Aerial survey confirms exploration leads in Chad

ERHC Energy Chad, a subsidiary of ERHC Energy Inc., announced that preliminary findings from an airborne gravity/magnetic survey of BDS 2008 in Southern Chad confirm the viability of leads in two focus areas identified by ERHC's technical team after careful analysis of previously collected data.

ERHC's sub-contractor, Bridgeporth Ltd., a specialist geosciences company, has completed the survey that began earlier in October.

The aerial survey, flown over 4720 line km, evaluated the hydrocarbon potential within ERHC's Block BDS 2008 in the area north of Esso's Tega and Maku discoveries in the Doseo basin and a second area situated east of and on trend with OPIC's Benoy-1 margin discovery in the Doba basin.

Bridgeporth used a three-sensor aircraft equipped with a GT-2A airborne gravity system for gravity recording and a G-822 Mobile Cesium Magnetometer for aeromagnetic recording. The aircraft was flown at an altitude of 150 m.

"Bridgeporth conducted a precise data acquisition, and the first-order leveled raw free-air gravity and magnetic anomaly maps strongly confirm the viability of the leads. The findings are very impressive. While final processing and interpretation is currently going on, our team is already discussing proposals for the requisite follow-on seismic survey," said ERHC's Senior Geoscientist Michael Shafie.

ERHC is pursuing a rift margin play in BDS 2008 similar to exploration strategies that led to recent major discoveries in East Africa. ERHC's focus areas in the Block are located on a rift margin along the Central African Shear Zone. Regional stratigraphic mapping indicates the presence of alluvial fan deltas and lacustrine deltas in ERHC's areas of interest, which provide both reservoir and seal rocks.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/exploration/29102014/airborne-survey-confirms-hydrocarbons-in-chad-279/