Shale Gas Characteristics of Permian Black Shales in South Africa: Results from Recent Drilling in the Ecca Group (Eastern Cape)

Detailed lithological, sedimentological, petrographic and geochemical analyses of the lower three formations of the Ecca Group in the Greystone area, Eastern Cape, South Africa, close to the tectonic front of the Cape Fold Belt, are described with a particular focus on the black shales of the Whitehill Formation. Fresh core samples from a 300m deep borehole were analysed as follows: petrography, XRD and XRF, open system pyrolysis and thermovaporization, TOC/Rock Eval, SEM microscopy, vitrinite reflectance, stable isotopes and porosity using mercury intrusion. This ongoing investigation gives insight into the gas potential of the Karoo black shales.