CONTRIBUTION TO THE STRUCTURAL STUDY AND PETROLEUM INTEREST OF THE NORTHERN PART OF THE TANGANYIKA BASIN OF THE WESTERN BRANCH OF THE EAST AFRICAN RIFT OF D.R. CONGO

Discoveries are succeeding each other as oil was perceived, a long time ago, as a rather rare resource in sub-Saharan Africa. Paradoxically, it is found everywhere, from Angola to Guinea-Bissau, then along the entire western coast, notably in Ghana, Ivory Coast, and other countries. In addition, for East Africa, interest is not only focused on offshore oil from the Indian Ocean (Mozambique, Tanzania), but also within the continent in the geological structures formed by the East African rifts. In our work, we consider the Tanganyika basin in the East African rifts. Indeed, in certain parts of the Tanganyika basin, oil seepages are visible, with a significant proportion on the side of the D.R.C. (Cap Kalamba), indicating the maturation of the source rock in this area. Thus, the Tanganyika basin has been the subject of hydrocarbon research by several companies, universities, and organizations. However, a problem arises; in 1987, former oil company AMOCO conducted a drilling campaign in the Ruzizi plain during which two wells were drilled, Buringa-1 and Ruzizi-1. Neither of these wells produced oil, and subsequently, AMOCO abandoned all its concessions in the rift region in 1989.
This work consists of contributing to the reinterpretation of seismic data conducted by Duke University in 1983-1984 as part of the project PROBE (Proto-Rifts and Oceanic Basin Evolution) in the northern part of the Tanganyika basin, with a view to clarifying its structural model and its oil potential. Indeed, with the advancement of technology, the reinterpretation of these old data can prove important in that we may be able to highlight certain previously unnoticed information due to the limitations of interpretation tools.