The Congo basin (CB) occupies a large part of the Congo craton, which derived from the amalgamation of different cratonic pieces. As intracratonic basin, it initiated, possibly as a failed rift, in late Mesoproterozoic and evolved during the Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic in an intraplate setting. For this reason, the CB can be considered a natural laboratory for investigating the processes that govern the long–term evolution of continental interiors. In this study, we reconstructed the stratigraphy and tectonic evolution of the CB using all available and geological seismic data (reflection and refraction seismics, borehole and field data). We interpreted almost 2600 km of seismic reflection profiles and well log data located inside the central area of the CB (the “Cuvette Centrale”). The obtained model will be further constrained by aeromagnetic and satellite gravity data and density measurements from rock samples in a next paper. Results show that the depth to the basement varies quite significantly, defining a series of structural highs and depocenters that developed throughout the history of the basin. The major controlling factors for the development of the CB are, besides the deep geodynamic processes, the inherited heterogeneity of the pre-Neoproterozoic basement, the tectonic evolution of Rodinia, Gondwana and Pangea amalgamation and breakup, and environmental conditions influenced by the drifting through the South Pole towards its present-day equatorial position and global climatic fluctuations between icehouse and greenhouse conditions.

刚果盆地（CB）占刚果克拉通的大部分，而克拉通是不同克拉通碎片合并而成的。作为克拉通盆地，它在中元古代晚期开始，可能是失败的裂谷，并在板内环境中在新元古代和半生代期间演化。因此，可以将CB视为用于研究控制大陆内部长期演化的过程的自然实验室。在这项研究中，我们使用所有可用的地质地震数据（反射和折射地震，井眼和野外数据）重建了CB的地层和构造演化。我们解释了位于CB中心区域（“试管中央”）内部近2600公里的地震反射剖面和测井数据。在下一篇论文中，获得的模型将进一步受到航空磁和卫星重力数据以及岩石样品密度测量的约束。结果表明，地下室的深度变化很大，定义了整个盆地历史上形成的一系列结构性高点和沉积中心。煤层气发展的主要控制因素是，除了深层的地球动力学过程外，新元古界前基底的遗传异质性，罗迪尼亚，冈瓦纳和潘吉亚的构造演化以及合并和破裂，以及通过漂流影响的环境条件。南极正朝着当今的赤道位置发展，而冰室和温室条件之间的全球气候波动。