ASSESSMENT OF HYDROCARBONS IN NCHALO, CHIKWAWA DISTRICT USING GRAVITY DATA

Petroleum exploration is being pursued by several companies in regions that shows potential as the Hydrocarbons are a key resource for the fumes that power the industries, transportation, agriculture etc. The exploration is done usually through the geophysical methods like seismic survey, gravity survey which can be done on air, land and at sea. These provide information on the subsurface about depth, anomalies, though use of software the data can be manipulated to show models that do display various parameters on the size of sediments, reservoir spanning or size, trapping system as well as the potential of an area having these resources.
The study used remote sensing and geophysical data and techniques to assess the potential of Chikwawa district having these resources.
It is through structures like faults, seepages, anticlines and synclines that can show an area have the potential of having the resources or not, this however must be referenced with geological data such as rock types, formation types, lithologies as well as wellbore data in order for it to make sense.
In the study is on the assessment of hydrocarbons in the Chikwawa using Hydrocarbon potential using GIS and RS it used Landsat file was used to formulate lineaments, to identify surface features, and to calculate the NDVI of the vegetation.
The DEM files were used to show the drainage as well as the topography of the areas, The results showed positive results through presence of source rocks, faults in the area, rock formed in formations with high organic matter and the drainage system that showed erosion in the area is currently low and evidence of the place undergoing changes through the rifting and deposition in the low area regions that indeed in Chikwawa there is potential of the area having the Hydrocarbons.

These provide information on the subsurface about depth, anomalies, though use of software the data can be manipulated to show models that do display various parameters on the size of sediments, reservoir spanning or size, trapping system as well as the potential of an area having these resources. It is through structures like faults, seepages, anticlines and synclines that can show an area have the potential of having the resources or not, this however must be referenced with geological data such as rock types, formation types, lithologies as well as wellbore data in order for it to make sense. In the study is on the assessment of hydrocarbons in the Chikwawa using Hydrocarbon potential using GIS and RS it used Landsat file was used to formulate lineaments, to identify surface features, and to calculate the NDVI of the vegetation. The DEM files were used to show the drainage as well as the topography of the areas, The results showed positive results through presence of source rocks, faults in the area, rock formed in formations with high organic matter and the drainage system that showed erosion in the area is currently low and evidence of the place undergoing changes through the

The Lower Shire Basin is a rift basin that formed during the Mesozoic era as part of the East African Rift System. This basin is filled with fluvial and lacustrine sediments of the Karoo Supergroup, composed predominantly of sandstones, siltstones, mudstones, and coal beds (Carington & Chilton, 1983). The depositional environment was influenced by regional climate, tectonics, and volcanism. Given its sedimentary rocks and depositional history, the Lower Shire Basin has potential for both hydrocarbon and coal resources (Panchu, 2019).
Previous airborne geophysical surveys over Chikwawa district and the Lower Shire Basin included magnetic, radiometric and gravity data acquisition. The magnetic and gravity data helped reveal subsurface geological structures and distribution of sedimentary units, while the radiometric data characterized radioactive element concentrations related to mineral deposits.
Specific anomalies in the magnetic and gravity data near Nchalo and Chapananga in Chikwawa were interpreted to represent thick sediment accumulations in the subsurface (Malunga, 2018). This is a favorable indicator for potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. A
study by Dr. Chisenga also used drilling data to identify substantial alluvial sediment deposits in western Chikwawa. The presence of coal deposits and shales in the district further points to possible hydrocarbon source rocks (Chisenga, Dulanya, & Jianguo, 2019).

District: Chikwawa

Coordinates: -16.2153, 34.6804