Northern Africa 1996

Northern Africa 1996

observed near Ad Duwaisa. Thus our analogous field examples of growth faults represent good indicators for exploration purposes and drilling. i.e. It is suggested here that the thicker

Field studies in the Gargaf arch, Libya

A ten hour drive on the 10th December 1996, from Tripoli to Idri, brought us to the Gargaf arch of west central Libya along the northern margin of the Murzuk Basin. Our base was a villa in Al Mansura, about 20 minutes drive from Idri. The first day in the Saharan field was the 11th December when we set off across sandy rubble-clad country in a Land Cruiser to examine Cambro-Ordovician strata in the Ad Duwaisa area at 1246'E, 2743'N. Two hours later after many bone-jarring moments we reached the outcrop to discover coarse quartz sandstones weathered dark brown and black in colour. The sequence is well bedded and reveals open anticlines adjacent to north-south trending moderately dipping syn-sedimentary extensional faults which downthrow to the west and east. Sandstone beds are about 5m thicker in the hangingwalls than in the footwalls. Higher in the sequence the faults and folds are truncated by an unconformity below planar bedded sandstones which are laterally continuous for at least 50m. The whole structure, including the planar beds, plunge and dip westwards along the regional east-west axis of the Gargaf arch. Observation stopped for morning tea and mint with the Libyan drivers and a quick snack of barley flour, sugar and camp fire heated goat's fat. Or was it sheep's blubber? An hour of lazing under the clear blue skies on cool fine sand watching the drivers play a game on a grid drawn in the ground and with two sets of stones for pieces, was enough inspiration for me to walk to the top of a neighbouring hill, across the wide wadi, to observe and speculate on the origin of the Gargaf growth faults.

hangingwall sequences of the seismically imaged structures in the Murzuk basin may contain more and thicker sandstone beds. These in turn may represent better petroleum reservoirs than the footwall sequences.

The 12th December was used to examine the type section of the Tarout Formation in the wadi 5km southwest of Tarout (Wadi Toucan). The formation consists of upward coarsening siliciclastic sequences with well formed Skolithos burrows. The amount of sandstone increases up sequence ending with an oolitic ironstone and uppermost conglomerate. Close to the base of the sequence decimetre scale slip planes display striations which were measured for stress analysis.

On the 13th December, a typical silicified zone was examined in Biral Qasar strata. It was found to be east-west trending and to contain a metre wide zone of veined and occasionally brecciated sandstone.

The journey back to Tripoli started on the 14th December, 7.00am. We arrived at the staff house none the worse for wear at 4.00pm wondering whether, as if in empires of the past, the sun ever sets over the Gargaf arch!

Observation of seismic data from the Murzuk basin indicates that vertically persistent subvertical faults displace Cambro-Ordovician to Mesozoic strata. At Cambro-Ordovician levels thicker hangingwall sequences often occur and may represent similar sequences to those

M. Miliorizos. This account was composed on the 26th March 1997.