Cretaceous play potential
Recent discoveries confirm that the Cretaceous petroleum systems of the Equatorial Margins of West Africa and South America host multiple viable plays and these areas are experiencing a renewed exploration interest.
Making use of the Neftex® software solution from Halliburton, this article reviews the Cretaceous evolution of the margin and evaluates hydrocarbon prospectivity using a conjugate, segment by segment framework, demonstrating that although petroleum plays are regionally extensive, prospectivity is highly segmented and strongly controlled by inherited structure, sediment routing, hinterland quality, and source rock maturity.
Source to sink analysis highlights the critical influence of Late Cretaceous uplift, drainage reorganization, and hinterland composition on reservoir quality and distribution. Integrating paleogeography, depositional environment mapping, and maturity screening provides an effective framework for de-risking frontier plays along this segmented margin. Although many of the play elements are regionally widespread, exploration success is governed by a holistic understanding along with local geological factors.
