Controls on Hydrocarbon Generation from Eocene Source Rocks in the Ash Shulaydimah Trough, NE Libya

Abstract

In north-eastern Libya, the Eocene succession within the Ash Shulaydimah Trough is not well understood with respect to its potential as a source rock for petroleum, despite the presence of organic-rich shale layers. The geological and geochemical characteristics of the source rocks of the Eocene period in the Ash Shulaydimah trough have been studied, with particular attention to the Lower shale and the Eocene Antelat formation. The assessment is conducted by re-evaluating existing pyrolysis and total organic carbon (TOC) Rock-Eval data from numerous exploration wells. The data is combined with information from burial history analysis, stable isotope data, observations of the rock's texture, information about the environment in which the rocks were formed and a stratigraphic analysis.