Taoudeni Basin
{{Short description|Basin in western Africa}}
The Taoudeni Basin is a major Sedimentary basin in West Africa, named after the Taoudenni village in northern Mali. It covers large parts of the West African craton in Mauritania and Mali. It is of considerable interest due to its possible reserves of oil.{{cite web|url=http://actamont.tuke.sk/pdf/1999/n4/6k.pdf|title=Gold in Mali|author=Imrich Kusnir|publisher=Acta Montanistica Slovaca|accessdate=2009-03-14|year=1999}} In addition to its economic importance, the basin contains scientifically important fossils from the Late Mesoproterozoic and Early Neoproterozoic eras, which correspond to a time interval known as the Boring Billion.{{cite journal |last1=Beghin |first1=Jérémie |last2=Guilbaud |first2=Romain |last3=Poulton |first3=Simon W. |last4=Gueneli |first4=Nur |last5=Brocks |first5=Jochen J. |last6=Storme |first6=Jean-Yves |last7=Blanpied |first7=Christian |last8=Javaux |first8=Emmanuelle J. |date=September 2017 |title=A palaeoecological model for the late Mesoproterozoic – early Neoproterozoic Atar/El Mreïti Group, Taoudeni Basin, Mauritania, northwestern Africa |journal=Precambrian Research |volume=299 |pages=1–14 |doi=10.1016/j.precamres.2017.07.016 |doi-access=free |hdl=1885/139360 |hdl-access=free }}
Description
The Taoudeni is the largest sedimentary basin in Northwest Africa, formed during the Middle to Late Proterozoic. It continued to subside until the Middle Paleozoic, when Hercynian deformation and uplift occurred. It contains up to {{convert|6000|m|ft}} of Late Precambrian and Paleozoic sediments. Exploratory drilling since the 1980s has found indications of petroleum in the Late Precambrian, Silurian and Late Devonian formations.{{cite web|url=http://www.cprm.gov.br/33IGC/1203319.html|title=Petroleum assessment of the intracratonic Taoudeni basin, Mali|author=Ibrahim Amadou|publisher=CPRM|accessdate=2009-03-14}}
Sediments are thicker in the western half of the basin.{{Cite book | last = Wright | first = J.B. | year = 1985 | title = Geology and mineral resources of West Africa | isbn = 0-04-556001-3 | publisher = Allen & Unwin | location = London}}
Petroleum geology
File:Taoudeni Basin Section.gif
The government of Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, is eager to create an oil industry.{{cite web|url=http://www.africacncl.org/events/downloads/mr.%20max%20de%20vietri,%20baraka%20petroleum.pdf|title=Mali – A Developing Oil and Gas IndustryA Industry|publisher=The Corporate Council on Africa|date=2006-12-01|accessdate=2009-03-14}} Companies that have been exploring in the area include Baraka Petroleum, Sonatrach, Eni, Total S.A., Woodside and CNPC.{{cite web|url=http://energy.ihs.com/NR/rdonlyres/1CD17E04-0687-4853-A22B-190CC53BDFE3/0/NAPE0807_nogravmag.pdf|title=Taoudeni Basin, Onshore: Mali & Mauritania|publisher=IHS|accessdate=2009-03-14|date=August 2007}}
However, the remote location and harsh environment of the Sahara Desert would make extraction expensive.{{cite web|url=http://www.barakapetroleum.com/mauritania/taoudeni-basin/ |title=Taoudeni Basin Overview |publisher=Baraka Petroleum |accessdate=2009-03-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224221844/http://www.barakapetroleum.com/mauritania/taoudeni-basin/ |archivedate=February 24, 2009 }} Baraka Petroleum is bankrupt and the website does not exist any more. The exploration assets are now (2012) in the hands of Eni Group, Woodsite and Sonatrach.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web|url=http://www.earthbyte.org/Resources/ICONS/AFR/TaoudeniBasin/AFR.TaoudeniBasin.html|title=ICONS atlas: AFR - Taoudeni Basin|publisher=earthbyte.org|accessdate=2009-03-14}}
{{coord missing|Mali}}
{{Major African geological formations}}
Category:Sedimentary basins of Africa
Category:Geology of Mauritania