The Hassi R'mel gas field located 900 km south of Alger is a large anticline structure oriented North-South. Gas is being produced at three different levels (A-B-C). A sedimentological study shows fluvial environment for the three sandstone levels with northward transport orientation. The sand bodies are in the form of stretched bars with a length of several tens kilometres and a width of 7 kilometres. Natural and artificial thermoluminescence (TLN and TLA) are identical for the three levels but with well differentiated quartz nodules in level C. A study was also conducted on the Saharian Paleozoic platform to localize the eventual origin of Triassic sandstone. Among the numerous formations studied, only three contains quartz identical to TLN and TLA with the Hassi R'mel Sandstone. These formations are: - Moscovian; - Ordovician (El Gassi, El Atchane and undifferenciated Ordovician sandstones); - Cambrian. For geological reasons (localisation and hidden formations at Triassic times) Moscovian and Cambrian formations do not seem to constitute a major provenance area, but Ordovician sandstone is probably the principal Hassi R'mel Sandstone provenance area in Upper Triassic.
