Geology of the Tarfaya oil shale deposit, Morocco

Abstract

A description is given of the Tarfaya oil shale deposit which is located in the Moroccan Sahara along the Atlantic coast, at the latitude of the Canary Islands. The deposit consists of kerogenous chalks of Upper Cretaceous age, which are colloquially called 'oil shales' following general usage. The paper discusses the tectonic setting, stratigraphy and depositional environment of the kerogenous chalks and provides details on their petrography, chemical composition and mineralogy. Some mining criteria are also given such as oil yield, thickness and geological reserves of the oil shales, as well as characteristics of the overburden. Preliminary remarks are made regarding the hydrology of the mining area.