Magnetic Exploration of the Upper and Lower Benue Trough for Metallic Deposits and Hydrocarbons using 2D/3D

Abstract

Digital Aeromagnetic data for Lower Benue Trough (Afikpo and Nkalagu) have been analyzed to locate specific basement targets for investigation using seismic methods in deep hydrocarbon exploration. This is motivated by the call of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to re-investigate all the basins in the country for hydrocarbon accumulation. In the Lower Benue Trough depths of the intrusive range from 3.2km to 3.9km while depths of deep structures range from 8.7km to 19.2km. The susceptibilities of the intrusive suggest that they are composed of granite, basalt, dolerite and rhyolite. Depths of deep structures in the Lower Benue Trough show thick sedimentary deposits that have potential for hydrocarbon exploration.

Keywords: Cretaceous age, megastructure, forward and inverse modeling, geometrical shapes