Irish Geological Association Lecture with Dr Kara English (UCD)

​Dr Kara English (UCD) will give a talk on Evolution and Resources of the Sedimentary Basins of
Central Algeria.

ABSTRACT

The evolution of the sedimentary basins in Algeria began with the
amalgamation of the Gondwana supercontinent. By the Upper Cambrian, the
northern margin of Gondwana was open to the Proto-Tethys, leading to the
deposition of a vast clastic-dominated sequence from the Cambro-Ordovician
onwards. The Saharan Platform became segmented into N–S-trending basins due to
the Hercynian Orogeny, followed by the development of an extensive Triassic
salt-basin. Large-scale uplift (1–3 km) in the central platform during the
Eocene further changed the shapes of the northwestern African basins. Late
Eocene exhumation had a major impact on the region’s hydrogeological regime and
petroleum systems. Algeria remains an important and fascinating region in terms
of resources, including Saharan aquifers, petroleum, and carbon storage.