Uncover Obscured Structures: Gravity Gradiometry-Led Modelling in Tanzania’s Eyasi Wembere Basin

Eyasi Wembere Block is located in the north eastern part of Tanzania along the eastern branch of the great East African Rift System. The Block covers approximately 5,798 km2.

Exploration of natural resources beneath volcanoclastic sediments is one of the biggest challenges along the East African rift basins. Volcanoclastic sediments include their complex depositional processes, the difficulty in distinguishing primary vs. secondary deposits and complicate their study and interpretation for correlating geological events. For this study we were able to reduce uncertainty in an area where traditional seismic methods fall short.

The Eyasi Wembere Basin in northeastern Tanzania lies within the tectonically active East African Rift system. Its surface geology, dominated by volcaniclastic deposits, poses a challenge for seismic imaging. These layers obscure wave propagation, making it difficult to resolve deeper structures and assess hydrocarbon potential.

The Study aimed at identifying potential structures and understanding distribution of sediment beneath a thick cover of volcanoclastic deposits. The study identified structural features of interest beneath volcanoclastic cover and Sediment packages in this rift basin confirmed to be around 5km. The basin confirmed to be full grabben with sub vertical bounding faults and has an approximate thickness of 5km confirmed by integrated geophysical data.