The renewed quest to boost Nigeria’s dwindling reserves through aggressive search for oil and gas deposits in Cretaceous sedimentary basins has re-ignited the need to re-evaluate the hydrocarbon potentials of the Dahomey Basin. Aeromagnetic data are a low-cost geophysical tool deployed in mapping regional basement structures and determination of basement depths and sedimentary thickness in frontier basin exploration. In this study, high-resolution aeromagnetic (HRAM) data covering the Dahomey Basin Nigeria have been interpreted to map the basement structural configuration and to identify mini-basins favorable for hydrocarbon prospectivity. The total magnetic intensity grid was reduced to the equator (RTE) and edge detection filters including first vertical derivative (FVD), total horizontal derivative (THDR), tilt derivative (TDR) and total horizontal derivative of upward continuation (THDR_UC)) were applied to the RTE grid to locate the edges and contacts of geological structures in the basin. Depth to magnetic sources were estimated using the source parameter imaging (SPI) method. Data interpretation results revealed shallow and deep-seated linear features trending in the NNE-SSW, NE-SW, NW-SE and WNW-ESE directions. The SPI map showed a rugged basement topography which depicted a horst-graben architecture on 2D forward models along some selected profiles. Two mini-basins ranging in basement depths between 4.5 – 6.3km were mapped offshore of the study area. It appears the offshore Dahomey Basin holds greater promises for hydrocarbon occurrence due to the presence of thicker succession of sedimentary deposits in the identified mini-basins.

通过积极寻找白垩纪沉积盆地中的石油和天然气来增加尼日利亚日渐减少的储量的新尝试再次点燃了重新评估达荷美盆地碳氢化合物潜力的需求。航磁数据是一种低成本的地球物理工具，用于绘制区域基底结构图以及在边境盆地勘探中确定基底深度和沉积厚度。在这项研究中，已经解释了覆盖尼日利亚达荷美盆地的高分辨率航空电磁（HRAM）数据，以绘制基底结构构造图并确定有利于油气勘探的微型盆地。总磁场强度网格减少到赤道（RTE）和边缘检测滤波器，包括一阶垂直导数（FVD），总水平导数（THDR），将倾斜导数（TDR）和向上连续的总水平导数（THDR_UC）应用于RTE网格，以定位盆地中地质构造的边缘和接触点。使用源参数成像（SPI）方法估计了磁源的深度。数据解释结果显示，在NNE-SSW，NE-SW，NW-SE和WNW-ESE方向上趋势浅而深。SPI地图显示了崎base不平的地下室地形，在2D正向模型上沿某些选定剖面描绘了霍斯特-格拉本架构。在研究区域的海上绘制了两个微型盆地，它们的基底深度在4.5 – 6.3km之间。由于已发现的小盆地中较厚的连续沉积沉积物的存在，海上达荷美盆地似乎更有可能出现油气。