Traversing the rift : a review of the evolution of the West and Central African Rift System and its economic potential

dc.contributor.authorLenhardt, Nils
dc.contributor.authorOmietimi, Erepamo Job
dc.contributor.authorEdegbai, Aitalokhai J.
dc.contributor.authorSchwark, Lorenz
dc.contributor.authorCatuneanu, Octavian
dc.contributor.authorFairhead, James D.
dc.contributor.authorGoetz, Annette E.
dc.contributor.emailnils.lenhardt@up.ac.za
dc.date.accessioned2025-06-17T07:24:56Z
dc.date.available2025-06-17T07:24:56Z
dc.date.issued2025-02
dc.descriptionDATA AVAILABILITY : No data was used for the research described in the article.
dc.description.abstractThe Cretaceous to recent West and Central African Rift System is a major geological feature in Africa, extending 4000 km from the west to the east. Its formation is related to the breakup of Gondwana and the separation of Africa from South America, during which a complex network of extensional, wrench and pull-apart basins formed. These basins can be separated into two coeval rift sub-systems, the West African Rift System and the Central African Rift System. Both systems are genetically related but are physically separated and show significant structural as well as sedimentological differences. However, despite its great importance for the history of the African continent, our understanding of its origins and evolution is limited due to a scarcity of geophysical and sedimentological data. In this review paper, we examine the sedimentary and igneous basin-fill of the major West and Central African Rift System basins using literature data from the previous five decades. We analyse basin evolution, sequence stratigraphy, changing environmental and palaeoclimatic conditions, and economic aspects of the basins. Furthermore, we address future needs and challenges in research and collaboration between academia and industry to better understand the vast economic potential of the West and Central African Rift System basins. Ultimately, our findings shed light on the complicated geological history of the West and Central African Rift System and offer vital insights for future research and development in the region.
dc.description.departmentGeology
dc.description.librarianhj2025
dc.description.sdgSDG-13: Climate action
dc.description.sdgSDG-15: Life on land
dc.description.urihttps://www.elsevier.com/locate/earscirev
dc.identifier.citationLenhardt, N., Omietimi, E.J., Edegbai, A.J. et al. 2025, 'Traversing the rift : a review of the evolution of the West and Central African Rift System and its economic potential', Earth-Science Reviews, vol. 261, art. 104999, pp. 1-39, doi : 10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104999.
dc.identifier.issn0012-8252 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1872-6828 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104999
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/102844
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.rights© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
dc.subjectContinental rift
dc.subjectRift basin
dc.subjectCretaceous
dc.subjectClimate archive
dc.subjectHydrocarbon reservoirs
dc.subjectSequence stratigraphy
dc.subjectGondwana breakup
dc.titleTraversing the rift : a review of the evolution of the West and Central African Rift System and its economic potential
dc.typeArticle

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