B21 THE HYDROCARBON SOURCE POTENTIAL OF THE PALAEOZOIC ROCK OF THE GHADAMES BASIN NW LIBYA Lower Silurian and Upper Devonian organic-rich “hot-shales” are the source of almost all Palaeozoic oils in North Africa and the Middle East. They are also developed in the Ghadames Basin and better understanding of their organic facies character and maturity is considered crucial for the future oil exploration strategy. To date the geochemical and 1 palynological data relating to hydrocarbon source potential are rather few and scattered just a limited number of publications and internal reports. The geochemical data (TOC pyrolysis and transmitted light microscopy