Exploration has been active in the Sirte Basin, Libya and has resulted in discoveries that are estimated to total between 3.6 and 4.8 x 10⁹m³ (23 and 30 billion barrels) of recoverable oil. Crustal extension started in the Cretaceous and continued through the Miocene, and has resulted in horsts and grabens as the primary structural form. Hydrocarbons have been trapped in structural highs, in stratigraphic wedgeouts against structural highs, and in carbonate buildups. Four major oil systems are identified by the age of the sealing rocks. These are top sealing systems of Late Cretaceous, Paleocene, Early Eocene and Early Oligocene age. The combined effect of abundant structural relief, and reservoir development under four major sealing systems, explains why the Sirte Basin is prolific.

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