Petroleum Geology and Resource Potential of Conventional Oil and Gas in South America
Based on the analysis of petroleum geological features in South America,the undiscovered recoverable resources of conventional oil and gas in major basins of South America were evaluated,and the distribution characteristics of undiscovered oil and gas resources and the exploration potential were discussed.The results show that the sedimentary basins in South America can be divided into five types:forearc basin,back-arc basin,foreland basin,inner craton basin and passive margin basin.The source rocks are mainly Mesozoic and Cenozoic marine shales with very high hydrocarbon generation potential.The oil and gas reservoirs are mainly Cretaceous and Tertiary clastic rocks and carbonate rocks with wide distribution.The seals are mainly the Cenozoic regional shales and salt rocks with good sealing ability.Based on the play evaluation method,the 65 basins in South America were divided into 152 plays,the undiscovered recoverable resource of conventional oil and gas in 65 basins in South America were carried out,and the recoverable oil,condensate and gas resources are 263 716 MMB,7 405 MMB and 559 020 BCF respectively.The undiscovered oil and gas resources in South America show the characteristics of"two zones"distribution and"two centers"enrichment.Vertically,it is mainly concentrated in Cretaceous and Tertiary plays.The passive marginal basins and foreland basins belts are the most important areas for oil and gas exploration in South America in the future.The deep-sea and foreland thrust belts are main exploration directions,and Brazil and Venezuela are key countries.
petroleum geologyconventional oil and gasresource evaluationexploration potentialSouth America