Petroleum Geological Characteristics and Exploration Prospects in the Colorado Basin, Argentina

Argentina's offshore Colorado basin is a passive continental margin basin covering a vast area on the South America, yet remains underexplored today. Based on literature review, 2D seismic profiles interpretation and drilling data analysis, the tectonic evolution background, petroleum geological characteristics and exploration targets to be discovered in this basin are researched in this paper. It is concluded that the Colorado Basin is mainly influenced by the African and South America plates unzippering from south to north, which formed syn-rift grabens and half-grabens and continental-marine sediments with a maximum sediment thickness of more than 15 km. The tectonic and sedimentary characteristics of the basin control the conditions of hydrocarbon accumulation. The lower cretaceous Forting Formation is maily composed of lacustrine shale, which is a good potential source rock. Colorado Formation is mainly continental to shallow marine sandstone with high porosity and permeability, which has been proved to be oil-bearing reservoir. From the Eocene to the present, the basin deposited Elvira Formation, Barranca Final Formation and Pampa Group, the abyssal shale of which can be regional seal and cap rocks. Finally, the deep water and semi-deep water continental slope of the eastern Colorado Basin has good hydrocarbon accumulation conditions and certain exploration potential.