Findings, Interpretations and Potential of the Shallowest Reservoirs in Burgos Basin, México

Hugo Avalos Torres, Victor Manuel Alvarez Maya, Mariano H. Téllez Aviles, Manuel Morales Leal, and José Bernal Monjaras
PEMEX, Región Norte, México

The Burgos Basin, an area covering 50,000 km2, is located on the western edge of the Gulf of Mexico and the northeastern edge of Mexico, mainly in the states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León. In the past years, the Burgos Basin has become one the most important non-associated gas producers of Mexico. This paper discusses the findings, results and current interpretations of the shallowest gas reservoirs in the Burgos Basin. The main characteristics of these reservoirs are their depth (from 125 to 645 m), production and rock quality index. The reservoirs have thicknesses varying from 3 to 18 m and are located in siliciclastic sediments from the Oligocene and Eocene, in the Frio Marino, No Marino and Jackson formations. All of the reservoirs have good to excellent porosity “ø” (8 to 34%) and permeability “k” (1.6 to 825 md) obtained from cores. The petrophysical properties, sedimentary environment, rock quality and mineralogy of these productive sands are derived from studies of sidewall cores, cross-plots, petrography images, scanner electronic microscope (SEM) and earlier regional studies. These sands have produced gas and condensate with rates varying from 0.3 to 2 MMCFD (million cubic feet per day) and with pressure ranges of 400 to 900 psi. The cumulative production ranges vary between 0.8 to 15 BCF (billion cubic feet).

AAPG Search and Discover Article #90069©2007 GCAGS 57th Annual Convention, Corpus Christi, Texas