100 Years of Exploration: The Success Story of the Tampico Basin

Mark Shann, Antonio Cuevas

The Tampico Basin lies along the Gulf of Mexico Borlands. It contains several world class petroleum plays that were discovered in the early part of this century. Success in exploration within the Tampico Basin has led to the discovery since 1904 of over 5 bnstb oil.

The major influence that combined to cause this prolific petroleum systems have been: (1) the extensive rich Jurassic source rocks. The Early Jurassic source rocks are confined in deep restricted syn-rift extensional basins, and the Late Jurassic source rocks are thinner but more widespread, deposited at the time of widespread transgression at the base of the passive margin episode; (2) the Middle Jurassic Syn-Rift structural framework provide the horst blocks over wich the early Passive Margin transgressive oolites reservoirs, "the San Andres Formation" were deposited. (3) a multitude of passive margin carbonate reservoir systems of the Middle Cretaceous Tuxpan Platform deposited over a series of highly structured basement blocks; and (4) subsequent Tertiary burial and oil expulsion eneath the Early Tertiary foreland basin to the Sierra Madre and the present day continuing Gulf of Mexico passive margin.

Significant potential remains to fulfil 100 years of exploration success in this basin, in particular from the offshore area, in the relative underexplored San Andres play and the new frontier growth fault and "Mexican Ridges" plays.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91020©1995 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, May 5-8, 1995