WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE NOGAL SEDIMENTARY BASIN
Fig 1. Simplified geological and structural map of northern Somalia, adapted from Abbate et al. (1993b) and Ali & Watts (2015). The Nogal Basin in northern Somalia (Fig. 1) is one of the least explored onshore sedimentary basins in East Africa, yet available technical evidence indicates a complete and working petroleum system with significant undiscovered oil potential. A key reference for understanding this potential is an independent technical assessment completed in 2007 by Sproule International Limited, a Canadian petroleum consulting firm, using internationally recognized evaluation standards. The basin is interpreted as part of a failed rift system related to the opening of the Gulf of Aden, as illustrated schematically in the conceptual model shown in Fig. 2 . Prior to tectonic separation approximately 18 million years ago , northern Somalia and Yemen formed a continuous geological province, which explains the strong analogies between the Nogal Basin and productive Jurass...