Elements of Characterization of the Kudu Shale Source Rock in the Orange Basin

Summary Kudu shale is a world class source rock, present at regional scale over most of the Orange basin but exhibits significant heterogeneities due to several key factors : High variability of the average TOC, likely to be better in oxygen restricted areas associated to low sedimentation rates; Organic type evolution from South to North due to the influence of the paleo-Olifant river and terrestrial content brought by turbidite systems; High thickness variations throughout the Orange basin, directly related to the geodynamical context at Lower Cretaceous; Complex thermal history for source rock maturity prediction. This presentation aims at addressing the evolution of these parameters along the Southern Namibian Margin.