Preliminary findings from an airborne gravity/magnetic survey of BDS 2008 in southern Chad strongly confirm the viability of leads in two focus areas identified by ERHC’s technical team after analysis of previously collected data, ERHC Energy Chad said in a news release.

ERHC's sub-contractor, Bridgeporth Ltd., a specialist geosciences company, has completed the survey that began earlier this month.

The aerial survey, flown over 4,720 line km, evaluated the hydrocarbon potential within ERHC’s Block BDS 2008 in the area north of Esso' Tega and Maku discoveries in the Doseo Basin and a second area east of and on trend with OPIC’s Benoy-1 margin discovery in the Doba Basin, the release said. Bridgeporth employed a three-sensor aircraft equipped with a GT-2A airborne gravity system for gravity recording and a G-822 Mobile Cesium Magnetometer for aeromagnetic recording. The aircraft was flown at an altitude of 150 m (492 ft).

ERHC it is pursuing a rift margin play in BDS 2008 similar to exploration strategies that led to recent major discoveries in East Africa. ERHC's focus areas in the block are located on a rift margin along the Central African Shear Zone. Regional stratigraphic mapping indicates the presence of alluvial fan deltas and lacustrine deltas in ERHC's areas of interest, which provide both reservoir and seal rocks, the company said in the release.