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Davie Ridge: Cretaceous Incipient Subduction Zone in the Mozambique Channel
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 81st EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2019, Jun 2019, Volume 2019, p.1 - 5
Abstract
The main objective of this study is to understand the origin of crustal features and geodynamic of the David Ridge and Angoche Basin in the Mozambique Channel as it is a crucial step in plate reconstruction as well as enabling an assessment of petroleum potential. This study is based on interpretation of 2D seismic and potential field data integrating with oil slick dataset.
The Davie Ridge is characterized by a zone of N-S trending Bouguer gravity low and high anomaly, and composed of more than one ridge on seismic data. The ridge comprises a compressed Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary unit interpreted to be an accretionary wedge, and some volcanic intrusion interpreted to be an incipient volcanic arc. Based on our findings, the Davie Ridge is an ocean-continent convergent plate boundary, representing an incipient subduction zone where the Angoche's oceanic crust converges with the Madagascar continental microplate from possibly Early Cretaceous to Turonian.
Numerous sea surface oil slicks and DHIs found within the study area point to a presence of source rock and new prospective oil province in the Angoche Basin and DSZ, along with play prospects within the subduction zone concept which remain to be proven in the study area.