3 macgregor2015History of the development of the East African Rift System

Journal of African Earth Sciences 101 (2015) 232–252
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Journal of African Earth Sciences

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jafrearsci
History of the development of the East African Rift System: A series

of interpreted maps through time
Duncan Macgregor ⇑
MacGeology Ltd., 26 Gingells Farm Road, Charvil, Berkshire RG10 9DJ, UK
a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history: This review paper presents a series of time reconstruction maps of the ‘East African Rift System’ (‘EARS’),
Received 6 May 2014 illustrating the progressive development of fault trends, subsidence, volcanism and topography. These
Received in revised form 25 July 2014 maps build on previous basin specific interpretations and integrate released data from recent petroleum
Accepted 17 September 2014
drilling. N–S trending EARS rifting commenced in the petroliferous South Lokichar Basin of northern
Available online 2 October 2014
Kenya in the Late Eocene to Oligocene, though there seem to be few further deep rifts of this age other
than those immediately adjoining it. At various times during the Mid-Late Miocene, a series of small rifts
Keywords:
and depressions formed between Ethiopia and Malawi, heralding the main regional rift subsidence phase
East African Rift System
History
and further rift propagation in the Plio-Pleistocene. A wide variation is thus seen in the ages of initiation
Neogene of EARS basins, though the majority of fault activity, structural growth, subsidence, and associated uplift
Time reconstruction maps of East Africa seem to have occurred in the last 5–9 Ma, and particularly in the last 1–2 Ma. These percep-
tions are key to our understanding of the influence of the diverse tectonic histories on the petroleum
prospectivity of undrilled basins.
Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
2. Pre-EARS rifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
3. Construction of time reconstruction maps for EARS 1 and EARS 2 Rifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
4. EARS 1 Rifts (?Eo-Oligocene to Mid Miocene), Figs. 5–8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
5. EARS 2 Rifts (Mid-Late Miocene to Recent and ongoing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
5.1. Eastern Branch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
5.2. Western Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
5.2.1. Albertine Basin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
5.2.2. Lake Edward to Lake Tanganyika. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
5.2.3. Rukwa to Mozambique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
6. Offshore branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
7. Petroleum implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
8. Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
1. Introduction poorly understood. The objective of this review paper is therefore

to integrate the voluminous literature on the EARS with partially
The East African Rift System (‘EARS’) represents the world’s best released subsurface well data, in order to compile a series of maps
example of an active rift system, although its deep origins remain showing the progressive development of the system through time.
These maps will remain dynamic as more data is released on dril-
ling in the region and further studies are undertaken.
⇑ Tel.: +44 7884 266309. There is widespread confusion in the application of the term
E-mail address: [email protected] ‘East African Rift System’ (‘EARS’). Multiple ages of rifting in East
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2014.09.016
1464-343X/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
D. Macgregor / Journal of African Earth Sciences 101 (2015) 232–252 233
Africa are recognised (Fig. 1), including extensive systems of the Semliki extension of the Albertine Basin (see below), although
Permo-Triassic and Cretaceous age, in each case themselves con- determining whether this initiation is truly synchronous with the
sisting of several stacked rift phases (Kreuser, 1995). The term ‘East rifting shift in the Turkana Area needs better biostratigraphic con-
African Rift System’ (‘EARS’) tends to be applied only to rifts of trol than is available at present. This division is therefore useful for
Cenozoic age (e.g. Chorowitz, 2005), but even here there may be descriptive purposes, but is likely to be refined in the future as
confusion, as there are three overlapping subsets of Cenozoic rifts more precise dating becomes available. Offshore rifts active during
(Figs. 1 and 2), namely (a) those of Early Paleogene age, which usu- this timescale are also presented and discussed in this paper,
ally represent a continuation of rifting from the Late Cretaceous though these are of doubtful direct affinity to the onshore rift sys-
(e.g. Anza Graben, (Morley et al., 1999c)), (b) those of ?Eo-Oligo- tems and less easily follow the EARS 1/EARS 2 division. Essentially,
cene to Early Miocene age, and (c) the currently active set of rifts, therefore, this is a paper which assimilates our current state of
dating, according to this work, back to the Mid Miocene. This paper knowledge on Oligocene-Recent rift activity in East Africa. The
is confined to the study of the two youngest of these phases, i.e. names applied for each of the basins described are shown in Fig. 2.
those which are not continuations of the NW–SE Cretaceous rifts, Data and interpretations assimilate previous regional and
though it is realised that some of the EARS rifts may be reactiva- semi-regional evaluations of the EARS (e.g. Chorowitz, 2005;
tions of earlier rifts (e.g. Rukwa Basin, Fig. 2). The EARS rifts show Morley et al., 1999a), published outcrop-based studies, particu-
a general N–S trend, except over the long-lived Ubendian line of larly of volcanic dating and geometries related to faulting (e.g.
basement weakness through the Rukwa Basin (Klerkx et al., Wichura et al., 2011) and lakebed lithological studies (e.g.
1998), where they swing to follow NW–SE basement trends (Figs. 1 Tiercelin et al., 1992). Geophysical contributions include gravity
and 2, Delvaux, 2001). The limited number of rifts active from? Eo- modelling to identify deep rifts (e.g. Ebinger et al., 1989), pub-
Oligocene through to the Early-Mid Miocene boundary, of which lished subsurface seismic studies (e.g. Scholz/Project Probe,
the type example is the South Lokichar Basin (Morley et al., 1989) and new seismic mapping by the author of the PROBE
1999b), are referred to in this paper loosely as ‘EARS 1’ rifts, while seismic over Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi (including Sure-
the more extensive Late Neogene (Mid Miocene to Recent) rifts, stream Petroleum reprocessed data) and Lake Turkana. Public
typified by the Albertine Basin (Pickford and Senut, 1994), are domain seismic data and mapping by other authors have also
referred to as ‘EARS 2’ rifts. In most cases, in the onshore, these been incorporated from various sources over the Lake Albert,
two phases seem to be geographically distinct, as is illustrated on Rukwa, South Lokichar, Turkana, Omo, Chew Bahir, Anza and
Fig. 1, and the distinction has been historically emphasised in Kerio basins (as listed in Table 1).
northern Kenya, where Vetel (1995) and Morley et al. (1999b) doc- Available well information, with the fullest datasets from
ument a major shift eastwards through time in the location of rifts. pre-2005 wells, is shown in Table 1. There has been a recent
The Mid Miocene division between the two phases also seems to spate of drilling of Ugandan, Ethiopian and Kenyan EARS basins,
mark the onset of Neogene rifting in the Western Branch, within though only sparse data is available on post-2005 wells through
Table 1
Published well and seismic data, plus source of mapped faults, over the East African Rift System.
Well Basin Reference Key points

Kingfisher 1,2,3 Albertine Logan et al. (2009) Thick Plio-Pleist. Late Miocene over Basement. Tie
to seismic. Published biostrat
Turaco wells Albertine/Semliki Abeinomugisha and Kasande 1400 m thick Mid-Late (and ? Early) Miocene
(2012), Lukaye (2009) section
Ngassa 2 Albertine Sserubiri and Scholz (2012) Early Pliocene source rocks described at 3000–
3250 m close to Basement surface
Waki 1 Albertine Karp et al. (2012) Undated section with source rocks over Basement
Nyuni 1 Lake Edward Dominion (2011) Late Pliocene over Basement
Ruzizi 1 Ruzizi Morley and Wescott (1999) Undated section
Buringa 1 Ruzizi Morley and Wescott (1999) Undated section
Ivuna 1 Rukwa Morley et al. (1999d) Latest Miocene-Pliocene over top Oligocene
unconformity
Galela 1 Rukwa Morley et al. (1999d) As above
Syracuse Borehole A Lake Malawi Scholz et al. (2011), Lyons et al. TD at 390 m at date of 1.2 Ma
(2011)
Loperot 1 South Lokichar Talbot et al. (2004), Morley Early Miocene reservoirs and source rocks, Eo-Early
et al. (1999b) Olig close to mapped Basement
Eliye Springs 1 Turkana Morley et al. (1999b) Tie for thick Plio-Pleistocene and thinner ?Late Mio
section in Turkana rift
Ngamia 1 South Lokichar Africa Oil (2013) Early Miocene reservoirs and source rocks
Twiga 1 South Lokichar Africa Oil (2013) As above
Seismic programme Basin Reference Mapping of faults in this paper by
Project PROBE Lake Tanganyika Rosendhal (1988) Author
Project PROBE Lake Malawi Scholz/Project Probe (1989) Author
Project PROBE Lake Turkana Dunkelman et al. (1989) Author
Amoco Seismic Rukwa Basin Rukwa Morley et al. (1999d) Morley et al. (1999d)
Amoco Seismic South Lokichar, South Lokichar Morley et al. (1999b) Morley et al. (1999b)
Kerio and Turkana Basins
Early Academic Seismic Lines Albertine Karp et al. (2012) Karp et al. (2012), Abeinomugisha and Kasande
(2012)
Recent Commercial Seismic Lines South Omo, Chew Bahir, Ethiopia: Africa Oil (2013) Africa Oil (2013)
Turkana and South Kerio, Kenya
234 D. Macgregor / Journal of African Earth Sciences 101 (2015) 232–252
Fig. 1. Assignment of rifts in East Africa to Permo-Triassic (‘Karoo’), Cretaceous-Palaeogene, Eo-Oligocene to Mid Miocene (EARS 1) and Mid-Late Miocene to Recent (EARS 2)
phases. Latest rift phase forms basis of classification. Rifts active in both EARS 1 and EARS 2 phases are located in the offshore, in northern Kenya/southern Ethiopia and in the
Rukwa Basin of Tanzania and are shown here in the EARS 1 phase. R = Neogene reactivation of a pre-EARS rift, Cretaceous/Palaeogene in the case of the Anza rift, Karoo in the
case of rifts along the Ubendian trend from Tanganyika to Malawi. For the colour version of this and other figures, see the electronic version of this paper.
conference and investors presentations. However, the maps and or Permo-Trias phase. The NE–SW trending Ruhuhu rift of Tanzania
chronostratigraphic charts in this paper are consistent, to (Figs. 2 and 3) has been subdivided into three main rift phases in
the author’s knowledge, with all wells drilled as of January the Early Permian, Mid Permian and around the Permo-Triassic
2014. boundary (Kreuser, 1995). The younger Karoo rift phases seem to
be less well represented within the NE–SW trending rifts of this
age, such as those exploited by the Western Branch of the EARS.
2. Pre-EARS rifts The ‘Karoo’ rifts are again reactivated in eastern and coastal areas
by Early Jurassic rifts, some of which evolved into the successful
An interpretation of the respective ages of the various Phanero- rifts of the Indian Ocean.
zoic rifts across East Africa is shown in Fig. 1, based on interpreta- In the earliest Early Cretaceous, a series of rifts developed
tions in the literature, mainly the ages of their thickest across Central Africa, related to plate re-organisations in the
stratigraphic fills. While there is some evidence for Neoproterozoic Atlantic ocean, generally referred to as the ‘Central Africa Rift Sys-
rifting along the Ubendian trend of Tanzania (Klerkx et al., 1998), tem’ or ‘CARS’ (Genik, 1992). NW–SE trending members of this
the oldest regionally extensive rift phase is the so-called ‘Karoo’ population of rifts, including the Anza Basin and Sudan rifts,
Fig. 2. Key basin names applied in this paper. The lines of chronostratigraphy shown as Figs. 3 and 4 are located here.
experienced multiple rift phases extending into renewed Late 3. Construction of time reconstruction maps for EARS 1 and
Cretaceous and Eocene–Oligocene phases, with intervening inver- EARS 2 Rifts
sions in the case of the Anza Basin (Bosworth, 1992; Bosworth
and Morley, 1994; Morley et al., 1999c), where activity is gener- The key product of this paper is a series of sequential maps
ally younger than in the Sudanese rifts. Apatite Fission Track illustrating a developing understanding of the progressive develop-
Analysis from surrounding basement outcrop (Foster and ment of the EARS (Figs. 5–12). The maps show rift faults evidenced
Gleadow, 1996) and vitrinite reflectance data on the Elgal wells to have be active during the intervals labelled, an illustration of rel-
(Bosworth and Morley, 1994) evidence that the Anza Rift shoul- ative palaeo-topography (unquantified) and active volcanism. The
ders experienced severe erosion in the Late Cretaceous-Palaeo- periods covered by the maps span approx. ±10% of the ages con-
gene. Such erosional events are not seen in the basin or cerned to allow for uncertainties in the dating and to enable the
surrounding area, suggesting that the shoulders were topograph- illustration of the full series of events. Fault locations and timings
ically high, similar to modern EARS rift shoulders. Many EARS shown are taken from the author’s mapping of the PROBE seismic
rifts of the Western Branch exploit these earlier rifts (such cases in the various lakes and from the mapping of other authors on seis-
are labelled on Fig. 1 and are illustrated on Fig. 3), particularly mic data, listed in Table 1. Further interpretations of fault locations
along lines of basement weakness, though this seems rarely to and timing are taken from: Africa Oil, 2013; Bonini et al., 2005⁄;
be the case for the Eastern Branch (Fig. 4). Chorowitz, 2005; Cohen et al., 1993; Dawson, 2008; Delvaux,
Fig. 3. Chronostratigraphy of the Western Branch of the East African Rift System. Scale amended to accommodate the Cretaceous and Permian rift phases on which many of
the EARS 2 rifts are reactivated. Only the Rukwa Basin shows evidence for (mild) EARS 1 rifting. The Albertine Basin is the best controlled of the EARS 2 rifts, with parts of Lake
Tanganyika being conceivable time analogues: other basins, particularly to the south, seem to be slightly younger, as indicated by biostratigraphic data discussed in the text
on wells in the Rukwa Basin and in exhumed outcrop adjacent to Lake Malawi. See Fig. 2 for line of section. References are listed in the text. Line of section in Fig. 2. Wells :
K = Kingfisher, T = Turaco, Ni = Nyuni, R = Ruzizi, I = Ivuna, Sa = Syracuse A.
2001; Ebinger, 1989; Ebinger et al., 2000; Foster et al., 1997; Le a. Biostratigraphic or volcanic dating within well penetrations
Fournier et al., 1985; Lezzar et al., 1996⁄; Morley, 1999⁄; Morley in the rifts concerned, tied wherever possible to seismic.
et al., 1992; Pickford and Senut, 1994; Ring and Betzler, 1995; b. Biostratigraphic or volcanic dating of exhumed outcrop sec-
Saemundsson, 2010⁄; Vetel, 1995⁄; Woldegabriel et al., 1990. tions of rifts, usually on uplifted flexural margins.
Those asterisked above contain time reconstruction maps for c. Dating of volcanics in outcrops, combined with analyses of
restricted regions of the EARS that are integrated into this paper. their thickness patterns relative to rift-bounding faults.
Baker, 1986; Ebinger et al., 1989, 1993; Kampunzu et al., 1998; d. Dating of volcanics that are believed to have compositions
McDougall and Brown, 2009, are the main sources for the age of (e.g. rhyolites) that correlate to periods of likely extension.
volcanism. e. Extrapolation of measured modern sedimentation rates to a
The interpretation of the timing of rifting in this analysis uses a mapped basement horizon.
number of techniques, which can be listed in approximate order of f. Jump correlations of intervals of similar seismic character
confidence below: between basins.
Fig. 4. Chronostratigraphy of the Eastern Branch of the East African Rift System. Timescale limited to EARS 1 and EARS 2 rifts as older sedimentary sections (e.g. Turkana
Grits) are of limited development and affinity. Note distinction between EARS 1 rifts initiated in Oligocene with peak rifting in Early Miocene and EARS 2 rifts initiated as
depressions with minor rifting at various times in Mid-Late Miocene with peak rifting in Pliocene-Present Day. References are listed in the text. Line of section in Fig. 2. Wells :
ES = Eliye Springs, L = Loperot, N = Ngamia.
g. Labelled seismic correlations within investors presentations applies to the Rukwa-Malawi trend of the Western Branch where
that cannot be fully audited by the author. there is one well fully penetrating the rift section tied to seismic
(technique a.) and outcrop control in Malawi of an exhumed rift
In the context of the above and the wide variations in databases, section (technique b.). Based on a lack of published well data at this
confidence in the interpretation of the precise timing of rifting stage, confidence is also low in the precise nature of timing of rif-
events clearly varies regionally. Confidence is high over the portion ting offshore, with the interpretation shown inferred from a num-
of the Eastern Branch in Kenya and Tanzania, where techniques a. ber of conference papers and diverse seismic images within
and c. can be employed, but is diminished somewhat over Ethiopia, investors presentations (technique f.).
where there are some conflicting interpretations from technique c. The interpretation of palaeotopography is based on an extrapo-
and little published drilling control. In the Western Branch, confi- lation of current topography backwards in time. This extrapolation
dence is high in the analysis of the well-drilled Albertine Basin essentially assumes that (a) maximum topographic variation and
but low in Lake Tanganyika, where low confidence techniques such amplitude across the region is achieved at Present Day, and (b)
as technique e. need to be used. A level of moderate confidence the rough level of rift shoulder topography was achieved at the
Fig. 5. Time reconstruction at 28 ± 3 Ma, Rupelian, Initiation of EARS 1 rifts. Key events include: (1) first N–S trending Cenozoic rifts are initiated in N Kenya ? around 35 Ma.
(probable Oligocene strata in Loperot 1 well), (2) large volume of trap basalts erupted from 28–25 Ma in Ethiopia, associated relief of Afar plume around 1 km, (3) rifting in
Afar around 25 Ma (Bosworth et al., 2005), (4) earlier Melut and Anza basins remain active, (5) Nsungwe Fm. of Rukwa Basin indicates mild reactivation of Permian/
Cretaceous rift (Roberts et al., 2012). Topography prior to EARS development based on Moore et al., 2009, in south, AFTA data of Noble (1997) and Foster and Gleadow (1996)
in Tanzania, plus Oligocene sedimentation rates offshore East Africa (Morley, 1999, Fig. 13 of this paper). Darker shades on all maps indicate relatively higher topography.
Volcanics in red.
time of maximum rift faulting, as interpreted in the paper. The uplift are not seen in spore assemblages within the Kingfisher
critical interpretation that topography is at a maximum in the Wells in the Albertine Basin until around 1 Ma (Shaw et al.,
Plio-Pleistocene is supported by a number of lines of evidence, 2009). Volcanic geometries and dating illustrate that the Gregory
including (a) the peak of sedimentation rates in the Plio- rift shoulders (technique c.) also did not rise till 1–2 Ma (Baker,
Pleistocene in depocentres charged from rivers which drain the 1986; Dawson, 2008).
EARS rift shoulders (Fig. 13), (b) the immaturity of river profiles The topography around rifts is assumed to have been reduced in
across the region (Paul et al., 2014; Gani et al., 2007) and (c) inter- magnitude for periods prior to maximum rifting, following a model
pretations of the age of the main throws on the rift bounding faults, of rifts developing initially as gentle depressions with low throw
as is discussed below for the basins concerned. For example, the bounding faults apparent on Present Day analogues (Modisi
rise of the 5 km high Rwenzori mountains, which represent the et al., 2000) and developed on seismic over Lake Tanganyika by
highest non-volcanic, non-orogenic topography in the world, is Tiercelin and Mondeguer (1991) (Fig. 14). Many, though not all,
dated as Plio-Pleistocene by folding of Pliocene strata in outcrop rifts investigated in this paper show increased structural growth
(Pickford and Senut, 1994). High altitude taxa associated with that into bounding faults through time, i.e. greatest isochron variations
Fig. 6. Time reconstruction at 20 ± 2 Ma, Aquitanian, Acme of EARS 1 rifting. Key events include: (1) deep lacustrine shale (source rock) development in South Lokichar Basin,
(2) rifting in Broadly Rifted Zone of Ethiopia commencing between 25 Ma and 21 Ma (Levitte et al., 1974; Bonini et al., 2005), (3) some activity in Suguta Basin (Morley, 1999),
where Early Miocene section present, (4) Ethiopian dome developed along with peak of Red Sea rifting and shoulder uplift (Bosworth et al., 2005), (5) offshore rifting active
from latest Olig-Early Miocene (Danforth et al., 2012; Jeans et al., 2012; Parsons et al., 2012).
in Recent times. Prior to rifting, interpretations are made of the through time are similar to those independently derived by Paul
development of broad domes with reliefs as suggested by et al. (2014) on the basis of river profile studies, though differ from
Wichura et al. (2011) for the Kenya dome, based on the observed the assumption used in that paper that African topography was
geometries of lava flows. The interpretation is eventually tied for essentially flat at the start of the Oligocene.
the Oligocene to a broad interpretation of pre-EARS topography
based on Apatite Fission Track Analysis, drainage analysis and off-
shore sedimentation rates analysis. This essentially assumes some 4. EARS 1 Rifts (?Eo-Oligocene to Mid Miocene), Figs. 5–8
residual palaeotopography around the Anza Rift shoulder (as dis-
cussed earlier) and Tanzanian Craton in a region of Late Creta- A new set of rifts were created in the Palaeogene in northern
ceous-Palaeogene Apatite Fission Track ages and high topography Kenya that do not exploit earlier trends and show, for the first time
in the northern part of the South African plateau as proposed by in Africa, a distinct N–S orientation, thus marking a significant
Moore et al., 2009: such topography is also required to explain a change in stress direction (Fig. 5). There are many basins in this
peak in sedimentation rates and turbidite sand supply in e.g. the region and most are undrilled, but the only basin at this time
Rovuma Delta (Fig. 13). The palaeotopographical patterns shown established from drilling and seismic interpretation to contain a
Fig. 7. Time reconstruction at 15 ± 1 Ma, Langhian, late milder stage of EARS 1 rifting in Eastern Branch and possible earliest EARS 2 rifts in Western Branch. Key events
include: (1) volcanism fills up rift topography in northern Kenya, (2) rifts active in southern MER (Bonini et al., 2005), (3) Semliki Sub-Basin of Albertine Basin probably
initiated close to this time, based on stratigraphy of Turaco well, (4) assumed continuation of rifting offshore based on sparse published seismic coverage.
thick (6–7 km) stratigraphic section of this age is the South Loki- Early to earliest Mid-Miocene age (‘Auwerwer Formation’) before
char Basin. the basin was uplifted in the Late Miocene-Pliocene on the shoul-
The South Lokichar Basin has now been drilled by a large num- der of the later EARS 2 Turkana rift (McDougall and Brown, 2009).
ber of recent wells (Africa Oil, 2013). Results of the earlier Loperot Vetel (1995) proposes that the initiation of the basin was around
1 well have been published in detail (Figs. 4 and 14, Morley et al., 35 Ma, which is consistent with the available data.
1999b; Talbot et al., 2004). The well penetrated a deep lacustrine Two adjoining rifts in the Turkana complex, the South Kerio
shale (the ‘Loperot Shale’), dated as ‘Early Oligocene to possible (Fig. 14) and North Lokichar rifts, have established EARS 2 sections
Eocene’, some 300 ms TWT above the predicted basement surface observable on seismic and tied to outcropping arkoses below the
at a central point within the rift (Fig. 14). The earliest rift units regional mid Miocene volcanics (Morley et al., 1999b; Vetel,
show a planar geometry on seismic, without significant thickening 1995). Their sections seem to be thinner than in South Lokichar,
to the bounding fault. Peak rift subsidence was probably attained at up to 2 km in North Lokichar and perhaps up to 5–6 km in South
at the time of deposition of a younger deep lacustrine shale unit Kerio where seismic definition is however poor. Vetel (1995) spec-
termed the ‘Lokone Shale’, which shows a distinct wedge shaped ulated these basins may have been initiated later, perhaps in the
geometry on seismic, and is dated in recent wells as Early Miocene Early Miocene, partly due to their thinner nature and partly to
(Africa Oil, 2013). This is overlain by a sandy rift infilling unit of follow a trend of younging volcanism to the east. Drilling is
Fig. 8. Time reconstruction at 12 ± 1 Ma, Serravallian, transitional phase between EARS 1 and initiation of early sag phases of EARS 2 rifts, with migration of rifts. Key events
include: (1) jump of rift activity from South to North Lokichar Basin and to Turkana Basin around end mid Miocene (Morley et al., 1999b), (2) lack of rifting (Elgayo
escarpment excepted) but existence of circa 1400 m high dome evidenced by volcanic geometries of Kenya phonolites at 13.5–11 Ma. (Wichura et al., 2011), (3) continued
rifting of Semliki portion of Albertine Basin (e.g. Pickford and Senut, 1994) and commencement of subsidence below Lake Albert, (4) a best case assessment of Lake
Tanganyika rifts suggests in the most likely case that they have not been initiated by this time, though this cannot be excluded, (5) poorly controlled period of relative
quiescence offshore between rift phases (e.g. Jeans et al., 2012).
planned later this year (2014) to analyse whether the critical Early around and east of Lake Turkana (Vetel, 1995), which suggests that
Miocene source rock and reservoir section seen in the South rifting was concentrated around South Lokichar. The existence of
Lokichar wells is present and should resolve this issue. EARS 1 rift sections below the mid Miocene volcanics below Lake
Elsewhere in northern Kenya, sparse evidence suggests the exis- Turkana, and therefore beyond seismic definition, cannot however
tence of only thin sedimentary sections of Early Miocene age. An be ruled out.
Early Miocene sandy section is uplifted along the Elgayo Escarp- In the main part of the Gregory Rift, Mid-Miocene volcanic flow
ment in the northern Gregory rift (Bosworth and Maurin, 1993) geometries are generally unsupportive of the presence of any pre-
while thin shallow lacustrine deposits have been dated at around existing rift topography (Wichura et al., 2011), suggesting the EARS
20 Ma by interbedded tuffs east of Lake Turkana (Ebinger et al., 1 rifts did not propagate any further to the south. Rifting also
2000). These sections, as shown by the maps of Morley et al. seems to have also continued from Palaeocene times in the earlier
(1999b), are indicative of fluvial and shallow lacustrine deposition, Anza Graben, extending up to an unconformity in the Hothori 1
perhaps in localised small and slowly subsiding rifts. It can be well, roughly dated as intra-Early Miocene (Morley et al., 1999c).
noted that pre mid-Miocene volcanism is sparse in the region It is also possible that the gravity-defined Gatome and Lotikipi rifts
Fig. 9. Time reconstruction at 8 ± 1 Ma, Tortonian, mild EARS 2 rifting. Key events include: (1) rifting now propagating southwards into Central MER (Bonini et al., 2005),
volcanic geometries suggest no rifting to south of that shown, (2) rifting active in Turkana/Omo/Chew Bahir area, but not yet in main subsidence phase, (3) Albertine (Lake
Albert) Basin in early part of syn-rift (e.g. Pickford and Senut, 2004), (4) block faulting phase in Lake Tanganyika around this time according to sedimentation rate
extrapolations, (5) renewed rifting offshore (Danforth et al., 2012; Parsons et al., 2012).
of Wescott et al. (1999) could at least in part be active rifts at this In the Western Branch of the EARS, a >300 m thick sandy Oligo-
time period: these are capped by Oligocene volcanics and the inter- cene section has been described in the Rukwa Basin (Roberts et al.,
preted rift section below these could be anywhere between Creta- 2010, 2012, Fig. 3 of this paper), suggesting a minor pulse of rifting
ceous to Oligocene in age. at this time and it is possible by step correlation from here that the
In Ethiopia, evidence for Palaeogene to Early Miocene rifting is undated Sungwe Beds (Dixey, 1927) of Malawi could be of this age.
largely confined to the ‘broadly rifted zone’ of southern Ethiopia Early Miocene rifting within the Semliki valley area of the Alber-
(Ebinger et al., 2000). Levitte et al. (1974) and Zanettin et al. tine Basin of Uganda has been suggested by Abeinomugisha and
(1978) indicate rifting started here in the late Oligocene-Early Kasande (2012), though no rocks of this age have been penetrated
Miocene, at around 21–25 Ma. (Fig. 4), based on volcanic geome- and early interpretations of exhumed Early Miocene strata in out-
tries and dating, with dating of fluvio-lacustrine deposits suggest- crop have now been revised to younger dates (see discussion
ing well established rifting by 17–15 Ma. (Fig. 7). Vetel (1995) below in Section 5.2). The low level of tectonic activity in this
suggests that the Chew Bahir rift became active in the Early Mio- region is emphasised by a paucity of volcanic dates in the Western
cene on the basis of volcanic associations and chemistry, but Branch older than 10 Ma. (Kampunzu et al., 1998). Small
acknowledges that the main fill to this basin is undoubtedly exceptions are some isolated Early Miocene dates from the Rungwe
much younger. complex (Rasskazov et al., 2003).
Fig. 10. Time reconstruction at 5 ± 1 Ma, Zanclean, entering main phase of EARS 2 rift subsidence and topography development. Key events include: (1) major topography
development in Ethiopia, indicated by river incision analysis (Gani et al., 2007) and surge in Nile sedimentation (Macgregor, 2012a), associated with southwards rift
propagation, (2) Turkana, Omo and Chew Bahir rifts now in main subsidence/sedimentation phase according to picks on seismic sections illustrated at conferences, (3)
propagation into Gregory and formation of half graben on western shoulder (Saemundsson, 2010), (4) active rifting of Albertine and Kigoma Basins, (5) Rukwa Basin
reactivating – near base of section according to biostrat in wells (Wescott et al., 1991), (6) livingstone Basin of Malawi initiation constrained between 8 and 4 Ma as
constrained by outcrop data, while sedimentation rates in Usisya Basin borehole extrapolate to unconformity at 7 Ma.
5. EARS 2 Rifts (Mid-Late Miocene to Recent and ongoing) 5.1. Eastern Branch
Onshore rifts with demonstrated or interpreted rifting in the The EARS 2 Eastern Branch rifts extend continuously from the
last 13 My are illustrated in Figs. 8–12 and can be seen to be Afar of Ethiopia to northern Tanzania, which, given that Afar rifting
grouped into two branches, the Eastern and Western branches. commenced in the Oligocene, has led to generalisations that the
The onset of the EARS 2 rifts is taken at the apparent migration system can be interpreted as unzipping from north to south. How-
of rifting from South Lokichar to the Lake Turkana area in Kenya ever, more detailed study of the Ethiopian rifts (Bonini et al., 2005)
and at the onset of the first rifts in the northern part of the Western suggests that the central Main Ethiopian Rift (‘MER’) did not form
Branch. Offshore activity is discussed in Section 6 of this paper. An till the earliest Pliocene, at around 5 Ma. This interpretation is
overview of these much more widespread EARS 2 rifts is obtained based largely on dating of volcanics and the geometries of flows
on the chronostratigraphic charts compiled for the eastern and relevant to the present rift, but is supported by Gani et al.
western branches in Figs. 3 and 4. (2007)’s river profile analysis, that suggests that the main uplift
Fig. 11. Time reconstruction at 3 ± 1 Ma, Piacenzian, within main syn-rift phase of EARS 2 basins in most cases. Key events following on from previous map, but additionally:
(1) southern MER rifting active (Bonini et al., 2005), (2) full graben now formed in southern Gregory (Saemundsson, 2010), (3) rift shoulder uplift in Albertine area, including
Rwenzori mountains (Pickford and Senut, 1994), (4) assumed further rift propagation southwards and eastwards from Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika into basins that seem at
Present Day to be still in early rift phase, (5) seismic lines in papers (e.g. Danforth et al., 2012) plus earthquake data (Craig et al., 2011) suggest recent activity offshore
concentrated in southern Tanzania and Mozambique.
of the shoulders was not till the Pliocene and also by an Early Pli- Multiple rifts in the Lake Turkana area show thick syn-rift
ocene sediment surge to the Nile river containing Ethiopian- geometries that can be tied back to the Plio-Pleistocene of the Eliye
derived minerals (Fig. 13; Macgregor, 2012a). This timing is pre- Springs 1 well (Vetel, 1995; Morley et al., 1999b; Hendrie et al.,
ferred here rather than the rift initiation date of 10 Ma previously 1994, Fig. 14). This well drilled around 2000 m of Plio-Pleistocene
published by Wolfenden et al. (2004). The Southern MER is pro- rift strata above a volcanic level dated at 5 Ma, with an underlying
posed by Bonini et al. (2005) as a Late Pliocene–Pleistocene reacti- 900 m of sandy section of indeterminate age, terminating some
vation of the easternmost EARS 1 rifts, thus making the Ethiopian 500 ms above a reflector assumed to be top of the Mid Miocene
EARS 2 rifts of younger initiation than those further south in Kenya. volcanics. Seismic correlations extrapolated from this well
It would seem therefore that, in addition to very young propaga- (Dunkelman et al., 1989) indicate that the Plio-Pleistocene section
tion southwards from the Afar, a further initial centre of rifting expands to 4 s TWT below Lake Turkana, with considerable struc-
was formed in the Mid-Miocene in the Lake Turkana area and that tural growth into the rift bounding faults. Further correlations can
rifts propagated both north and south from here during the be made from this data to the South Omo rift of Ethiopia into
Pliocene. seismic data illustrated by Africa Oil (2013), which again suggest
Fig. 12. Time reconstruction at 0 Ma, Present Day. Continued acceleration of subsidence, fault movements and formation of high topography within EARS 2 syn-rift phase.
Topography shown in darkening 500 m segments. Active faults based on observed faulting to surface and earthquake occurrence (Craig et al., 2011; Nusbaum et al., 1993).
Volcanism as at Present Day. Organic shales widespread below 100 m water depth in Present Day lakes.
that the bulk of the visible seismic section and structural growth is subsidence phase to be associated with the Plio-Pleistocene
Plio-Pleistocene in age. Seismic correlations between the South and Kinu-Sogo fault belt (Fig. 14) to the south, which itself seems to
North Lokichar Basins indicate a shift between the sections of reflect a further eastwards migration of rift activity.
greatest thickness and structural growth from pre-Mid Miocene Further south, a progressive younging southwards of both the
in South Lokichar to Late Miocene and younger in the North Loki- ages of initial and maximum rifting is interpreted by Mechie
char Basin, with an unconformity marking this switch tentatively et al. (1997) and Saemundsson (2010). The key evidence control-
tied to near top Mid-Miocene by Morley et al. (1999b). On the basis ling the age of rifting in the Gregory Rift is the age and geometry
of these interpretations, most authors (e.g. Morley et al., 1999b; of the well-known 13–11 Ma. Kenya phonolites (Wichura et al.,
Vetel, 1995) believe that the Turkana and other EARS 2 rifts repre- 2011). With the possible exception of some onlap against the
sents an eastwards migration of the EARS 1 South Lokichar Rift, in Elgayo escarpment of the northern Gregory rift, the phonolite flows
which case rifting should have migrated sometime around the Late show no evidence of thinning over the current rift-bounding faults,
Middle Miocene. being instead suggestive of a low relief domal geometry centred
The section in the isolated Chew Bahir Basin to the east of the over the Present Day rift area, as might be developed from a plume
Turkana complex is assumed here to again be filled primarily developed prior to rifting. This indicated topography was high but
by Plio-Pleistocene section. Vetel (1995) interprets the main low angle at the time. Similar concepts are applied by the other
Fig. 13. Sedimentation Rates, corrected for compaction, in depocentres fed by east African rift shoulders. Note peak in Oligocene tied to northern South African plateau uplift
of Moore et al. (2009), and thereafter a progressive buildup to modern times, which is proposed to be tied to increasing rift activity and vertical movements throughout the
Neogene. For example, note major surge in Nile in Pliocene, which is tied to Ethiopian rift shoulder uplift as assessed independently by Gani et al. (2007) and Bonini et al.
(2005). Methodology of calculations as presented in Macgregor (2012b). Data from cross-sections published by Abdel Aal et al. (2001), Cope (2000), Law (2011), Leturmy et al.
(2003), Walford et al. (2005). African average calculated by author from circa 100 offshore cross-sections around Africa.
Fig. 14. Schematic cross-section through northern Kenyan and southern Ethiopian EARS 1 and EARS 2 rifts, based on seismic data and analyses within Morley et al. (1999b),
Dunkelman et al. (1989) and Africa Oil (2013), plus authors review of public domain seismic. South Kerio and Chew Bahir Basin interpretations are speculative and await
results of 2014 drilling.
authors listed below to date the formation of escarpments, which faulting was not initiated until around 2 Ma and in north
suggest that a half graben formed in northern/central Gregory Tanzania not till around 1 Ma. (Foster et al., 1997; Dawson, 2008)
around 7 Ma. (first seen in Fig. 10), evolving into a full graben by These interpretations are summarised in sequential form by
4 Ma. (Fig. 11), but with peak rifting not taking place till the last Figs. 10–13 of Saemundsson (2010), which are in agreement with
2 Ma, (Baker et al., 1971; Baker, 1986). In southern Gregory, the interpretations presented in Figs. 9–12 of this paper.
5.2. Western Branch 5.2.1. Albertine Basin

The Albertine Basin is the best controlled Western Branch rift,
The Western Branch of the EARS 2 rifts extends from close to with an exhumed outcrop section present against the Plio-Pleisto-
the Uganda/Sudan border, where it is linked to the Eastern Branch cene Rwenzori uplift and four published wells Table 1), two of
through the Aswa Fracture Zone (Fig. 1), to the Indian Ocean at which are tied to published seismic lines (see Fig. 5 within Logan
Beira in Mozambique (Ebinger et al., 1989). The trend of rifts is less et al. (2009), sketched as Fig. 15 here, and Fig. 9 within Karp
continuous than in the Eastern Branch, with a number of gaps et al., 2012). A small pre-Neogene precursor basin is mentioned
apparent, e.g. in northern Burundi/southern Rwanda, together with by Davis et al. (2012) and by Abeinomugisha and Kasande
some clear offsets (e.g. between the Rukwa and Lake Tanganyika (2012), which is probably Permian in age, as a small Permian gra-
rifts), that are still poorly located and understood. Contrasts with ben outcrops to the west in the DR Congo.
the Eastern Branch include the relative paucity of volcanics, which There has in the past been some controversy between industry
is clearly seen in a comparison of Figs. 3 and 4, and the greater biostratigraphers and academics over the age of the Albertine
depths of many of the rifts, particularly those below Present Day Basin, which is best resolved by considering two areally distinct rift
lakes. Examples of basement/base Neogene relief between outcrop phases covering respectively the onshore southern part of the
on rift shoulder and maximum basin depth in the Western Branch basin (the ‘Semliki Basin’) and the region around and below Lake
are the Albertine Basin at circa 8 km, Lake Tanganyika at circa. Albert. The Turaco wells in the Semliki Basin contain a 1400 m
6 km., the Rukwa Basin (Neogene only) at circa 3 km., Lake Malawi thick Mid-Late Miocene section, comprising fluvial and lacustrine
at circa 5 km., whereas the Turkana Basin at 3.5 km. is the only margin deposits, with a further second of TWT of section possibly
Eastern Branch EARS 2 rift that is estimated to reach close to such present below the well (Abeinomugisha and Kasande, 2012).
magnitudes. It can be proposed that most extension in the Eastern Lukaye (2009) dated this section as ranging down into the Early
Branch is taken up by dyke injection, with crustal addition of Miocene, though more recent publications quote Mid Miocene
magma preventing the extremes of subsidence seen in the Western for the oldest sediments penetrated (Lukaye et al., 2012;
Branch (D.Delvaux, pers.comm., 2013). Abeinomugisha and Kasande, 2012). Previous interpretations of
With the exception of the Albertine Basin, the manners in which Early Miocene dates from outcrop, which were based on mamma-
the timing of basin evolution can be interpreted in the Western lian fossil ages from the outcropping basal unit in DR Congo
Branch are less precise than in the Eastern Branch, and necessarily (Lepersonne, 1949), now seem to be discredited due to redating
use some of the lower confidence techniques listed earlier. It is less of these taxa to the Late Miocene (Yasui et al., 1992). Such dates
often possible to link sedimentation and rift movements directly to support earlier work on the outcrop by Pickford and Senut
volcanic ages and geometries and much of the sedimentary section (1994), who dated the earliest sediments at around 13 Ma. The
is below water and thick Holocene sediment piles. The most confi- combined well and outcrop data appears to evidence a rift in this
dent correlations are between basins which have wells which pen- region of Mid-Late Miocene, and possibly Early Miocene, age. The
etrate the entire Neogene stratigraphy and/or have exhumed basin is currently shown as being initiated on the base Mid-Mio-
outcrop sections, namely the Albertine, Rukwa and Livingstone cene map in this paper (Fig. 7) to accommodate the range of possi-
(Malawi) basins (Fig. 3). Constraints imposed by biostratigraphic bilities. It should be noted that this is the only direct evidence in
and other forms of dating in the Rukwa and Livingstone Basins, the Western Branch at present for a Miocene section more than a
as are summarised below, do appear to confirm that the initiation few hundreds of metres thick.
of the southern rifts is younger than the Albertine Basin. While A series of publications based on seismic tied to the Kingfisher 1
peak rifting may be synchronous across the Western Branch in and Waki-1 wells, interpret a more dramatic Late Miocene-Recent
the Plio-Pleistocene, it would appear that the initiation of the (and predominantly Plio-Pleistocene) rift phase centred below the
milder underlying Miocene rift sections does young from north current lake (Fig. 15). Biostratigraphy on 30 wells around the lake
to south and indeed, for some of the rifts in the extreme south- has identified an age range of Late Miocene to Holocene (Shaw
west of the trend, rifting is only just commencing at Present Day et al., 2011). An age of 8.5 Ma has been reported by Tullow for
(Modisi et al., 2000). the base of the syn-rift succession below the lake in the
Fig. 15. Sketch of seismic line through Lake Albert, based on data within Logan et al. (2009) and seismic tie to biostratigraphic data in Kingfisher well (Shaw et al., 2009). Note
extremely young nature of main rift fill and increasing sedimentation rates throughout Late Neogene section.
structurally deepest well at Ngassa 2 (McFerran and Ochan, 2011), lacustrine unit (‘Kigoma Sequence’), the latter two sequences sepa-
which is more or less consistent with the onshore macrofossil- rated by an unconformity marking throw on the border fault and
based dating of a major subsidence episode at 9 Ma interpreted the formation of high rift shoulders. Three seismic sequences of
from outcrop data by Pickford and Senut (1994). Stratigraphic ties similar character can be identified in the Marungu Basin in the
on seismic lines suggest a thin Late Miocene section and then pro- southern lake (Fig. 16), though no seismic tie is possible due to
gressively increasing sedimentation rates and wedging into the intervening basement blocks and an intervening basin potentially
border faults (Logan et al., 2009; Karp et al., 2012; Fig. 14) through dating to the Permian (see below). Dating of the sequences identi-
the Pliocene and Pleistocene. The main rise of the rift shoulders, fied can be attempted in the Kigoma Basin through an extrapolation
including the 5 km high Rwenzori mountains, are not thought to of Recent sedimentation rates, based on the carbon dating of lake-
have taken place until around 2.6–2.3 Ma by Pickford and Senut bed cores ranging up to 10 m in penetration (Cohen et al., 1993)
(1994) (Fig. 11), with high altitude taxa not appearing in the and relating these to calculations of sediment thickness from seis-
Kingfisher wells until 1 Ma (Shaw et al., 2009). mic mapping through the application of decompaction algorithms.
As might be expected, a wide range of results is obtained, both by
5.2.2. Lake Edward to Lake Tanganyika Cohen and from the author’s own remapping and calculations,
A well drilled in the Lake Edward Basin by Dominion (2011) though estimated dates of the base of the sedimentary sections
reports a basal section dated as Late Pliocene. There is no dating group around 9–12 Ma., those for the age of the top of the Lower
possible on the Lake Kivu grabens, though Kampunzu et al. Magara Sequence around 6–11 Ma, and those for the ‘rift shoulder’
(1998), suggest rift initiation ages of about 4 Ma, based on changes unconformity at the base of the Kigoma Sequence (‘Kigoma
in volcanic chemistry. Sequence Boundary’) between 2–5 Ma. Such dates would suggest
Lake Tanganyika overlies at least three discrete basins separated a broad correlation of events to that of the Albertine Basin, to which
by highs where basement comes to or near to lakebed, each of there is some similarity in seismic facies and character. However,
which can be further separated into a switching set of half grabens. these estimates need to be considered together with an assessment
These are the most poorly dated basins in this study. With limited as to how sediment rates in the subsurface may relate to those mea-
outcrop on the basin margins and only two wells drilled on the Bur- sured in the Holocene. Baltzer (1991) describes Holocene core sec-
undi shoreline, which are composed entirely of undatable Neogene tions as rich in biogenic material and high in organic content (e.g.
sands, there is near to no biostratigraphic control aside from cores a laminated diatomites), facies that would normally be taken as
few metres thick. Carbon dating is available on these sections, indi- indicative of a low clastic sediment supply. It is therefore possible
cating sediments at most, tens of thousands of years old (Baltzer, that sediment rates were higher in the past, which would imply
1991). The lake is covered by the PROBE seismic programme the dates above are overestimates, in which case the base of the
(Rosendahl/Project Probe, 1988), with definition on these lines Neogene section could be younger than that estimated by this tech-
varying from very poor to excellent. Three seismic sequences have nique. No firm estimate can thus be reached and two dating models
been identified on the best quality lines through the Kigoma Basin remain possible, representing either a similar age of basin initiation
(Tiercelin and Mondeguer, 1991; Rosendhal (1988)), namely a to the Albertine Basin (i.e. circa. Mid Miocene) or to the Rukwa
basal, seismically transparent, near to planar, parallel bedded early Basin (Latest Miocene?, Fig. 16). An intermediate case between
rift or ‘sag’ unit (‘Lower Magara Sequence’ of Rosendahl/Project these two models is shown on the figures of this paper.
Probe, 1988), a block faulted, high frequency, high amplitude unit Part of the southern part of the lake (Kalemie Province of
(‘Upper Magara Sequence’) and a thick more transparent deep Rosendahl/Project Probe, 1988) is suggested to contain an
Fig. 16. Schematic cross-section through southern Lake Tanganyika and Rukwa Basin EARS 2 rifts, based on seismic data and analyses within Rosendahl/Project Probe (1988),
Morley et al. (1999d), plus authors own mapping. Lake Tanganyika ages are speculative but Rukwa Basin ages are well controlled by biostratigraphy (Wescott et al., 1999;
Roberts et al., 2012).
underlying Karoo (Permian) rift by two of the PROBE lines (lines no This geometry should expose sediments close to the base of the
214 and 216 in Rosendahl/Project Probe, 2008), which terminate a Neogene section. Macrofossil dating in the Neogene section of a
few kilometres from Permo-Triassic exposures onshore in DR small onshore extension of the Livingstone Basin extends to some-
Congo and show an angular unconformity that most reasonably what older than 4 Ma. (Bromage et al., 1995; Ring and Betzler,
can interpreted as one between Permo-Trias and Neogene section. 1995). Between these datable horizons and the underlying Creta-
This Karoo rift is likely offset by a transform into the Rukwa Basin, ceous lies a thin series of fluvial sands, which in the Tanzanian part
which also contains a thick section of this age. It seems unlikely of the basin also overly a 8.5 Ma old tuff. This seemingly constrains
that the Karoo section extends into the extreme south of Lake the onset of the basin to between 4 and 8.5 Ma.
Tanganyika (Marungu Basin, Fig. 16), where mud diapirism is Further south, as Lake Malawi turns to a N–S trend to follow
apparent in the basal part of the section, which seems unlikely to Mozambiquan rather than Ubendian basement trends, the Usis-
be rooted in section of Permian age. ya-Mbamba half-graben is developed. While PROBE seismic defini-
tion at depth remains unclear over much of the basin, there is a
5.2.3. Rukwa to Mozambique region around the 390 m deep Syracuse A Borehole where defini-
The Rukwa Basin is a multiphase half-graben developed along tion improves substantially. As shown on Line 828 in the PROBE
the NW–SE Ubendian line of weakness, with non-marine sections Seismic atlas (also Fig. 4 of Scholz et al., 2011), three main seismic
dated in wells and outcrop of Permian, Early Cretaceous, Oligocene units seem to be present in this area, from top to bottom: a banded
and ?Latest Miocene to Recent age (Roberts et al., 2012; Wescott interval (‘Mbamba-Baobab Sequence’ of Scholz/Project Probe,
et al., 1991, Fig. 3 of this paper). Interestingly, the main depocentre 1989), which ties to interbedding of shallow organic poor and deep
seems not to have moved significantly between rift phases (Morley lacustrine organic rich muds in the borehole (Lyons et al., 2011), a
et al., 1999d). The EARS 2 section dating is based on palynological transparent sequence underneath (‘Nyasa Sequence’), which can be
evidence from two vintage Amoco wells. Section of Pliocene age is assumed to be composed of mobile deep lacustrine mud, based on
confirmed while the presence of Late Miocene spores is doubtful the observable rooting of several diapirs in this section, and a lower
(Wescott et al., 1991), thus the range of dates seen is narrower planar banded sequence (unnamed) separated from the mobile
and younger than that in the Albertine Basin. Neogene basin initi- mud by an angular unconformity. This lowest unit can be specu-
ation is thus estimated at around the Mio-Pliocene boundary. As lated to be either an early rift-sag unit or perhaps a Cretaceous
the onset of the Neogene Rungwe volcanics on the continuation sandy section, as seen in outcrop in the Livingstone Basin. The base
of this basin to the south is about 8 Ma, some 2 My younger than of the Syracuse A Borehole within the Mbamba-Baobab sequence
the oldest dates in the Virunga complex (Kampunzu et al., 1998; has been dated at 1.2 Ma (C. Scholz, pers comm., Fig. 3), and using
Ebinger et al., 1989), a diachronicity seems to be evident in both the same sedimentation rate and decompaction techniques as in
estimated rift initiation and volcanic dates. The two wells encoun- Lake Tanganyika (with a rather lower degree of uncertainty as
tered a mixed lithology EARS 2 section, respectively 700 and 969 m the sedimentation rate is here measured over a 390 m section),
thick, though this is interpreted to reach over 3000 m in the deep- the base of the Nyasa Sequence, assumed here to be the basal rift
est parts of the half graben, though with no significant additional section, would be calculated at 7 Ma, which is within the range
section appearing by onlap between the wells and basin deep. of dates interpreted from outcrop data for the onset of the Living-
The published seismic through the basin deeps indicates a uniform stone Basin to the north. On the combined evidence, the initiation
thickening of the rift section without major vertical facies of the first mild faulting in northern Lake Malawi is predicted at
variations. around Messinian in age, with most subsidence and rift activity
Lake Malawi, like Lake Tanganyika, is best viewed as a compos- again occurring in the Plio-Pleistocene (Fig. 3). This also suggests
ite of basins (Flannery and Rosendahl, 1990; Scholz/Project Probe, a synchronous section with the Lake Rukwa Basin.
1989). On the basis of the outcrop geology studied in a number of A clear basement reflector appears in the southern part of Lake
narrow onshore rifts in northern Malawi (Dixey, 1927), there Malawi marking a thinning of section southwards. There are no
seems little doubt that the NW–SE trending Livingstone Basin will, indications of pre-Neogene rifts in this region. The South Malawi
like the Rukwa Basin, contain a composite rift section of Permian, half graben, on the border with Mozambique, is however again
Cretaceous and Late Neogene (EARS 2) age (Delvaux, 2001). The clearly of composite Permian, Cretaceous and Late Neogene age
size of the Bouguer gravity anomaly measured by Ebinger et al., (Castaing, 1991), as demonstrated by the outcrop on its flexural
1993 over the northern extension of the basin suggests that the margin. Moving further south into Mozambique, if the slight
total section exceeds 6 km, with the majority being low density younging trend continues, the Urema Graben can be assumed to
sediments, which when compared with sediment densities contain a Plio-Pleistocene section exploiting the trends of former
onshore in rift sequences of different ages, suggests the majority Permo-Triassic and Early Cretaceous rifts. The Western Branch
of the section in the offshore deep is Neogene EARS 2 section. finally peters out in the offshore waters south of Beira in
Recent Heritage Oil seismic data (R. Downie, pers comm., 2013) Mozambique.
in the onshore Tanzanian extension of the basin, indicates a 4– It should finally be mentioned that new NE–SW splays of the
4.5 km section, mainly Neogene in age. The PROBE seismic system are now forming through the DR Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
(Scholz/Project Probe, 1989) in Lake Malawi has less penetration and Namibia, extending to the Okavango (Fig. 12), and often
than in Lake Tanganyika, possibly due partly to higher structural exploiting Permian rifts. These incipient basins are of similar
dips and partly to the presence of a thick transparent mobile shale widths to the Western Branch rifts but of much lesser depth and
unit that further south is expressed as mud diapirism. As such, it is often show sag-like shapes with minor bounding faults. (Modisi
not currently possible to confidently identify any seismo-strati- et al., 2000; Mondeguer et al., 1989). They are generally filled with
graphic subdivision of the rift section. fluvial sands and possibly form models for the Late Miocene,
The tectonic history of the Livingstone Basin is likely to be sim- planar, seismically transparent, basal sequences described in the
ilar to that of the Rukwa Basin (Delvaux, 2001). Indeed, recent Kigoma and Marungu Basins of Lake Tanganyika. Similar basal
gravity acquisition and analysis by Heritage Oil suggests the two seismic sequences may also be interpreted in the Albertine and
basins may be connected below the Rungwe volcanics (R. Downie, Turkana Basins, though are not recognised in the Rukwa Basin.
pers. comm., 2013). Offshore seismic lines indicate that there has a These Namibian and Zambian basins have yet to enter the main
series of uplifts towards the western shoreline, with a dipping Pli- syn-rift stage, as represented by the Kigoma and Zongwe
ocene outcrop section exhumed below a Pleistocene unconformity. Sequences of the Lake Tanganyika rifts (Mondeguer et al., 1989).
6. Offshore branch siltstones acting as effective top seals and fault planes, upthrown
basement juxtaposition and fault plane conglomerates as side-
The so-called offshore branch was first described by Mougenot seals (e.g. Lays, 2013). This is a marked contrast to older African rift
et al. (1986), who described the Pemba, Mafia, Kerimbas and Lacer- systems such as Sudan, where fault planes generally do not seal
da basins as Neogene rifts. There has unfortunately been no subse- (Idris and Yongdi, 2005) and this difference seems to be largely
quent data published in peer reviewed publications and there is no responsible for the existence of substantial oil columns and thus
publically available seismic dataset. Recent seismic offshore illus- economic scale reserves.
trated in oil industry conferences and articles has however delin- Many of the attempts to analyse prospectivity elsewhere are
eated these further, extending the trend to the north to the based on trying to extend analogues from these two proven petro-
southern Lamu Basin. This assessment is heavily based on a few leum systems. This paper suggests that perfect analogues are rare
seismic lines and well ties (Simba 1, Maridadi 1, Windjammer 1) in terms of the timing of the structural events controlling the ele-
accessible in such publications (see for instance PanContinental ments of the petroleum system, with different basins active at dif-
Oil and Gas, 2003; Danforth et al., 2012; Law, 2011). ferent times. A preferred approach to assessing prospectivity is to
The authors interpret two phases of rifting in the Oligocene- use these two analogues as guides to where source rocks and res-
Early Miocene (onset circa. 22 Ma) and Late Miocene (circa ervoirs are likely to be developed in relation to the structural his-
10.5 Ma) to Recent (Parsons et al., 2012; Jeans et al., 2012; tory of the basin concerned, e.g. deep lacustrine source rocks are
Danforth et al., 2012). These two phases could be speculated to cor- most likely to be developed during underfilled conditions during
respond to the periods of peak rifting of the EARS 1 and EARS 2 rifts peak rifting, conditions which are suggested in this paper to be
onshore, though more precise stratigraphic control is required. The concentrated in the Early Miocene and Latest Miocene to Recent.
EARS 2 rift section reaches 1800 ms TWT thickness on seismic in Additional complexity and opportunities are imposed in basins
the Pemba Rift and over 4000 ms TWT in the Kerimbas Rift which have underlying pre-Neogene rift sections rich in reservoirs
(Danforth et al., 2012). In the latter case, there is also 1500 m of which could possibly be charged from overlying Neogene source
relief on the seabed, which indicates much of the fault movement rocks. Volcanism and its detrimental effects on clay mineralogy
is very young. The continued activity of such lineaments in south- and reservoir quality is a clear issue in Eastern Branch basins
ern Tanzania and Mozambique is also demonstrated by recent (Tiercelin et al., 2004; Tiercelin, 2009).
earthquake activity (Craig et al., 2011). In summary, the East African Rift System is a diverse set of rifts
While it could be possible to broadly relate the timing of events and this diversity will be reflected in its petroleum systems. There
in the Offshore Branch to those in the Western and Eastern are likely further petroleum systems to be discovered in these
Branches, it should be pointed out that these offshore rifts have basins but they may not be perfect analogues to those already
very different characteristics. In particular, they lack kilometre established. The explorationist may thus need to apply elements
scale relief rift shoulders (the largest being Pemba Island), are more of analogue from several rifts of different ages to identify new
symmetrical in form than the typical half grabens onshore, do not plays in these basins.
seem to have any significant igneous association and are associated
with some significant and still active transpressional features such
8. Conclusions
as the Davie and Seagap Fault Zones. They can also be expected to
differ in their stratigraphic fills, which are expected to be entirely
It is suggested here that ‘EARS’ Cenozoic rifting can be broadly
marine. Rifting is also interpreted to have commenced much ear-
split into two cycles, one peaking in the Late Oligocene-Early Mio-
lier than in the geographically closest parts of the Eastern Branch,
cene and confined largely to northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia
e.g. the Pliocene Pangani Rift, and they cannot therefore be part of
(EARS 1), and the more widespread ‘EARS 2’ system, which origi-
any progressive rift unzipping trend from the onshore. Their for-
nates as low relief depressions and shallow rifts in a few nucleation
mation can perhaps be more readily linked to wrench tectonics
centres in the Mid-Late Miocene. There seems to be a broad south-
along the nearby Davie Fracture Zone. As such, given the lack of
wards younging trend of the initiation of EARS 2 rifting in the Wes-
clear fault linkages between the two systems on most of the maps
tern Branch, from Mid-Miocene in Uganda to Latest Miocene in
illustrated here, a direct genetic link between the onshore and off-
Rukwa and Malawi, as well as southwards across Kenya in the
shore EARS rifts remains uncertain at this time, The similarities in
Eastern Branch and at the extreme southern ends of both these sys-
timing however suggest that they may well be indirectly linked in
tems, rifting has only been initiated in the last few million years.
the greater scheme of regional plate tectonics.
There are however other regions, e.g. southern Ethiopia and Lake
Tanganyika, where the initiation of rifting seems to have propa-
gated northwards. This complex pattern on rift initiation is how-
7. Petroleum implications
ever accompanied by the observation that peak rifting,
subsidence and sedimentation in the majority of basins is Plio-
At the time of writing (2014), two diverse petroleum systems
Pleistocene, with many of the most significant events such as rift
have been established within the EARS system, within the South
shoulder uplift not taking place until the last 1–2 My. More data
Lokichar and Albertine Basins. The former is thought to be charged
continues to be required to develop these maps and models and
from an Early Miocene lacustrine source rock (Fig. 4), which shows
it is hoped more precise data will shortly become available from
a distinct wedge-shaped geometry on seismic reflection data
the ongoing drilling, whereby these maps will undoubtedly need
(Morley et al., 1999b), and is thought to have been deposited dur-
revision.
ing the peak of the EARS 1 rift cycle, which as pointed out in this
paper, affects only this and a few adjoining basins. Reservoirs are
also mainly of Early Miocene age. The Albertine Basin petroleum Acknowledgements
system is representative of the more widespread EARS 2 rift cycle,
with a source rock thought to be of Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Much of this work was undertaken when the author was an
age (Fig. 3; Sserubiri and Scholz (2012)) and oil bearing reservoirs employee of Surestream Petroleum, analysing the companies acre-
ranging from Late Miocene to Late Pliocene age (Abeinomugisha age in Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi. I have benefited from discus-
and Kasande, 2012). Both petroleum systems seem to show sions too many to mention with other explorationists and
evidence of an active Present Day charge system with thin academics in the region. I would however like to acknowledge data
provided by, and discussions with, J-J. Tiercelin and C. Scholz and Ebinger, C.J., Yemane, T., Harding, D.J., Tesfaye, S., Kelley, S., Rex, D.C., 2000. Rift
deflection, migration and propagation; Linkage of the Ethiopian and Eastern
also presenters at the 2012 Geological Society Conference ‘East
rifts, Africa. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 112 (2), 163–176.
Africa: Petroleum Province of the 21st Century, where this paper Flannery, J.W., Rosendahl, B.R., 1990. The seismic stratigraphy of Lake Malawi,
was first presented. The PROBE seismic data mapped in the study Africa: implications for interpreting geological processes in lacustrine rifts. J.
was acquired by Duke University and is currently archived and Afr. Earth Sci. 10 (3), 519–548.
Foster, D., Gleadow, A., 1996. Structural framework and denudation history of the
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Journal of African Earth Sciences 101 (2015) 232–252

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Journal of African Earth Sciences

History of the development of the East African Rift System: A series

1. Introduction poorly understood. The objective of this review paper is therefore

Well Basin Reference Key points

5.2. Western Branch 5.2.1. Albertine Basin

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