AAPG HEDBERG CONFERENCE
"Mobile Shale Basins - Genesis,
Evolution and Hydrocarbon Systems"
June 5-7, 2006 -- Port-of-Spain , Trinidad and
Tobago
Onshore Venezuelan shale mobilization associated to
the south
Caribbean Plate boundary
Leonardo Duerto1, Alejandro
Escalona2, Miguel Nuñez3, Aisha Perez3, Amram
Benguigui3
1
PDVSA Exploración Oriente
2 Institute of Geophysics,
3
PDVSA Exploracion Occidente
Shale diapirism has
been interpreted along the northern margin of South America in the Caribbean
margin of
Interpreted shale tectonic activity is diachronous. In
the northeastern
The Venezuelan shale
deformation belt is aligned to the east with the shale diapirism reported in
Shale deformation in
northern
The existence of these shale diapirs and shale-related folds are
important for hydrocarbon exploration because: 1) Shale diapirs act as conduits
for hydrocarbon migration from the source rock to the reservoirs; and 2) Shale
diapirs preserve excellent traps along their flanks, similar to those found in
the Gulf of Mexico caused by salt tectonics. Zones of proved oil entrapment
related to shale diapirism are located in Pedernales field at the Orinoco
delta, Quiamare and Tonoro field at the Urica area in the Eastern Venezuela
basin, and in the Mene Grande area in the
References:
Aslan, A., A. Warne, W. White, E. Guevara, R. Smyth, J.
Raney and J. Gibeaut, 2001, Mud volcanoes of the Orinoco delta, eastern
Venezuela: Geomorphology, v. 41, p. 323-336.
Briceño,L. and Vernette, G. (1992) Manifestaciones del
diapirismo arcilloso en el margen colombiano del Caribe. Geofisica Colombiana, 1: 21-30.
Brown, K. and G. Westbrook, 1987, The tectonic fabric of
the Barbados Ridge accretionary complex: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 4, p.
71-81
Chatellier, J-Y, M. Mendez, P. Hague and A. Navarro,
1998, Shale mobility in western
Deville, E.; Battani, A.;
Griboulard, R.; Guerlais, S.; Lallemant, S.; Mascle, A.; Prinzhofer, A. and
Schmitz, J (2004) Processes of Shale Diapirism and Mud Volcanism in the
Barbados-Trinidad Compressional System: Integrated Therman and Geochemical
Approach. GCSSEPM conference.
Duerto, L. and K. McClay, 2002, 3D geometry and
evolution of shale diapirs in the Eastern Venezuelan basin (abs.): AAPG annual
convention,
Escalona, A., 2003, Regional tectonics, sequence
stratigraphy and reservoir properties of Eocene clastic sedimentation,
Maracaibo Basin, Venezuela, Ph.D. dissertation, The University of Texas at
Austin, Austin, Texas, 222 p.
Heppard, O. H. Cander and E. Eggertson, 1998, Abnormal
pressure and the occurrence of hydrocarbons in offshore eastern Trinidad, West
Indies, in Law, B., G. Ulmishek and
V. Slavin, eds., Abnormal pressures in hydrocarbon environments: AAPG Memoir
70, p. 215-246.
Humphrey, W., 1963, Sedimentary volcanism in eastern
Nuñez, M., Benguigui, A.,
Paez, A.,
Sullivan, S., 2005, Geochemistry, sedimentology, and
morphology of mud volcanoes, eastern offshore Trinidad, M.Sc. thesis, The
University of Texas at
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90057©2006 AAPG/GSTT Hedberg Conference, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago