The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
Latest information from samples taken from Muzarabani by Invictus Energy, an Australian Stock Exchange-listed firm, indicate that there is likelihood of significant gas and oil deposits that are comparable to some multi-billion barrel oil fields in Australia and East Africa.
Results from a geochemical analysis of 19 rock samples that were taken to GeoMark Research — a Texas, US-based geochemical laboratory providing petroleum fluid analyses to the petroleum industry — have confirmed the presence of rock formations capable of generating oil and gas.
The new data paves way for further prospective work, including the planned drilling of an exploratory well next year.
An environmental impact assessment, which is being carried out by the Environment Management Agency (EMA) around the prospective oil and gas fields, is currently underway.
Invictus Energy country manager Mr Brent Barber told The Sunday Mail that the company had exported the samples to GeoMark Research, which specialises in hydrocarbon analyses.
“They came back with some very encouraging results. A total of seven samples were submitted for detailed saturate/aromatic (SARA), biomarker and isotope evaluation.
“All of them were high-quality rocks, which will be capable of generating both gas and liquid hydrocarbons . . .
“It is very encouraging,” said Mr Barber.
“The values reported are well above the accepted threshold for rocks able to generate oil and gas.
“What this does is support the fact that in the Cabora Bassa Basin in Zimbabwe we have got rocks capable of generating and reservoiring petroleum.”
Reservoir petroleum refers to oil and gas stored in metamorphic reservoirs.
In a recent announcement, Invictus said rocks in the Mkanga and Angwa areas, which are covered by the company’s claims, have potential to generate gas and oil.
The company believes that the latest data is compatible to data areas in some African countries and Australia, where huge oil and gas deposits have been discovered.
“The source rock analysis also correlates with data from other African and West Australian Basins and suggests affinity with oil and gas-prone source rocks from Madagascar, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Seychelles, Uganda and Perth Basins where billions of barrels of oil in place and multiple TCF (trillion cubic feet) gas volumes have been discovered.”
Invictus managing director Mr Scott Macmillan said the information points to the possibility of good to excellent deposits in Muzarabani.
“The new RockEval geochemistry data has provided evidence that the source rock sequences present in the Cabora Bassa Basin possess good to excellent gas and liquid potential, comparable to ones in Africa and West Australia which host multi-billion barrel oil and multi-TCF gas discoveries.”
