UFAZ Hosted a Research Seminar on Geology and Sedimentology

On December 18, the French-Azerbaijani University (UFAZ) hosted a research seminar delivered by the distinguished French geologist Dr. Alexis Nutz. Titled “Sedimentation in the Turkana Depression (East African Rift System, Kenya): a reservoir analogue for all fluvial-lacustrine systems,” the seminar brought together specialists, researchers, and students interested in sedimentology, stratigraphy, geology, basin analysis, and petroleum reservoir studies.

Dr. Nutz is an experienced researcher in sedimentology and stratigraphy. He earned his PhD from the University of Strasbourg (UNISTRA) and subsequently participated in two major research-oriented scientific programs – first within a CNRS-Total collaboration and later at Aarhus University in Denmark. Since 2018, he has been serving as an Assistant Professor at Aix-Marseille University, one of France’s largest higher education institutions.

During the seminar, Dr. Nutz presented an in-depth analysis of the Turkana Depression, a key geological region that preserves a remarkable sedimentary record of the East African Cenozoic rifting, spanning approximately 35 million years to the present. He explained how extensive seismic imaging campaigns conducted in the early 1980s, followed by seismic reflection, gravity, and magnetic studies in later decades, revealed a complex structural framework composed of multiple grabens and half-grabens filled with more than three kilometers of Neogene sediments.

Dr. Nutz highlighted how the integration of geophysical data, well drilling, and detailed outcrop studies has turned the Turkana Depression into a textbook example of continental sedimentation, particularly within fluvial and lacustrine environments. His presentation focused on the evolution of the northern Turkana Depression from 28 million years ago to the present, showcasing sedimentary facies, their interpretation in terms of depositional environments, and their organization into sedimentary sequences.

The seminar also addressed the key tectonic and climatic factors controlling sedimentation in the basin, as well as the quality and distribution of potential reservoir rocks. Dr. Nutz emphasized the relevance of the Turkana Depression as a natural analogue for fluvial-lacustrine reservoirs in continental basins worldwide, offering valuable insights for both academic research and applied petroleum geology.

The event provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of basin evolution, depositional processes, and reservoir characterization.