Geology and petroleum resources of Argentina
Argentina occupies the southern portion of the Brazilian craton in an extensively accreted zone. The plate tectonics setting of Argentina involves a Gondwana reentrant (South America, Africa, and Antarctica) whose evolution as yet is uncertain. Along the east flank of the Andes, late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic taphrogenic (rift) basins of apparent wrench-rift origin contain 85% of the discovered oil and gas in Argentina. Movement and docking of the Patagonian and Deseado-Falkland massifs (microplates.) were accompanied by intense late Paleozoic-early Mesozoic volcanic activity and the development of intracraton and interplate rifts where restricted lacustrine or shallow marine source rocks were deposited. Subsequent late Tertiary foredeep folding on the semi-cratonic accreted zone developed on the western margin of the rift basins, but did not affect the undisturbed portion of the basins. Source rocks include marine bituminous shales of Devonian, Jurassic, and Cretaceous ages, and lacustrine bituminous shales of Triassic and Jurassic ages. Reservoir rocks are predominately clastics, generally interbedded with the source sequence. The undiscovered oil and gas resources are assessed at 60 to 70% of the amount already discovered, divided equally between producing and nonproducing basins.
- Research Organization:
- Geo Basins, Ltd., Bondville, VT
- OSTI ID:
- 5166892
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-860624-
- Journal Information:
- Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Vol. 70:5; ISSN AAPGB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Geology
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ARGENTINA
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
BLACK SHALES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CENOZOIC ERA
CHATTANOOGA FORMATION
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
DEVONIAN PERIOD
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLORATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
JURASSIC PERIOD
LATIN AMERICA
MATERIALS
MATURATION
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
OIL SHALES
PALEOZOIC ERA
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
RESOURCES
SOURCE ROCKS
SOUTH AMERICA
TECTONICS
TERTIARY PERIOD
TRIASSIC PERIOD