Alternative workflow for three-dimensional basin modeling in areas of structural complexity: Case study from the Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia

González, Román Eugenio; Suárez, Carlos Orlando; Higuera, Iván Camilo; Rojas, Luis Ernesto

doi:10.1306/0415191612917185

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…The thermal maturity influences the total hydrocarbons generated because the Galembo, Pujamana, and Salada formations reached higher transformation ratios in the depocenters than in less mature margins of the basin. Although hydrocarbon generation began in the Late Cretaceous, most of the generation occurred in the Neogene, coincident with the maximum burial depth as earlier studies suggest (e.g., Gonzalez et al, 2020).…”

Section: Figure 14mentioning

confidence: 53%

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Sweet spot areas for shale oil and shale gas plays in the Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Middle Magdalena Valley, Colombia: insights from basin modeling

Pastor-Chacón,

Aguilera,

Triana

et al. 2023

Front. Earth Sci.

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The Middle Magdalena Valley Basin (MMVB) in Colombia has a long history of conventional hydrocarbon exploration and production, with a cumulative production of 2.75 billion barrels of oil as of December 2021. Recent interest has been directed towards unconventional hydrocarbon plays within the basin due to the fine-grained nature of its Cretaceous source rocks and their mineralogy and mechanical properties. This study presents a three-dimensional basin model for three Upper Cretaceous source rocks, known as the “La Luna Formation,” within the MMVB. The model was developed using new data from five outcrops, 7,640 km of 2D seismic lines, and forty-one boreholes, as well as additional data sets such as X-ray diffraction analyses, pyrolysis analyses, well-log correlations, facies analysis, fracture pattern prediction, pore pressure analysis, heat flow estimations, and petrophysical data. The model estimates total retained oil and gas volumes to be 7.95 billion barrels and 4.21 trillion cubic feet in most probable scenarios, after a 15% recovery factor. Seismic interpretation reveals pre-Eocene structures beneath Paleogene and Neogene sediments, and the thickness variation of the source rocks from south to north of the basin. Petrophysical modeling shows effective porosities ranging from 2%–12% and organic porosities lower than 0.1%, with parts of the succession that might correspond to a carrier bed play. From a geomechanical perspective, we identified several brittle strata based on the higher concentrations of carbonates and quartz, and the areas with a higher probability of occurrence of natural fractures. Pore pressure analysis of multiple wells shows that wells in which the Middle Eocene unconformity has beveled the source rocks have no sealing capacity, becoming a risk for the play. The results suggest potential for unconventional hydrocarbon plays in the MMVB, with sweet spot areas being primarily controlled by porosity, thermal maturity, gas-oil ratios, and retained oil and gas volumes, as well as to a lesser degree, the probability of natural fractures and pore pressure conditions. However, further exploration is needed to constrain uncertainties regarding facies and source rock quality, particularly within the depocenters of the basin, in order to prove the economic feasibility of these unconventional plays.

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Section: Figure 14mentioning

confidence: 53%

“…The heat flow modeling allows us to identify three stages of the basal heat flow history consistent with the major tectonic episodes described above, reflecting burial history (Figure 12). As an alternative to the heat flow model published by Gonzalez et al (2020), during the Early Cretaceous, the basin setting could be…”

Section: Heat Flow and Burial Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%