The East African Rift System: Does It Have Oil and Gas Potential?

Authors

  • Bernard Kipsang Rop
  • Seroni Anyona
  • Michael Kinyua

Keywords:

rift system, sedimentary, hydrocarbon (oil and gas), tectonic setting, prospects

Abstract

The East African Rift System (EARS) is one of the most extensive rifts on the Earth’s surface, extending from Afar in Ethiopia, southward through Kenya, Tanzania up to Mozambique. The system is 4,000 miles (6,400 km) long and 30–40 miles (48–64km) wide. The EARS and its associated sedimentary basins, is one of the most active rifts in the world. Recent oil and gas discoveries in Kenya and Uganda have increased the impetus of prospecting within the extensive rift by international oil companies. Understanding the rift genesis and its evolutionary tectonic setting will help unearth the full hydrocarbon (oil and gas) potential of the EARS. This paper is premised on the rift formation history and its impact on oil and gas prospects.

Author Biographies

Bernard Kipsang Rop

Department of Mining, Materials and Petroleum Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)

Seroni Anyona

Department of Mining, Materials and Petroleum Engineering, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)

Michael Kinyua

Explorations and Production Department, National Oil Corporation of Kenya

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Published

04-04-2022