Petroleum in the South Atlantic

The petroleum deposits in the South Atlantic are considered in terms of the contemporary understanding of the formation of petroleum and of the petroleum system concept. These hydrocarbon reserves (7% of the global reserves), contained in the sedimentary rims along the coasts of West Africa and of the Eastern seaboard of South America, result from a favourable geological setting that is essentially the same on both sides of the ocean, giving rise to an almost symmetrical pattern. Their history is described within the general framework of the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, which began over 140 Ma ago with the breaking up of the proto-continent Pangea. The importance of these concepts for the opening up of deep and ultra-deep offshore prospects in West Africa and Brazil is underlined.