The Gambia

Our Data

TGS holds a large quantity of modern subsurface data in the region, including 2D and 3D seismic offshore The Gambia, giving potential explorers a wealth of valuable information on this area's regional geology and potential prospectivity. Broadband reprocessed 3D data clearly defines the basin floor fan slope play (as seen in the FAN-1 discovery). Shelf margin plays can be seen both on the Albian sand shelf edge (SNE discoveries) and in Cenomanian sand buried hills (Belatrix-1 discovery). With data quality that allows geophysical de-risking of identified leads to the highest standard, prospects such as Eland and Oribi have been developed across Blocks A1/A4, estimating in-place resources in cumulation of 1,000 mmbbls and beyond.

TGS datasets are continuous across the wider region, allowing potential explorers to map the prospectivity of the area, including trends of and ties to SNE-2 – SNE-6, BEL-1, and VR-1, and the 'Sangomar development'.

Seismic example from The Gambia [Click to enlarge]

The Gambia's Geology

In recent years, this region has seen a rapid evolution in terms of prospectivity. The initial FAN-1 discovery was very quickly followed by the successful drilling of SNE-1. Each appraisal well made the recoverable reserves bigger and bigger! With the addition of various recent discoveries and the ‘Sangomar development’, contingent oil resource stands at 563 mmbbls.

Continuous sedimentation of Albian-Turonian shales occurred in this sub-basin, probably due to two major rivers; the Gambia and the Saloum. The Coniacian (Senonian) unconformity represents a period of marine regression which culminated in the deposition of thick reservoirs sands and turbiditic fans during the Maastrichtian. Gravity faults and rotational slumps are present in the Tertiary interval.

Yakaar-1 in northern Senegal, with estimates of approximately 15 tcf in stacked Lower Cenomanian sands, opened up a new exploration area outboard of the proven slope channel trend. The new trend stretches from Senegal and Mauritania in the north to the deep waters offshore The Gambia in the south.