ABSTRACT: Petroleum Geology of the Gulf of California, Mexico

Alfredo E. Guzman

The Gulf of California basin proper is a very young (late Miocene) feature in northwestern Mexico, produced by the tectonic interaction of the Pacific and American plates. Sediments are mostly siliciclastic with thicknesses that may exceed 8000 m (26,248 ft).

Exploratory drilling started in 1979 and since then, ten offshore and seven onshore wells have been spudded. Foremost among the former the Extremeno 1 well tested from a thin deltaic sand 4115 m deep (13,501 ft) a daily flow of 6.2 million ft³ of gas and 130 bbl of gas condensate through a 0.25 in. choke with a pressure of 280 kg/cm² (3981 psi). In the southern part of the basin, the offshore Huichol 1 well was also a gas and condensate producer, albeit noncommercial.

Geologically, the basin's favorable generation and trapping conditions make up a very attractive scenario for a future petroleum producing province, once exploration priorities are considered timely.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91003©1990 AAPG Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, June 3-6, 1990