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Economic geology value of oil shale deposits: Ethiopia (Tigray) and Jordan

ABSTRACT Oil shale is an organic-rich, fine-grained sedimentary rock, containing kerogen, from which liquid hydrocarbons (called shale oil) can be produced. The oil shale deposits in the Tigray region are found in the northern parts of Ethiopia, Eastern Africa. They are of Upper Paleozoic in age, existing as remnants of the Cretaceous erosion period, underlain by tillites and overlain by sandstones. They were formed during the glacial retreat followed by marine deposition of shales in a basin created by the enormous load of the glaciers. The Ethiopian-Tigray oil shale deposits cover an area extending over approximately 30 km2, with an average mineable bed-thickness of 55 m, showing on the upper part inter-beds and laminations of shaley limestones. The oil shale resources in this region are estimated to be approximately 4 billion tonnes. The exploitation of the Ethiopian-Tigray oil shale deposits is an excellent alternative to fulfill the fuel and other petroleum products’ demand of Ethiopia. This study sheds light on the oil shale resources in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, as they are fairly investigated, regarding their geological characterization, and future strategies for their exploration and exploitation potential. In addition, the oil shale deposits in Jordan are also moderately investigated, as Jordan is considered a promising country for shale oil, taking into account that Jordan has no other hydrocarbon resources (such as crude oil and natural gas), unlike many other countries in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, as MENA sets on “seas” of oil and natural gas. Furthermore, oil shale in the USA is also briefly investigated, as the USA is being the world’s largest country of oil shale resources and reserves. Also, some other issues related to the oil shale industry are investigated, such as economics, extraction technologies of shale oil, and the environmental impacts.