platform deposits dominated by evaporates
are to the south. To the north are distal deep marine basin sediments. Due to the generally
low gradient of the platform, sea level fluctuations, and faulting result in a broad range of
sedimentary environments within the transition. Geological map (Fig 3) and a
lithostratigraphic (Fig 4) column adopted for this study illustrates the general lithology by
formation from the platform area in the south to the basin in the north. In the regions, the
dominant lithologies are carbonates, marls, and shale.

The flexure area (the transition zone) referred to in the lithostratigraphic column is the
Saharan Flexure or South Atlas Fault, which during the mid to late Cretaceous and early
Tertiary was an important synsedimentary fault, downthrown to the north, thereby having an
important effect on platform geometry. This same fault would later become the focus for
major reversal during the basin inversion of the mid to late Tertiary. Several structures
located along the Saharan Flexure are oil and gas bearing.

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PETROLEUM SYSTEM

The Hydrocarbon systems of the southeast Constantine are of Upper Cretaceous and
Jurassic ages. They are represented by the limestone of the Upper cretaceous. Sourcing is
from marly, marly-limestone and clay of Cenomano-Turonian and Vraconian.

The Hydrocarbon systems of the southeast Constantine are of Upper Cretaceous and
Jurassic ages. They are represented by the limestone of the Upper cretaceous. Sourcing is
from marly, marly-limestone and clay of Cenomano-Turonian and Vraconian.

JurassicPlay

The Jurassic play is present to the south of Atlas flexure in the Chott Melghir. The reservoir is
represented by the limestone of Lias, The Jurassic sources rocks have been not well
defined, however the presence of gas and condensate proven in this area by O1 exploration
well, is encouraging.

Cretaceous Play

The Cretaceous play includes the highest quality source rocks known in Northern Algeria.
These are reservoir rocks of the limestone type and rock seals of a clay and marly nature,
mainly from the Cretaceous that make up the petroleum plays in these basins (fig. 4).

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Source Rock and fluid distribution

The potential source rocks in the Cretaceous of the southeast Constantine basin are
represented by the marl and clays of the:
 Vraconian, with a marly, marly-limestone and clay source rock facies, wisch shows
vlues varying from 0.5 to 2.50%. The maturity of the Vraconian source rocks is in the
oil phase to the south with a conversion rate of 80% to gas phase in the central part.
 Basal Cenomanian, wich consist of marls, clays and bituminous marls. To the southof
the saharan flexure, geochemical analysis has proved values of 0.5% to 3.25%. The
maturity of the Cenomanian is in the oil phase to gas. To the north of the Saharan
flexure, the TOC are 0.5 to 2.05%. The maturity is variable; it changes from the
immature to the gas with condensates.
 Turonian, which consist of marls, clays and bituminous marly-limestone. To the south
of the Saharn flexure, geochemical analysis has proved values of 0,5% to 11% . The
maturity of this area is in the oil phase. To the north of the Saharan flexure, the TOC
are 0.5 to 8.05%. The maturity is at the beginning of the oil phase.
Spatial variations in reservoirs fluid properties encountered during exploration and appraisal
drilling have not been understood. These are generally indicative of compartmentalization
through faulting or some other type of permeability barrier. However where wells are widely
spaced, stepwise changes due to an intervening barrier are difficult to distinguish from
gradual differences’ inherited during the filling of a continuous reservoir which have not yet
been eliminated by mixing. The significance of these inherited lateral and vertical fluid
heterogeneities in the production engineering context is uncertain.

Ideally such problems should be tackled using a combination of geosciences and

engineering data by using a multiparameters approach. Pressure and PVT Data are the
primary sources of information on present-day connectivity, while experience suggests that
the other techniques (OR and a variety of organic and inorganic geochemical methods
including GC finger printing, hydrocarbon biomarker maturity analysis and) may also provide
information on reservoir connectivity at different times and over different scales and ties
frames.

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Reservoirs

The main reservoirs rocks I the Cretacious paly are Limestones series of the Upper
Cenomanian and the Limestones of the basal Turonian and bioclastic limestones of the
Coniacian

Limestone series of the Upper Cenomanian

The Limestone series of the Upper Cenomanian is formed of osparites and locally by oolitis
limestones. The facies developed within a proximal shelf within the high energy levels to
distal shelf deposits where the energy is clearly moderate. Porosities are between 10 to 15%
and the permeabilties are often below 0.1 mD localy up to 5mD. This reservoir is producing
oil ang gas at two discoveries and noneruptive oil at four exploration wells.

Limestone series of the basal Turonian

The Limestone series of the basal Turonian is represented by bioclastic limestone.

Porosities are between 05to 10% locally may reach 25% and the permeabilties are often
below 0.1 mD localy up to 10mD. This reservoir is producing oil and gas at four discoveries
and noneruptive oil at three exploration wells.

Limestone series of the Coniacian

The Coniacian reservoir consists of bioclastic limestones. The facies developed in a proximal
a proximal shelf marine to distal open sea shelf environment. Porosities are between 3 to
29% and the permeabilties are often below 0.5 mD localy up to 100mD. Net pay appears to
be from 10m to 30m. This reservoir is producing gas and oil from three discoveries and
noneruptive oil in five exploration wells.

Seal
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Rocks seals of the Cretaceous are:

 Thick clay-marl series capping the Coniacian limestone reservoir

 Marly series of the Upper Turonian capping the limestone of the
basalTuronian
 Clay series of the Cenomanian-Vraconian Wich cap the limestone series of
Albian and Aptian.

Traps

Unlikely traps in the southeast of Constantine have not been well defined, they could
be structural (anticline and against faults) or combined (reef and pinchout).

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CONCLUSIONS

Studies conducted to date confirm the potential, but suggests a more appropriate approach
to the complexity of the distribution of reservoirs and fluids. A more aggressive approach to
exploration of large structures identified by surface geology work and photo sat supported by
techniques, adapted to the specific conditions of mountain including seismic is
recommended; This combined approach to study the distribution of reservoirs and charge
model will be conducted to discover the large volumes generated by rich rocks mothers
identified in the region.

In order to prove an additional hydrocarbon volume, the geological context of the basin is
marked by the presence of:
 Several anticlines structures emerging surface
 Several reservoirs carbonate aged Cretaceous (Aptian, Cenomanian-Turonian
and Coniacian).

All anticlines that supported traps correspond to rugged topography. Seismic coverage is
limited only to accessible areas. The Djebel Onk oil accumulation has been explored and
operated only on the basis of surface geology.
On the basis of the experience of Djebel Onk and taking account the geological data, the
approach is to test by drilling the most favorable prospects identified by seismic 2D and
those corresponding to the large structures not covered by the seismic for reasons of
accessibility, mapped by the interpretation of satellite photographs and confirmed by surface
geology. After the completion of drilling and the results, this approach will be complemented
by acquisitions seismic technology 2D and 3D Wireless (without cable) adapted to the
rugged topography.

Hydrocarbon resources expected on the basis of the assumption that the area north of the
basin would be gas from the latitude of Djebel Foua and Djebel Darmoun, are estimated at:
The average probability of success is in the order of 22%.

The key uncertainties are related with:

 the extension and characteristics of reservoirs
 the nature of the fluids (oil or gas) linked to the complex evolution of this area,

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank Mrs. Adjas Arab and Khene Bilal geologists in the department of Atlas and
southeast of Constantine for their contributions to the discussions and work in order to
identify the main factors controlling the distribution of fluids in reservoirs and assess the risk
associated with geological petroleum systems of Cretaceous plays.

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