Subsurface Mapping and 3D Flexural Modeling of the Putumayo Foreland Basin, Colombia

Subsurface Mapping and 3D Flexural Modeling of the Putumayo Foreland Basin, Colombia
Author: Luis Fernando Pachon-Parra
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2013
Genre: Geology
ISBN:

The Putumayo foreland basin (PFB) is located in southernmost Colombia and forms a 250-Kmlong segment of the 7000-Km-long corridor of Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic foreland basins formed by the eastward thrusting of the Andean mountain chain over Precambrian rocks. The current daily production of the Putumayo basin is ~90K BOPD of 15-35° API oil and 300K BOPD of 20-35o API oil in the contiguous Maranon foreland basin to the south, in Ecuador. This study uses ~4000 Km of 2D seismic data tied to 28 exploratory wells to describe the structure and stratigraphy of the basin. The PFB is located adjacent to the NNE-trending Colombian Andes that have been influenced by the oblique and shallow subduction of the Carnegie Ridge starting 8 Ma. Based on mapping of the subsurface of the PFB and comparison with published works from the southward continuation of the PFB into Peru and Ecuador, three main across-strike, structural zones, and five tectonosequences of the PFB are described based on seismic interpretations. The structural zones of the PFB include: 1) the 20-Km-wide, Eastern structural zone closest to the Andean mountain front characterized by inversion of older, Jurassic half-grabens during the late Miocene; 2) the 45-Km-wide, Central structural zone characterized by moderately-inverted Jurassic half-grabens; and 3) the 120-Km-wide, Eastern zone characterized by the 90-Km-wide, N-S trending Caquetá arch with a few slightly inverted normal faults at its crest. The five, mainly clastic tectonosequences of the PFB include: 1) pre-foreland basin Early Cretaceous sedimentary rocks; 2) the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene foreland basin deposits; 3) the Eocene foreland basin deposits related to the early uplift of the Eastern Cordillera; 4) underfilled foreland basin deposits of the Oligocene-Miocene age; 5) overfilled foreland basin of the Plio-Pleistocene age. I used 3D flexural modeling to identify the present-day tectonic elastic thickness (Te) values for the lithosphere below PFB, in order to model the location of the sedimentary-related and tectonically-related forebulges in PFB units from the Cretaceous to Oligocene. This analysisshows two pulses of rapid, foreland-related subsidence during the Late Cretaceous-early Paleocene and the Oligocene-Miocene. Despite present-day oblique thrusting of the mountain front, the PFB basement flexure reveals a tectonic forebulge located in the Eastern structural zone that acts as the updip limit for most hydrocarbons found in the basin.

Andean Structural Styles

Andean Structural Styles
Author: Gonzalo Zamora
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 528
Release: 2022-04-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0323859585

Andean Structural Styles: A Seismic Atlas is a comprehensive reference illustrating the variability in structural styles and hydrocarbon traps that exist in the Andean chain. The Andean chain, stretching over more than 5,000 km (3,000 mi) from Venezuela to Argentina, contains a large number of sedimentary basins which have developed in a wide range of tectonic settings. Some of these basins are highly mature, with hydrocarbon production from Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic sedimentary sequences, while others are still underexplored. Andean Structural Styles: A Seismic Atlas covers topics including fold types, thrust faults, triangle zones, inversion structures, synorogenic deposits, and growth stratal geometries. These topics are illustrated by thirty-two seismic examples interpreted and uninterpreted, covering most of the Andean basins, and five chapters reviewing the structural styles of the Andes, the complexity of processing seismic in these settings, how analogue models help in the interpretation, and several outcrop analogues. This reference is invaluable to both hydrocarbon exploration of the Andes and researchers and students in the fields of exploration geology and structural geology. Also, those teaching structural geology and seismic interpretation will find a valuable resource with lots of uninterpreted seismic examples that can be used in their lectures. - Includes a vast collection of high-quality, color images - Features case studies covering the entirety of the Andes Mountain chain - Presents high-quality seismic data that was previously only available to oil companies

Tectonostratigraphic and Subsidence History of the Northern Llanos Foreland Basin of Colombia

Tectonostratigraphic and Subsidence History of the Northern Llanos Foreland Basin of Colombia
Author: Henry Miguel Campos
Publisher:
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2011
Genre:
ISBN:

The Llanos foreland basin of Colombia is located along the eastern margin of the northern Andes. The Llanos basin is bounded to the north by the Mérida Andes, to the east by the Guiana shield, to the south by the Serrania de la Macarena, and to the west by the frontal foothills thrust system of the Andes (the Cordillera Oriental). The Llanos foreland basin originated in the Maastrichtian, after a post-rift period during the Mesozoic, and recorded an abrupt pulse of middle Miocene subsidence possibly in response to subduction and collision events along the Pacific margin of northwestern South America. Regional east-west shortening, driven in part by collision of the Panama arc along the Pacific margin of Colombia, has built the widest part of the northern Andes. This wide area (~600 km) includes a prominent arcuate thrust salient, the Cordillera Oriental, which overthrusts the Llanos foreland along a broad V-shaped salient that projects 40 km over the northern Llanos foreland basin. In this study, I interpret 1200 km of 2D seismic data tied to 18 wells and regional potential fields (gravity and magnetic) data. Interpreted seismic data are organized into four regional (300 to 400-km-long) transects spanning the thrust salient area of the northern Llanos basin. I performed 2D flexural modeling on the four transects in order to understand the relative contributions of flexural subsidence due to tectonic and sedimentary loading. Sedimentary backstripping was applied to the observed structure maps of six Eocene to Pleistocene interpreted horizons in the foreland basin in order to remove the effects of sedimentary and water loading. Regional subsidence curves show an increase in the rate of tectonic subsidence in the thrust salient sector of the foreland basin during the middle to late Miocene. The flexural models predict changes in the middle Miocene to recent position of the eastern limit of foreland basin sediments as well as the changing location and vertical relief of the flexurally controlled forebulge. Production areas of light oil in the thrust belt and foreland basin are located either south of the thrust salient (Cusiana, Castilla, Rubiales oilfields) or north of the salient (Guafita-Caño Limon, Arauca oilfields) but not directly adjacent to the salient apex where subsidence, source rock thicknesses, and fracturing were predicted by a previous study to be most favorable for hydrocarbons. There are no reported light oil accumulations focused on the predicted present or past positions of the forebulge, but detailed comparisons of seismic reflection data with model predictions may reveal stratigraphic onlap and/or wedging relationships that could provide possible traps for hydrocarbons.

Amazonia: Landscape and Species Evolution

Amazonia: Landscape and Species Evolution
Author: Carina Hoorn
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 869
Release: 2011-09-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1444360256

The book focuses on geological history as the critical factor in determining the present biodiversity and landscapes of Amazonia. The different driving mechanisms for landscape evolution are explored by reviewing the history of the Amazonian Craton, the associated sedimentary basins, and the role of mountain uplift and climate change. This book provdes an insight into the Meso- and Cenozoic record of Amazonia that was characterized by fluvial and long-lived lake systems and a highly diverse flora and fauna. This fauna includes giants such as the ca. 12 m long caiman Purussaurus, but also a varied fish fauna and fragile molluscs, whilst fossil pollen and spores form relics of ancestral swamps and rainforests. Finally, a review the molecular datasets of the modern Amazonian rainforest and aquatic ecosystem, discussing the possible relations between the origin of Amazonian species diversity and the palaeogeographic, palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evolution of northern South America. The multidisciplinary approach in evaluating the history of Amazonia has resulted in a comprehensive volume that provides novel insights into the evolution of this region.

Unfolding the Geology of the West

Unfolding the Geology of the West
Author: Stephen M. Keller
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Total Pages: 430
Release: 2016-09-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0813700442

"Sixteen geologic field guides explore areas in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Montana"--

Reservoir Characterization

Reservoir Characterization
Author: Larry Lake
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 680
Release: 2012-12-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0323143512

Reservoir Characterization is a collection of papers presented at the Reservoir Characterization Technical Conference, held at the Westin Hotel-Galleria in Dallas on April 29-May 1, 1985. Conference held April 29-May 1, 1985, at the Westin Hotel—Galleria in Dallas. The conference was sponsored by the National Institute for Petroleum and Energy Research, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Reservoir characterization is a process for quantitatively assigning reservoir properties, recognizing geologic information and uncertainties in spatial variability. This book contains 19 chapters, and begins with the geological characterization of sandstone reservoir, followed by the geological prediction of shale distribution within the Prudhoe Bay field. The subsequent chapters are devoted to determination of reservoir properties, such as porosity, mineral occurrence, and permeability variation estimation. The discussion then shifts to the utility of a Bayesian-type formalism to delineate qualitative ""soft"" information and expert interpretation of reservoir description data. This topic is followed by papers concerning reservoir simulation, parameter assignment, and method of calculation of wetting phase relative permeability. This text also deals with the role of discontinuous vertical flow barriers in reservoir engineering. The last chapters focus on the effect of reservoir heterogeneity on oil reservoir. Petroleum engineers, scientists, and researchers will find this book of great value.

Geology and Tectonics of Northwestern South America

Geology and Tectonics of Northwestern South America
Author: Fabio Cediel
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 1010
Release: 2018-08-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319761323

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the geological evolution of the Northern Andes and contiguous shield areas, with a focus upon Colombia. Updated geological interpretations are supported by modern lithogeochemical, seismic, gravity and magnetic data and radiogenic isotope and radiometric age determinations. The composite data permits a detailed interpretation of the tectono-magmatic history of the Northern Andean Block, including the Andes of Colombia, northern Ecuador, western Venezuela and eastern Panamá. Tectonic reconstructions based upon characterization of more than thirty litho-tectonic and morpho-structural units, terrane assemblages and tectonic realms, and their bounding suture and fault systems, highlight the intimate and complementary Mesozoic-Cenozoic history of the Northern Andean Block and the Pacific and Caribbean Plates. The complex nature of Northern Andean assembly contrasts with ‘‘classical’’ Central Andean ‘‘Cordilleran-type’’ orogenic models. Differences render the application of typical Cordilleran-type models inappropriate for the Colombian Andes. The importance of underlying Proterozoic through mid-Mesozoic elements, in the development of Meso-Cenozoic Northern Andean orogeny-phase tectonic configurations is analyzed in the light of spatial-temporal studies and reconstructions related to basin formation, sedimentation, deformation, uplift mechanisms, structural style and magmatic evolution. The pre-Andean architecture of north western South America has played a pre-determinative role in the development of the Northern Andean orogenic system. 16 contributions analyze key stratigraphic, structural, metamorphic, magmatic and tectonic questions, and provide solutions as far as the most recent published field-based studies permit. The volume provides geological interpretations and tectonic models which contrast with repetitive theoretical proposals frequently found in the available literature.

Andean Tectonics

Andean Tectonics
Author: Brian K. Horton
Publisher:
Total Pages: 768
Release: 2019-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780128160091

Andean Tectonics addresses the geological evolution of the Andes Mountains, the prime global example of subduction-related mountain building. The Andes forms one of the most extensive mountain belts on Earth, spanning approximately an 8,000 km distance along the western edge of South America, from 10°N to 55°S. The tectonic history of the Andes involves a rich record of diverse geological processes, including crustal deformation, magmatism, sedimentary basin evolution, and climatic interactions. This book addresses the range of Andean tectonic processes and their temporal and spatial variations. This critical resource is ideal for researchers interested in the causes and consequences of Andean-type orogenesis and the long-term evolution of fold-thrust belts, magmatic arcs, and forearc and foreland basins. Evaluates the history of Andean mountain building over the past 250 million years (the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras) Integrates recent results and provides new perspectives on the complementary records of deformation, magmatism and sedimentary basin evolution, along with their interactions in time and space Provides insights into the development of the northern, central and southern Andes, all of which have typically been considered in isolation