--> ABSTRACT: Structural Evolution in the Eastern Cordillera and Llanos Foothills, Colombia, and its Implications for Petroleum Exploration, by Schuman Wu and Phil de Gruyter; #90906(2001)

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Schuman Wu1, Phil de Gruyter1

(1) Repsol-YPF, Englewood, CO

ABSTRACT: Structural Evolution in the Eastern Cordillera and Llanos Foothills, Colombia, and its Implications for Petroleum Exploration

Regional analysis and structural transects reveal five distinct structural domains which are useful as exploration tools and for devising consistent tectonic and temporal sequences along the trend. These give insights into markedly different exploration potentials.

1) Deformational Front: Buried under Tertiary cover, this trend contains the widely recognized ~3 BBOE Cusiana-Cupiagua complex developed in the last ~10 years. 2) Mountain Thrust Front Domain: Consisting of mainly eroded upper Cretaceous exposures, this trend has limited potential. 3) Subthrust Domain: In just the last ~6 years, well over 1 BBOE may have been revealed within the giant inverted and imbricate structures that lie beneath and near the Mountain Front. 4) Outer Cordillera Domain: Consisting of mainly highly eroded lower Cretaceous exposures, this trend has very low potential. 5) Inner Cordillera Domain: It is clear that this area is not simply the eroded "cooking pot" engrained in conventional thinking, but rather demonstrates a wide range of geologic conditions - possibly from "giant-making" to "disaster" potential.

Although the conventional view for HC-charge has been a 2-pulse Paleogene & Miocene model from Cretaceous-only source rocks, it is now clear that both Cretaceous and Tertiary sources charged very young Late Pliocene and Pleistocene structures (5-0.5 m.y.) with world-class volumes - a major point with multiple implications for both the Foothills and the Cordillera.

Exploration pitfalls vary by domain, but include drilling structures that are mistaken for thrust anticlines, structures insufficiently inverted, "upper deck" imbricate stacks that are mistaken for deeper structures, reservoirs breached to outcrop and velocity pull-ups.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90906©2001 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado