Source rock evaluation of Afowo clay type from the Eastern Dahomey Basin, Nigeria: insights from different measurements

The Cretaceous Afowo Formation in the Eastern Dohamey Basin is characterized by an admixture of lithofacies ranging from sandstones, claystones, shales, clays, sand/shale, and sand/clay intercalations. The sandy facies, a mix of sandstone, clay, shale, and intercalations, contain biodegraded hydrocarbons while the shales and claystones that underlie it are rich in organic matter. The hydrocarbon-bearing interval is commonly referred to as the oil sand or tar sand. In this study, Afowo clay type underlying an outcrop of the oil sand was appraised for its hydrocarbon potential with loss on ignition, thermogravimetry, and rock evaluation pyrolysis. Results obtained from loss on ignition showed that total organic matter content, a proxy to total organic carbon, for the Afowo clay type ranged from 9.410 to 38.750 wt%. The organic maturation temperature (Tmax) was determined using both thermogravimetry and rock evaluation pyrolysis (Rock–Eval). Thermogravimetric analysis produced reliable Tmax within the range of 417–424 °C for all the samples. The results from rock evaluation pyrolysis on the same samples showed that total organic carbon ranged from 0.81 to 18.46 wt% with Tmax ranging from 417 to 424 °C. It was not possible to determine Tmax for one of the samples with Rock–Eval due to a small S2 value (0.22 mg Hc/g). The variations in organic matter contents from loss on ignition agree with total organic carbon computed from rock evaluation pyrolysis; samples with high organic matter contents have corresponding high TOC values. This study demonstrates that loss on ignition and thermogravimetry could complement and augment rock evaluation pyrolysis data for petroleum source rock characterization.