--> Abstract: An Assessment of the Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of the Argentine South Atlantic, by Lang, Craig J.; James, Richard; Robinson, Libby J.; and Saunders, Colin; #90166 (2013)

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An Assessment of the Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of the Argentine South Atlantic

Lang, Craig J.1; James, Richard; Robinson, Libby J.; and Saunders, Colin
1[email protected]

While the focus of exploration activity in the South American South Atlantic margin is fixed on the basins to the north of the Rio Grande Rise, vast areas of the Argentine South Atlantic margin remain largely undrilled. While it is true that the salt that is key to many of the plays in the Brazilian South Atlantic basins is absent to the south, hydrocarbon shows in wells prove that active petroleum systems are present in some of the Argentine offshore basins. Recent gas discoveries sourced from Hauterivian syn-rift source rocks along the conjugate margin in South Africa and Namibia offer further indications of the hydrocarbon potential offshore Argentina.

Despite the promise offered by the Argentine South Atlantic margin, tentative exploration in a number of basins has yielded largely discouraging results. This includes the Rawson, Colorado and San Julian basins where a number of dry wells have been drilled. This presentation aims to address what can be learnt from these perceived failures and how this knowledge can be taken forward and used to identify more prospective areas.

The inherent scarcity of data in frontier regions necessitates an alternative way to assess the petroleum potential of frontier basins. The application of our biostratigraphically calibrated, global, 3rd-order sequence stratigraphic Earth Model, tied to a global, palinspastic geodynamic model allows us to infer where and when key petroleum system elements may have been deposited along the Argentine South Atlantic margin. For example, an understanding of hinterland uplift events and the resultant effects on paleodrainage derived from geodynamic considerations is used in conjunction with known periods of eustatic lowstand to predict the position and relative size of basin floor fan deposits.

Key concepts to address include: the extent of the highly prolific onshore Pozo D-129 – Mina del Carmen/Comodoro Rivadavia petroleum system into the offshore portion of the Golfo San Jorge Basin and the likelihood of a petroleum system directly analogous to the Lower Inoceramus – Springhill petroleum system of the Austral-Magallanes Basin operating in the adjacent Malvinas Basin. Additionally, the East Patagonia Basin occupies an area of approximately 132,0855km2 but remains largely undrilled aside from a handful of wells testing the eastern margin of the Colorado Basin. Correlation with the Namibian and South African conjugate margin would suggest that syn-rift source rocks may be present.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90166©2013 AAPG International Conference & Exhibition, Cartagena, Colombia, 8-11 September 2013