Print this pageHydrocarbon Potential of Lower Magdalena Basin
E. Torres, R. Valderrama
The Lower Magdalena basin complex of Colombia has an areal extent of more than 87,000 km2. The geologic setting of the different subbasins of the Lower Magdalena presents attractive play concepts for the generation, entrapment, and production of hydrocarbons.
The sedimentary sequence within the basin attains a thickness in excess of 12,200 m, with the preponderance of this section being of Tertiary age. This major thickness of section contains good source and reservoir rocks and seals and an abundance of structural and stratigraphic traps, which make the basin attractive for new interpretation and evaluation.
The Plato, San Jorge, and Sinu subbasins lie within the Lower Magdalena complex. Each of these presents different geological conditions, thereby offering a variety of play concepts for hydrocarbon exploration.
Previous exploration in the Lower Magdalena has resulted in the discovery of 10 small to moderate-size fields, which have produced nearly 200 million bbl of oil. The density of exploration drilling within the basin is one well/435 km2, thereby allowing the opportunity for more discoveries to be realized.
The existence of a thick Tertiary section with excellent source beds and a tectonic history that allows for both structural and stratigraphic traps presents an excellent opportunity for the application of modern exploration techniques to reevaluate the potential of a basin that has not been thoroughly evaluated due to complex exploration problems.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91022©1989 AAPG Annual Convention, April 23-26, 1989, San Antonio, Texas.