Mudstone Samples Research Articles

Geochemical characterization of Neogene sediments from onshore West Baram Delta Province, Sarawak: paleoenvironment, source input and thermal maturity

AbstractThe Neogene strata of the onshore West Baram Province of NW Borneo contain organic rich rock formations particularly within the Sarawak basin. This basin is a proven prolific oil and gas province, thus has been a subject of great interest to characterise the nature of the organic source input and depositional environment conditions as well as thermal maturation. This study is performed on outcrop samples of Lambir, Miri and Tukau formations, which are of stratigraphic equivalence to the petroleum bearing cycles of the offshore West Baram delta province in Sarawak. The investigated mudstone samples are organic rich with a total organic carbon (TOC) content of more than 1.0 wt.%. The integration of elemental and molecular analyses indicates that there is no significant variation in the source input between these formations. The investigated biomarkers parameters achieved from acyclic isoprenoids, terpanes and steranes biomarkers of a saturated hydrocarbon biomarkers revealed that these sediments contain high contribution of land plants with minor marine organic matter input that was deposited and preserved under relatively oxic to suboxic conditions. This is further supported by low total sulphur (TS), high TOC/TN ratios, source and redox sensitive trace elements (V, Ni, Cr, Co and Mo) concentrations and their ratios, which suggest terrigenous source input deposited under oxic to suboxic conditions. Based on the analysed biomarker thermal maturity indicators, it may be deduced that the studied sediments are yet to enter the maturity stage for hydrocarbon generation, which is also supported by measured vitrinite reflectance values of 0.39-0.48% R

The prospectivity of a potential shale gas play: An example from the southern Pennine Basin (central England, UK)

During the Serpukhovian (late Mississippian) Stage, the Pennine Basin, now underlying much of northern England, consisted of a series of interlinked sub-basins that developed in response to the crustal extension north of the Hercynic orogenic zone. For the current study, mudstone samples of the Morridge Formation from two sub-basins located in the south-eastern part of the Pennine Basin were collected from the Carsington Dam Reconstruction C3 Borehole (Widmerpool Gulf sub-basin) and the Karenight 1 Borehole (Edale Gulf sub-basin). Detailed palynological analyses indicate that aside from the dominant (often 90% or more) heterogeneous amorphous organic matter (AOM), variable abundances of homogeneous AOM and phytoclasts are present. To complement the palynological dataset, a suite of geochemical and mineralogical techniques were applied to evaluate the prospectivity of these potentially important source rocks. Changes in the carbon isotope composition of the bulk organic fraction (δ13COM) suggest that the lower part (Biozone E2a) of Carsington DR C3 is markedly more influenced by terrigenous kerogen than the upper part of the core (Biozones E2a3–E2b1). The Karenight 1 core yielded more marine kerogen in the lower part (Marine Bands E1–E2b) than the upper part (Marine Band E2b). Present day Rock-Eval™ Total Organic Carbon (TOCpd) surpasses 2% in most samples from both cores, a proportion suggested by Jarvie (2012) that defines prospective shale gas reservoirs. However, when the pyrolysable component that reflects the generative kerogen fraction is considered, very few samples reach this threshold. The kerogen typing permits for the first time the calculation of an original hydrogen index (HIo) and original total organic carbon (TOCo) for Carboniferous mudstones of the Pennine Basin. The most prospective part of Carsington Dam Reconstruction C3 (marine bands E2b1–E2a3) has an average TOCo of 3.2% and an average HIo of 465 mg/g TOCo. The most prospective part of Karenight 1 (242.80–251.89 m) is characterized by an average TOCo of 9.3% and an average HIo of 504 mg/g TOCo. Lastly, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms that the siliceous to argillaceous mudstones contain a highly variable carbonate content. The palynological, geochemical and mineralogical proxies combined indicate that marine sediments were continuously being deposited throughout the sampled intervals and were punctuated by episodic turbiditic events. The terrestrial material, originating from the Wales-Brabant High to the south of the Pennine Basin, was principally deposited in the Widmerpool Gulf, with much less terrigenous organic matter reaching the Edale Gulf. As a consequence, the prospective intervals are relatively thin, decimetre-to meter-scale, and further high resolution characterization of these intervals is required to understand variability in prospectivitiy over these limited intervals.

High-level and long-term noise effect on soft rock building materials

In recent years, due to an increase in the number of tourists and music concerts in historical areas and a rise in the noise level caused by transport in these regions, an increase in noise-induced damage has been seen in historic structures. In the literature, few studies have examined the impact of sound sources on old buildings. In this study, two types of ignimbrite from the Cappadocia region, fossiliferous limestone used in historical Ottoman buildings, mudstone from the Kula Geopark area, and sandstone used in historic buildings in Erzurum were tested at different sound levels to determine the effect of noise on the rock samples. A new laboratory test setup was developed for noise-effect testing. The rock samples were placed in the sound-test cabinet and exposed to sound levels of 80–130 dB at 1–1200 min duration. Changes in the sonic velocity, porosity, water absorption by weight, and uniaxial compressive strengths of the samples were measured, as well as the deformation caused by the sound waves on the surface of the samples. At 80 dB, the surface of the mudstone samples began to disperse. Above 120 dB, small cracks occurred on the surfaces of all the samples.

The validity of generic trends on multiple scales in rock-physical and rock-mechanical properties of the Whitby Mudstone, United Kingdom

Finding generic trends in mechanical and physical rock properties will help to make predictions of the rock-mechanical behaviour of shales. Understanding the rock-mechanical behaviour of shales is important for the successful development of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs.This paper presents the effect of heterogeneities in mineralogy and petrophysical properties on the validity of generic trends on multiple scales in rock-mechanical and rock-physical properties of the Whitby Mudstone. Rock-mechanical laboratory experiments have been performed on Whitby Mudstone samples from multiple outcrops within five kilometres laterally in order to investigate the heterogeneity and possible trends on an outcrop scale. Unconfined compression tests and acoustic measurements have been conducted to obtain the rock-mechanical properties, including rock strength, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and velocity anisotropy. The rock-physical properties, including mineralogy, porosity, and matrix density, were measured using X-ray fluorescence and helium pycnometry. Various methodologies have been applied to the resultant data in order to derive different brittleness indices.Significant heterogeneity in rock-mechanical and rock-physical properties is present on an outcrop scale. There is no obvious correlation between mineral content and rock-mechanical properties on an outcrop scale in the Whitby Mudstone. Comparison with shales from different basins show, however, correlations between composition and elastic properties. The presence of significant heterogeneities on an outcrop scale and between shales from different basins make it difficult to find generic trends in rock-physical and rock-mechanical properties.

Geochemistry of Oligocene Huagang Formation clastic rocks, Xihu Sag, the East China Sea Shelf Basin: Provenance, source weathering, and tectonic setting

The East China Sea Shelf Basin (ECSSB) is an important tectonic unit of the western Pacific active continental margin. It is divided further into a series of sags and basement ridges. The Xihu Sag on the east margin of the ECSSB is an important hydrocarbon exploration area and contains significant petroleum resources. The Huagang Formation is the major reservoir in Xihu Sag, and its provenance has been the focus of debate at all times. The major and trace elements (including rare earth elements) compositions were analyzed for the Oligocene Huagang Formation sandstone and mudstone samples in the Xihu Sag. The provenance and tectonic setting of these clastic rocks are discussed. The Chemical Index of Alteration value and A–CN–K diagrams suggest low to moderate weathering in the source areas of the Huagang Formation. The mudstones have lower index of compositional variation values (<1), indicating that the mudstone samples are compositionally mature, whereas the index of compositional variation values for the sandstone samples (0.59 to 1.87) indicate that the sandstones are compositionally immature and mature. The major and trace element composition and ratios of the clastic rock samples indicate that mudstones are mainly from Late Mesozoic igneous rocks in SE China, which is dominated by the acidic volcanic rock. The provenance of sandstones is from two different directions, the Central Uplift Group of ECSSB and the Taiwan–Sinzi Fold Belt with more mafic volcanic rock. Based on the geochemical analysis of the clastic rock samples, the tectonic setting of Xihu Sag was Japanese‐type continental margin during the Huagang Formation deposition time (Oligocene).

Experimental Study of Imbibition Characteristics of Silica Sol in Coal-Measure Mudstone Matrix

Coal-measure mudstone is a typical dual-porosity media, and grouting in a matrix system is dominantly controlled by the imbibition effect for silica sol. This paper studies the imbibition effect using mudstone in the Huaibei mining area and silica sol as grouting material as an example. Groutability, driving force, and diffusion difficulty affecting the imbibition effect were tested by a mercury porosimeter, nanoparticle size analyzer, optical contact-angle measuring device, surface tension meter, and rotary viscosity meter. After finely grinding a mudstone sample, a pressureless imbibition process was conducted through nuclear magnetic resonance equipment for 216 h to study colloid spontaneous migration and phase characteristics. Results show that silica sol absorption rate follows a power function and that the spectrograms of T2 are distributed in a triple peak pattern, with a tendency to move to the right of vertex time. The paper lays a theoretical and experimental foundation for field grouting in the coal mine.

Biomarker Study of Depositional Paleoenvironments and Organic Matter Inputs for Permian Coalbearing Strata in the Huaibei Coalfield, East China

This study presents detailed information regarding the organic geochemical and biomarker characteristics of the Permian coal-bearing strata in the Huaibei coalfield. The type of organic matter, sources input, depositional paleoenvironments, and thermal maturity are revealed by the organic molecular signatures study. These are of great significance to understand the coalification process and the generation of the coalbed methane. The extractable organic matter (EOM) in coal and coaly mudstone samples are 1.14% and 0.11% on average, respectively (polar compounds > aromatic hydrocarbons > saturated hydrocarbons). The midchain n-alkane (n-C20–n-C24) is the dominant fraction for coal (42.33% on average) and coaly mudstone (44.91% on average). Compared to the continental coal-bearing basins, the Pr/Ph ratios (mostly <1.0) of both the coal and coaly mudstone in the Huaibei coalfield are lower. Ro (%), Ts/(Ts + Tm), 22S/(22S + 22R) C31 homohopane, 20S/(20S + 20R) C27 diasteranes, and the Rock-Eval pyrolysis resul...

温度・拘束圧・持続載荷期間に依存する堆積岩不連続面の変形・透水特性

It is of significant importance to safely isolate the radioactive wastes from the human environments. Entombment of the wastes in deep subsurface may be a plausible solution on this issue, and will be adopted in the countries where the nuclear power plants are in operation. Before burying them in the targeted rocks, the longterm evolution of the mechanical and the hydraulic properties of the targeted rocks should be predicted with a certain precision. To this end, in this study we examined the change of the apparent secant elastic modulus and the permeability of a single fracture in the Berea sandstone and the Horonobe mudstone samples under the relatively high temperature and confining pressure conditions. The apparent secant elastic modulus of the mudstone increased with the increase of the holding time and specifically, the values at 90 ºC were greater than those at 25 ºC, while that of the sandstone little increased with time. In contrast, the permeability of both the mudstone and sandstone samples monotonically decreased with time, and the rates of the permeability reduction were close among all the samples. The increase of the elastic modulus and the decrease of the permeability may be attributed to the chemomechanical processes such as pressure solution and the mechanisms explaining the changes should be clarified. Although the mechanisms are still ambiguous, the increase of the elastic modulus and the permeability reduction with time may improve the integrity of the targeted rocks.

Analysis and characterisation of petroleum source rocks in Queensland

A project to improve the understanding of petroleum source rocks across Queensland’s basins was proposed through the Industry Priorities Initiative. The study has identified new source rocks, improved characterisation of known source rocks, and examined their potential as unconventional reservoirs. Round 2 of the project sampled known source rock formations in the Adavale, Bowen, Cooper and Eromanga basins, all with proven petroleum potential. Forty-eight samples from these basins were screened through Rock-Eval and total organic carbon by LECO to determine candidates for further analysis. Pyrolysis gas chromatography was conducted on selected samples (n = 15) to understand the bulk chemical signatures of kerogens with fluids extracted to derive isotopic and biomarker signatures. Organic petrology (n = 11) examined kerogen components and reflectance. Immature samples were analysed for bulk kinetics (n = 10) to determine the stability of kerogens while some were sent for compositional kinetics (n = 7), to predict the gas to oil ratio (GOR) and saturation pressure. Some more mature samples were sent for late gas analysis (n = 6) to understand hydrocarbon generation at later stages of thermal maturation. The results indicate that the marls in the Bury Limestone may have promising potential, that the Permian coals are the principal source rocks in the Cooper and Bowen basins and that the coals and mudstones of the Birkhead Formation have potential to generate. High production index values were noted in the Bury Limestone, as well as coal and mudstone samples from the Cooper and Bowen basins, suggesting that some of these source rocks also have good retention capabilities.

Microstructural controls on the pressure-dependent permeability of Whitby mudstone

Abstract A combination of permeability and ultrasonic velocity measurements allied with image analysis is used to distinguish the primary microstructural controls on effective-pressure-dependent permeability. Permeabilities of cylindrical samples of Whitby mudstone were measured using the oscillating pore-pressure method at confining pressures ranging between 30 and 95 MPa, and at pore pressures ranging between 1 and 80 MPa. The permeability–effective pressure relationship is empirically described using a modified effective pressure law in terms of confining pressure, pore pressure and a Klinkenberg effect. Measured permeability ranges between 3×10 −21 and 2×10 −19 m 2 (3 and 200 nd), and decreases by approximately one order of magnitude across the applied effective pressure range. Permeability is shown to be less sensitive to changes in pore pressure than changes in confining pressure, yielding permeability effective pressure coefficients (χ) between 0.42 and 0.97. Based on a pore-conductivity model, which considers the measured changes in acoustic wave velocity and pore volume with pressure, the observed loss of permeability with increasing effective pressure is attributed dominantly to the progressive closure of bedding-parallel, crack-like pores associated with grain boundaries. Despite only constituting a fraction of the total porosity, these pores form an interconnected network that significantly enhances permeability at low effective pressures. Supplementary material: A CSV file containing all experimental conditions and a tabulation of results is available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3785741

Comparative analysis of rock porosity in a selected region in the Carpathians based on laboratory data and well logs

A comparative analysis of porosity is presented in the article. This was calculated from laboratory measurements and well logs for rocks from a selected region of the Carpathians. Analysis was performed for samples of sandstones, mudstones, shales and carbonates from four boreholes drilled in the Carpathian Foredeep region near Krakow, Poland. In laboratory measurements, porosity was assessed using two methods: helium pycnometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Porosity from well logging was calculated from sonic profiling (SPHI). Cross-plots were used, which allowed for the assessment of the degree of correlation between the laboratory and well log data. The results obtained were analysed paying special attention to the relationship with geological structure. Based on the lithological criterion, the correlations turned out to be strong. The repeatability of the results obtained in different wells was verified. The results of the measurements are significant in relation to estimating porosity from well logs using laboratory data.

Early Spathian (Late Olenekian, Early Triassic) Radiolaria from the Bac Thuy Formation, northeastern Vietnam

This article presents a rather well-preserved radiolarian fauna recovered from black siliceous mudstone occurring in the Ky Cung River section 02 (KC02) of the Bac Thuy Formation, Lang Son Province, northeastern Vietnam. The KC02 section has been regionally correlated on the basis of the first appearance of the diagnostic Spathian ammonoid Tirolites. The ammonoid assemblage associated with radiolarians indicates that the black mudstone sample is early Spathian in age (Late Olenekian). The radiolarian fauna is characterized by a very low diversity of entactinarians of the family Hindeosphaeridae and of to another unidentified family, and by the absence of nassellarians. Here we describe two new species of entactinarians, Parasepsagon primitivus nov. sp. and Eptingium? reticulatum nov. sp. The composition of the fauna suggests that the beginning of diversification of Mesozoic-type radiolarians occurred at the beginning of the Spathian on the eastern margin of the tropical Tethys.

Smaller benthic foraminifera Analysis of Kudat Formation, Kudat, Sabah: Preliminary Interpretation

Small benthic foraminifera have been fully extracted from the mudstone of Kudat Formation, Kudat, Sabah. The Kudat Formation comprise thick-bedded, quartzose to feldspathic, locally calcareous sandstone, an overall abundance of lignitic and carbonaceous layers, and the presence of red shales and detrital calcarenites. A total of 22 mudstone samples of Kudat Formation in difference localities have been collected for foraminifera analysis. All samples are processed according to standard micropaleontological method. Twenty-five species of small benthic foraminifera consisting of the agglutinated and hyaline group have identified. Almost all mudstone samples of Sikuati Member and Matunggong Member are consisting of deep-sea agglutinated foraminifera assemblage indicative of bathyal to abyssal. K21 sample of Tajau member and K9 sample of Sikuati Member consist of deep-sea agglutinated foraminifera together with reworked calcareous foraminifera. Foraminifera analysis shows that the Kudat Formation sediment was deposited in deep marine setting ranging from bathyal to neritic.

Experimental investigation and constitutive model for lime mudstone.

In order to investigate the mechanical properties of lime mudstone, conventional triaxial compression tests under different confining pressures (0, 5, 15 and 20 MPa) are performed on lime mudstone samples. The test results show that, from the overall perspective of variation law, the axial peak stress, axial peak strain and elastic modulus of lime mudstone tend to gradually increase with increasing confining pressure. In the range of tested confining pressure, the variations in axial peak stress and elastic modulus with confining pressure can be described with linear functions; while the variation in axial peak strain with confining pressure can be reflected with a power function. To describe the axial stress–strain behavior in failure process of lime mudstone, a new constitutive model is proposed, with the model characteristics analyzed and the parameter determination method put forward. Compared with Wang’ model, only one parameter n is added to the new model. The comparison of predicted curves from the model and test data indicates that the new model can preferably simulate the strain softening property of lime mudstone and the axial stress–strain response in rock failure process.

Stratigraphy of Reinga and Aotea basins, NW New Zealand: constraints from dredge samples on regional correlations and reservoir character

ABSTRACTSandstone, mudstone and limestone samples dredged in the Reinga and Aotea basins, NW New Zealand during voyage TAN1312 provide age and lithological constraints on the Cretaceous–Neogene succession. A total of 46 micropaleontology and 7 macropaleontology samples were examined along with 84 thin-sectioned petrographical samples. Some were examined by X-ray diffraction and porosity-permeability analyses. Late Cretaceous sandstones are dominated by feldspathic and lithofeldspathic compositions, with mixed granitic plutoniclastic and volcaniclastic provenance; a comparison with Pakawau Group of Taranaki Basin is appropriate. Late Cretaceous–Paleogene mudstones are widespread and display close petrographical and age similarities to the Whangai Formation facies of other parts of New Zealand and fine-grained carbonate facies of the Weber and Amuri formations of eastern North and South Islands, respectively. Cretaceous limestone and Paleogene sandstone were not recovered. Carbonates and mudstones dominate the Neogene succession of Reinga and Aotea basins; rare Neogene sandstones have feldspatholithic compositions and resemble Waitemata Group sandstones of the northern North Island. In terms of petroleum prospectivity, Cretaceous sandstones represent a potential reservoir facies but are lithic with low permeability.

Long-term Observation of Permeability in Sedimentary Rocks under High Temperature and Stress Conditions and Its Interpretation Mediated by Microstructural Investigations

In this study, a series of long-term, intermittent permeability experiments utilizing Berea sandstone and Horonobe mudstone samples, with and without a single artificial fracture, is conducted for more than 1000 days to examine the evolution of rock permeability under relatively high-temperature and confining pressure conditions. Effluent element concentrations are also measured throughout the experiments. Before and after flow-through experiments, rock samples are prepared for X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to examine the mineralogical changes between pre and postexperimental samples, and also for microfocus X-ray CT to evaluate the alteration of the microstructure. Although there are exceptions, the observed, qualitative evolution of permeability is found to be generally consistent in both the intact and the fractured rock samples—the permeability in the intact rock samples increases with time after experiencing no significant changes in permeability for the first several hundred days, while that in the fractured rock samples decreases with time. An evaluation of the Damkohler number and of the net dissolution, using the measured element concentrations, reveals that the increase in permeability can most likely be attributed to the relative dominance of the mineral dissolution in the pore spaces, while the decrease can most likely be attributed to the mineral dissolution/crushing at the propping asperities within the fracture. Taking supplemental observations by microfocus X-ray CT and using the intact sandstone samples, a slight increase in relatively large pore spaces is seen. This supports the increase in permeability observed in the flow-through experiments.

Experimental Study of High-Temperature Fracture Propagation in Anthracite and Destruction of Mudstone from Coalfield Using High-Resolution Microfocus X-ray Computed Tomography

The coalfield fire is determined by fractures of coal and rock that provide tunnel for gases and heat exchange. To study fracture propagation at high temperatures, high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used to scan anthracite and mudstone samples collected from the Qinshui coalfield, Shanxi Province, northern China. The samples were scanned at 100 °C intervals as they were subjected to temperatures of up to 500 °C. Three-dimensional images were reconstructed by the CT software to analyze changes in the fractures and pores in the samples. The experimental results show that fracturing of anthracite began at 200 °C. The generation rate of fractures in the coal samples increases slowly below 300 °C, but above 300 °C there is a sharp increase in fracture development. This indicates that the thermal fracturing temperature threshold for anthracite is 300 °C. During the experiment, it was found that preexisting fractures, voids, and regenerative fractures formed around the hard portions of anthracite particles or along the weak boundaries between particles. Some regenerative fractures developed along the fabric of the relatively crystalline particles within the particle and terminate at the edge of the particle or where the fracture encounters a harder portion of coal. Some fractures even expanded enough to be transformed into voids as temperatures rose. In the mudstone, the porosity changed suddenly at 300 °C. This indicated that there was a void generated at 200 °C, but the void expanded when the temperature was increased. However, changes in the void were not obvious from 200 to 300 °C.

Triassic to Early Jurassic climatic trends recorded in the Jameson Land Basin, East Greenland: clay mineralogy, petrography and heavy mineralogy

AbstractDuring the Early Triassic the Jameson Land Basin (Central East Greenland) was located around 30° N, in the Northern arid belt, but by the Early Jurassic was positioned at a latitude of approximately 50° N. This study examines the record of this transition through a largely continental succession using clay mineralogy, sedimentology, petrography and heavy mineralogy. The Jameson Land Basin is aligned north–south and is 280 km long and 80 km wide. Following an Early Triassic marine phase the basin was filled by predominantly continental sediments. The Early‐to‐Late Triassic succession comprises coarse alluvial clastics (Pingo Dal Formation) overlain by a succession of fine‐grained evaporite‐rich playa/lacustrine sediments (Gipsdalen Formation), indicative of arid climatic conditions. The overlying buff, dolomitic and then red lacustrine mudstones with subordinate sandstones (Fleming Fjord Formation) record reduced aridity. The uppermost Triassic grades into dark organic‐rich, and in places coaly, mudstones and buff coarse‐grained sandstones of lacustrine origin that belong to the Kap Stewart Group, which spans the Triassic–Jurassic boundary, and appear to record more humid climatic conditions. Clay mineralogy analyses highlight significant variations in the kaolinite/illite ratio, from both mudstone and sandstone samples, through the Triassic and into the earliest Jurassic. Complementary heavy mineral analyses demonstrate that the variations recognised in clay mineralogy and sandstone maturity through the Triassic–Early Jurassic succession are not a product of major provenance change or the effect of significant diagenetic alteration. The observed variations are consistent with sedimentological evidence for a long‐term trend towards more humid conditions through the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic, and the suggestion of a significant pluvial episode in the mid‐Carnian.

Hydrocarbon evolution during pyrolysis of source rocks of Yacheng coal formation from the Yanan depression in the South China Sea

ABSTRACTClosed-system pyrolysis experiments were conducted on coal and carbonaceous mudstone samples using gold tubes pressured to investigate the gas generation potential and evolution. The results indicate that the total gas potential of coal is 5 times that of carbonaceous mudstone, and the total oil concentration is 2.5 times that of carbonaceous mudstone. Methane continuously increased with increasing temperature of pyrolysis. The increase ratio of heavy hydrocarbon gas is the largest at low temperature. The gas evolution of both samples is controlled by activation energy. Coal can be divided into four stages, namely kerogen degradation, kerogen cracking, oil cracking, and C2 cracking stage. Carbonaceous mudstone can be divided into kerogen cracking and oil cracking. The temperature of turning point for coal is higher than carbonaceous mudstone.

Geology and potential hydrocarbon play system of Lower Karoo Group in the Maamba Coalfield Basin, southern Zambia

This study attempts to augment geology and potential hydrocarbon play system database not only in the Maamba Coalfield basin of southern Zambia but in other similar continental non-marine Karoo rift basins in the region as well. Geological analyses were conducted through extensive outcrops and exposures and subsurface boreholes. Six (6) major lithofacies (diamictites, conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones, coal and mudstones) represents Lower Karoo Group sequence. Four (4) mudstone core samples were prepared for thin section petrography. In addition, six (6) samples of sandstones obtained from outcrops, exposures and cores were impregnated with blue epoxy before thin sectioning in order to facilitate easy recognition of porosity. Quantification of framework grain composition and porosity was achieved by point counting a total of 300 points per thin section. The identification of diagenetic constituents and pore types was made possible by the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Rock-Eval pyrolysis analyses utilised 35 core samples of mudstones and coal.According to results of the analyses, three (3) deposition settings which include; alluvial, fluvial-lacustrine and lacustrine setting are envisaged. . Fluvial-lacustrine deposits are host to mudstones and coal source rocks and sandstone reservoir rocks. Mudstones and coal source rocks gave the total organic carbon (TOC) that is well above the recommended thresholds of 0.5 wt % and 2.5 wt % of gas and oil generation respectively. The hydrogen index (HI) values are mostly below 200 mg HC/g TOC, indicating fair quantities of type III kerogen. The thermal maturity readings measured by temperature Tmax range from 440 to 485 °C in agreement with calculated vitrinite reflectance (Rocalc) range of 0.76–1.57% indicating mature to post mature stages. This maturation is attributed to the burial temperatures and near-surface heat flows by faults. Production Index (PI) values are less than 0.1 suggesting some hydrocarbon expulsion possibly gases and gas condensates. Sandstones are moderate to poor sorted sublitharenites. Total porosity in sandstones range between 0 and 6.3%, averaging 2.5%, and is mainly secondary porosity resulting from dissolution of labile minerals and fracture. Deposition and diagenetic related controls influenced much of the reservoir quality in sandstones. Lacustrine mudstones are the potential seal rocks. The major Structural traps are faults (e.g. normal and reverse faults) and the stratigraphic traps are sandstones.In this study, our area of focus is in the north and central part of Maamba Coalfield Basin where coal mining and exploration activities are currently taking place. The southernmost part of the basin is under developed such that the hydrocarbon play system potential is still unknown. However, recent coal exploration drilling has revealed the presence of source rocks at depth overlain by extensive overburden seal rocks. Based on the play concept analysis, it is possible to find more encouraging results from this area.