The Tano Basin is a wrench modified Cretaceous pull-apart basin residing between the St. Paul and Romanche transform faults formed as a result of trans-tensional movement during the separation and of Africa and South America and the opening of the Atlantic Ocean in Albian time.
Large turbidite fan/channel complexes are thought to result from the contribution and deposition of significant clastics into the deep basin. The Tano basin has a thick Upper Cretaceous drift section dominated by channel systems, basin floor fans and stratigraphic traps, with the rift section comprising shallow marine to continental deposits. The Cretaceous play consist of the Cenomanian-Turonian and Albian shales as source rocks. The reservoirs are Turonian slope fan turbidite sands and Albian sandstones in tilted fault block reservoirs.
Trapping in the Tano Basin is both structural and stratigraphic. Jubilee field located west of the AOI has been proven to have a combination of both structural and stratigraphic traps. The Albian play has mainly structural traps such as fault blocks, anticlines and domes being the dominant traps. The Cenomanian which has both structural and stratigraphic traps has pinchouts, channels and draping structures as traps. The Turonian play is characterized by similar traps as the Cenomanian. Santonian shales, Maastrichtian mudstones and other intraformational mudstones serve as potential lateral top and bottom seals.
Exploration activities in the Tano basin have been consistent and rigorous in the past 10 years since the discovery of the Jubilee field. The basin has a prolific deepwater area that hosts numerous oil, gas and condensate discoveries. The Sankofa-Gye Nyame oil and gas field and the Jubilee Oil field both lie northwest of the block whereas the Paradise, Pecan and Almond oil and condensate discoveries are found to the west of the block. The Dzata oil and condensate discoveries were made within the block of interest.
