Tampico-Misantla Basin Research Articles

Structural and morphological evaluation of three types of carbonate hydrocarbon-bearing rocks from Tampico-Misantla basin: Structural effects after CO2 injection

Structural and morphological evaluation of three types of carbonate hydrocarbon-bearing rocks from Tampico-Misantla basin: Structural effects after CO2 injection

Study of geomechanical properties of the Pimienta formation with undrained multi-stage triaxial tests, Central-Western Tampico Misantla Basin, Mexico

The Pimienta Formation (J-Pi) of the Tampico Misantla Basin (TMB) in Mexico is known for its potential as unconventional onshore hydrocarbon reserves. The area of interest in this study is located in the western-central part of the TMB, where no significant production has been established from unconventional resources. Given the low permeability and low porosity characteristics of the carbonaceous mudstone in the Pimienta formation, it is necessary to implement techniques to increase the area of flow from the reservoir to the borehole, achieving profitable oil and gas extraction.The geomechanical properties of rock strata are essential inputs for the design and implementation of shale oil and gas production engineering, such as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Understanding the capabilities of the rock to yield and contain hydraulic fractures is essential to designing safe and efficient well stimulations. Likewise, the wellbore stability is of critical importance to the successful development of secondary and tertiary recovery systems.In this study, core samples from the Pimienta Formation in the TMB are analyzed through undrained multi-stage triaxial tests, emphasizing the estimated in-situ geo stresses and the effect of the mineral composition of the rock. The geomechanical parameters of compressional strength, Poisson ratio (PR), and Young's modulus of the Pimienta formation are obtained from the analysis of the experimental data and finding correlations to the mineral composition of the samples. A detailed characterization is completed under the conventional rock mechanics methodologies of Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown failure criterion, as well as Brittleness Index (BI).

A basin scale assessment framework of onshore aquifer-based CO2 suitability storage in Tampico Misantla basin, Mexico

The importance of CO2 storage in deep geological formations to mitigate CO2 emissions, has triggered the investigation of possible sites worldwide. This study presents a hierarchical basin-wide evaluation of the Tampico-Misantla basin (TMB), Mexico, following a basin evaluation methodology based on literature criteria and local particularities. The results show that the TMB has significant potential to adequately store CO2. The stratigraphy evaluation reveals two candidate aquifers: (1) the Cretaceous Tamaulipas and (2) the Jurassic Cahuasas formations. Twenty-three criteria are taken into account to evaluate the storage potential of the area. A numerical scoring and weighting scheme integrate all the criteria in a raster, thus allowing the storage potential to be depicted using a normalized scale. The prospective areas are restricted by the 0.8 isoline normalized value (over 1). Considering the aquifer's volume with potential above 0.8, the effective storage capacity of the basin is estimated to be 972.3 to 1346.0 million tonnes of CO2.

Environmental controls on the microfacies distribution and spectral gamma ray response of the uppermost Jurassic–Lowermost cretaceous succession (Pimienta–Lower Tamaulipas Formations) in central-eastern Mexico

Organic-rich sediments of the Pimienta Formation were deposited in the Tampico-Misantla Basin during the Late Jurassic–Earliest Cretaceous. A sedimentological, spectrometric, microfacies and geochemical analysis was performed on a stratigraphic section recording the Pimienta–Lower Tamaulipas formational transition, to gain an understanding of the depositional conditions, and to decipher the main factors that control the gamma ray signal. This latter was achieved by comparison with other records. The studied succession spans from the upper part of the lower Berriasian Calpionella Zone to the lower part of the lower Valanginian Calpionellites Zone. Moreover, the microfacies data indicate it was accumulated in an outer ramp to basinal setting influenced by high energy events and the input of grains transported from shallower areas. Oxygen levels increased during the lastest Berriasian–early Valanginian. The organic matter preserved in these sediments has a mixed marine-terrestrial origin and is immature to early mature. Several records across the basin show that from the lower part of the Pimienta Formation to the lower part of the Tamaulipas Formation sediments change from radiolarian-rich microfacies with the highest Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content and Standard Gamma Ray (SGR) values to calpionellid-rich microfacies with the lowest TOC and SGR values. This shift is interpreted as controlled by the evolution of environmental conditions from eutrophic/oxygen-depleted to oligotrophic-partially oxygenated, which caused a progressive decrease in the organic matter burial and enrichment of authigenic U.

Geological map of the distribution of igneous Cenozoic rocks in central Tampico-Misantla Basin

We present a geological map that shows the distribution of Cenozoic igneous rocks in the central portion of the Tampico-Misantla Basin in eastern Mexico at 1:500,000 scale. This map covers an area of ~25000 km2, including part of the States of Veracruz, Hidalgo, and Puebla. It was made as background information for the geophysical exploration of the CONACYT Fronteras de la Ciencia project 1787 “Un acercamiento a los Yacimientos no Convencionales a partir de Métodos Electromagnéticos de exploración”. This map resulted from the compilation of cartographic and geochronological (28 K-Ar isotopic ages) information from available literature, complemented and improved with photogeology and regional reconnaissance tours along several roads that cross the region. Main Cenozoic units were recognized during fieldwork. Particular emphasis was placed on identifying igneous rocks, especially intrusive bodies, as this was one of the main goals of the CONACYT Project, by using geophysical methods, and characterizing the geometry of the basin. The map is now available to the community interested in the Cenozoic evolution of east-central Mexico. Besides that, it will be the basis of the research that the group is carrying out in the Eastern Mexican Alkaline Province and the eastern Sierra Madre Oriental Cenozoic magmatism.

Magnetic fabric and sedimentary characterization of near-slope to basinal deposits from the Chicontepec Formation, central and southern region of the Tampico-Misantla basin

We report results of a study of the Chicontepec Formation magnetic fabric in the central and southern region of the Tampico-Misantla basin in the state border region between Veracruz and Hidalgo. Samples were collected at 16 sites corresponding to two main facies associations: channel-fill facies and channel overbank facies. The channel facies dominate the relief developing prominent geoforms adjacent to low hills developed in facies dominated by shales. Measurements were made on channel and overbank facies. Laboratory analyses include anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and remanence anisotropy (AARM), as well as isothermal remanence acquisition (IRM) and thermomagnetic curves to characterize magnetic mineralogy. The magnetic susceptibility values of the entire collection are of the order of 40 to 70 x10-6 SI, so the susceptibility fabric is controlled by the paramagnetic fraction. The IRM acquisition curves are near saturation with inductions < 0.3 T and can be modeled with a low coercivity component contributing ~ 90% and a high coercivity component contributing < 10%. The thermomagnetic curves are dominated by paramagnetic phases. In the AMS fabric, three types of behavior are observed, corresponding to a lesser extent to sedimentary fabrics (k3 ~ vertical), and mostly to incipient and well-developed tectonic fabrics. The sedimentary fabrics are characterized by the imbrication of the magnetic foliation perpendicular to the paleocurrent data obtained in the field, which are generally consistent from NW to SE. At sites with tectonic fabric, which generally correspond to sites closer to the deformation front, the magnetic lineaments are well clustered in the NW quadrant with low plunges. AMS and AARM fabrics may combine in complex patterns. AARM appears to record either maximum axis directions that correspond to alignment of elongated particles perpendicular to flow or the direction of thrust motion.

Deep diagenesis of the Pimienta Formation (Tithonian-Berriasian): Petrophysical, petrographic, and geochemical characteristics of the source rock

In this work, the goal is to understand the diagenetic history of a Tithonian-Berriasian hydrocarbon generating rock (Pimienta Formation), belonging to the Tampico-Misantla Basin. This sedimentary formation is differentiated into two facies, the former consists of clay-carbonate deposits and flint, and the latter consists of calcareous deposits and bentonites. Through geochemical analysis, petrographic descriptions, and observations in computerized digital tomography, we can observe that the fluids of marine origin, trapped in the clays, were expelled along with organic acids and oils. These fluids migrated slowly through the sedimentary sequence and precipitated into a closed flown system, forming authigenic minerals with fluid inclusions. Subsequently, this system, initially closed due to low porosity and permeability, was opened due to secondary fracturing and diagenetic processes (re-crystallization and dissolution) within the rock, which currently allows a flow of up to 300 nD in surface exposures. In addition, the temperatures measured through microthermometry of fluid inclusions and the reflectance spectra of organic matter, show temperature data between 109° and 272 °C. In consequence, it is estimated that the Pimienta Formation could reach depths between 3 and 4 km before erosion and uplift. These conditions allow a source rock with type II and III organic matter to acquire the capacity to generate wet gas and later dry gas. However, we can observe a variety of light and intermediate hydrocarbons within the pore spaces which suggest migration of hydrocarbons from another origin towards this formation. This is relevant because it could indicate a conventional/unconventional variable behavior in the course of its geological history.

Paleoenvironmental changes and biotic response to Aptian–Albian episodes of accelerated global change: Evidence from the western margin of the proto-North Atlantic (central-eastern Mexico)

The Aptian–Albian interval represents a time of distinctive atmospheric and oceanic changes. A major perturbation of the carbon cycle induced by intense volcanic activity produced episodes of environmental change affecting the abundance and evolution of marine plankton. Several studies based on pelagic and hemipelagic sections have used biostratigraphic events and carbon isotope stratigraphy tools to identify biotic responses to environmental perturbations. Few studies have included Aptian–Albian planktic microfossil communities and paleoenvironmental changes in Mexico, a region that was part of the western proto-North Atlantic margin. The aim of this study is to interpret paleoenvironmental and paleoceanographic conditions through a microfacies analysis of a carbonated succession of the Tamaulipas Formation from central-eastern Mexico (Tampico-Misantla Basin), within a temporal framework based on planktic foraminiferal and colomiellids biostratigraphy.The studied section, 92 m thick, consists of a continuous pelagic succession. Facies contain abundant planktic microfossils and span the stratigraphic interval between the Globigerinelloides blowi and Ticinella praeticinensis Zones. The Aptian/Albian Boundary in the studied section was established on the highest occurrence (HO) of planktic foraminifera such as Paraticinella rohri and the presence of Microhedbergella spp., followed by the lowest occurrence (LO) of colomiellids such as Colomiella recta.Detailed quantification of microfossil assemblages reveals variations in abundance of planktic foraminifera, radiolarians, praecolomiellids, colomiellids, dinocyst and echinoderm fragments. These variations related to fabric characterization and bioturbation indexes allow us to infer fluctuations in ancient trophic conditions in the water column, which might be associated with episodes of global environmental change such as Oceanic Anoxic Events.

Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic thermotectonic history of eastern, central and southern Mexico as determined through integrated thermochronology, with implications for sediment delivery to the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract A database of 134 apatite fission track (AFT), and apatite and zircon (U–Th)/He analyses has been assembled for eastern Mexico. Most of these samples have reset ages and track lengths reflecting rapid cooling. Time–temperature histories were modelled for 99 localities, and were converted to depth using a constant gradient of 30°C km −1 . Maps of these results reveal smooth temperature patterns in space and time, indicating that heating was due to regional burial rather than hydrothermal circulation. Cooling began by 90 Ma in the west and 50 Ma along the eastern edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental. These ages mimic the duration of the Mexican Orogeny, which verifies that most of these AFT ages have event significance. The elongate Mayrán Basin, a part of the Mexican foreland basin system, formed and grew across and above the eastern toe of the active Sierra Madre Oriental. This basin subsided between at least 70 and c. 40 Ma, and reached a minimum depth of 6 km. It was a both a catchment and routing system for sediment from US and Mexican sources. The shape of the basin suggests that early outflow was directed through the Burgos Basin into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). By 50 Ma, some outflow potentially routed southwards through the Tampico Misantla Basin area. The Mayrán Basin subsided until 40 Ma, and then began to uplift and erode. This inversion mobilized the stored sediment and redeposited it into the GoM, filling the offshore Bravo Trough. Volcanism swept eastwards between 90 and 40 Ma, driven by northeastward-directed flat-slab subduction, which may also have driven the contraction. Local subsidence during contraction suggests there was dynamic pull-down created by the underriding flat slab. Subsidence ceased at c. 40 Ma, as volcanism swept back westward and asthenosphere replaced the flat slab. The crust rebounded, creating an ensuing period of massive erosion which peaked around 20 Ma. Southern Mexico was relatively quiet until rapid uplift began in Oaxaca in late Oligocene–early Miocene time. Uplift progressed eastwards to the Chiapas Massif in the late Miocene, commensurate with the eastward translation of the Chortis Block.

The Distributional Justice of Oil Industry Social Development Projects and Oil Field Production Activities

In order to share the benefits of oil production with people living in extraction areas, the oil industry targets social development investments and projects to communities most affected by production activities. Yet, the effectiveness of industry-led community development projects remains unclear and under explored. In this study, we use a benefit-sharing, distributional justice framework to assess the efficacy of social development projects among 11 municipal governments and 114 local communities in the Tampico-Misantla Basin, a major oil extraction region in Mexico. To test for distributional justice, we use geospatial, rapid rural appraisal, and government data to compare the spatial overlap of oil production, pipelines, recent drilling activity, well counts, state-funded public works, and social marginalization indexes to social development infrastructure (e.g. paved roads, schools, bridges). We explain the uneven distribution of risks and benefits among some rural communities as the result of premature investments in social development projects, party politics, corruption, community capacity, and proximity to urban areas. This study contributes an empirical approach to evaluate distributional justice in oil extraction areas. It also provides insights into Mexico’s oil sector during a period of significant neoliberal restructuring, most recently with the 2014 Energy Reforms.

Source rock evaluation in the central-western flank of the Tampico Misantla Basin, Mexico

Source rock evaluation is performed in a prospective block on the western-central flank of the Tampico Misantla Basin (TMB), Mexico, analyzing the Agua Nueva, Pimienta and Taman formations. The rock samples are drilling cores and cuttings obtained from legacy wells in an area delimited geographically on the west by the Sierra Madre Oriental. The area is located within the unconventional land region designated by Mexico's Ministry of Energy (SENER). Pyrolysis analyses on 167 samples were performed using the HAWK℠ instrument. The results of these source rock assessments indicate that most of the samples are classified in the oil to gas condensate window, with low Total Organic Content (TOC) -dominated by non-generative organic carbon- and low Hydrogen Index (HI). A few wells showing higher S1/TOC ratio are recommended for further investigation. There is a general trend of increasing thermal maturity from southern to central-western Tampico Misantla Basin. The geochemical results were integrated with previously published data, thus enhancing our interpretations and providing additional insight on the thermal maturity and the phase of hydrocarbons of the Jurassic–Cretaceous source rock intervals in the region.

Late Cretaceous-Paleocene stratigraphic and structural evolution of the central Mexican fold and thrust belt, from detrital zircon (U-Th)/(He-Pb) ages

Combined U-Pb and (U-Th)/He ages on a small sample set of Cretaceous foreland-basin sandstone from a transect of the fold-thrust belt in east-central Mexico reveal correspondence between episodes of thrust-belt exhumation with previously postulated deformational events and with at least one wedge of synorogenic sediment in the adjacent Tampico-Misantla basin. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages, sandstone petrography and multidimensional scaling analysis of the Cenomanian-Turonian Mineral de Pozos sandstone, the Coniacian Soyatal and Campanian San Felipe formations, and the Paleocene Chicontepec Formation indicate sediment sources in the Mexican Cordilleran magmatic arc of western Mexico, the accreted Guerrero arc terrane, and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of central and western Mexico. (U-Th)/He cooling ages define into three age clusters: (1) ~136-120 Ma, (2) ~99-80 Ma, and (3) ~66-56 Ma. Cooling ages are younger toward the transect's western part, which represents the interior part of the fold-thrust belt. Dominant Early Cretaceous cooling ages in the San Felipe Formation indicate lack of, or partial, resetting of the He system. Late Cretaceous cooling ages are dominant in the Soyatal Formation and are partially equivalent to their maximum depositional age (88 ± 1 Ma), suggesting derivation of grains from adjacent rapidly exhumed thrust sheets. Alternatively, these grains were partial reset. Youngest cooling ages dominate the Mineral de Pozos sandstone samples, indicating Paleocene exhumation and erosion of interior thrust sheets. The Paleocene exhumation event is equivalent to stratal ages of the lower part of the Chicontepec Formation, and sandstone composition of that unit indicates dominant sediment sources in carbonate rocks of the frontal part of the fold-thrust belt. Combined cooling ages and sandstone petrography thus indicate coeval exhumation of the entire width of the orogen in the Paleogene, rather than out-of-sequence thrust-sheet uplift and exhumation of only the interior part of the thrust wedge. Orogen-wide exhumation is corroborated by a previously published early Paleocene illite 40Ar/39Ar age of 64 ± 2 Ma for thrust deformation at the eastern flank of the Valles-San Luis Potosí carbonate platform, which formed the latest Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary between the fold-thrust belt and foreland basin in which the Chicontepec Formation was deposited.

Compelling evidence from eastern Mexico for a Late Paleocene/Early Eocene isolation, drawdown, and refill of the Gulf of Mexico

Outcrops of the Paleocene/Eocene Chicontepec Formation in eastern Mexico have provided a unique opportunity to study exposed time-equivalent sections of the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Wilcox Formation. A 2012 study established a stratigraphic framework in the Tampico-Misantla Basin (TMB) and identified sequence boundaries that could not be correlated globally. Fieldwork in 2008 had also established a network of paleocanyons in the basin associated with a particular “54 Ma” sequence boundary. At that time, a Paleocene turbidite basin fed from the northwest was incised by a collection of northeast-facing erosional canyons that coalesced laterally into the main southeast-trending Chicontepec paleocanyon; this canyon network was filled in the Early Eocene. Using the 2012 study chronostratigraphic scheme, recent micropaleontological studies were performed on a unique outcrop containing a bitumen bed within one of these paleocanyons. The results suggest that the basin’s water level fell rapidly by at least 200 m, starting after 55.8 Ma and leading to subaerial exposure of the bathyal beds for a maximum of 850,000 years prior to canyon refill. Evidence of rooting (limonite tubes) occurs in the bathyal turbidites below the bitumen bed. At this time, the paleocanyons in the TMB were eroded by fluvial systems feeding directly into the central Gulf basin, probably a land-locked sea. The interpreted large and rapid fall and rise of the water level between 55.8 and 54.95 Ma supports the “GOM drawdown hypothesis,” i.e., that the GOM may have been isolated from the world’s oceans due to the closure of the Florida straits as the Cuban arc collided with the Bahamas and northeast Yucatán. The timing of the interpreted drawdown coincides with the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM), hinting that the PETM may have been caused or assisted by the release of methane from hydrates in the GOM margins and abyssal plain.

Dating synfolding remagnetization: Approach and field application (central Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico)

Growth of magnetite has been variably linked to fluid-bearing events or clay diagenesis, and the development of a chemical remagnetization as a result of such events. In this study we examine remagnetized carbonate rocks from the central Sierra Madre Oriental (the Mexican fold-thrust belt) in order to develop a method for dating synfolding remagnetizations. By combining 40 Ar/ 39 Ar deformation ages with new paleomagnetic results, we present a quantitative method for absolute dating of synfolding remagnetization. We find that the history of the central Sierra Madre Oriental involved two separate remagnetization events in our study area; synfolding remanence acquisition ca. 77 Ma (Late Cretaceous) in the Zimapan Basin and a younger synfolding remagnetization event ca. 44 Ma (mid-Eocene) in the Tampico-Misantla Basin. The growth of magnetite leading to chemical remagnetization detected in these limestones is interpreted as the result of rock interactions with an Fe-bearing fluid.

Fossil Stomatocysts in Upper Cretaceous Sedimentary Pyrite from Central Mexico

In this paper six fossil forms of Chrysophycean stomatocysts are described. The material was collected from sedimentary pyrite embedded in well-laminated organic-rich limestone of the Upper Cretaceous Agua Nueva Formation at the locality of Xilitla, Central Mexico. The stomatocysts are represented by two spherical specimens with smooth surfaces lacking of ornamentation, three ovoid forms with rugose textures, one of them exposing presence of pore without collar, and one spherical specimen showing rugose texture and the presence of two short and rounded projections. The specimens here described showed affinity with some stomatocysts morphotypes described for brackish and fresh water, but not for known marine specimens. The presence of these microfossils in the Agua Nueva Formation represents the first formal description of fossil stomatocysts in Upper Cretaceous sedimentary pyrite in Mexico. The occurrence of both micro (planktonic foraminifera, calcispheres, radiolarians) and macrobiota (ammonites, inoceramid bivalves and fishes) and the presence of the specimens in sedimentary pyrite suggest that the stomatocysts were preserved under oxygen-deficiency conditions in a low energy environment. This event could have occurred in open marine waters in the Tampico-Misantla basin (Central Mexico) during the late Cenomanian throughout the early Turonian.

Evidencias petrográficas de estructuras de origen algal/bacteriano en carbonatos de la Formación Agua Nueva (Cenomaniano/Turoniano: Cretácico Superior) en Xilitla, S.L.P. México central

This paper documents and describes fossil microbial structures inferred to be of algal/bacterial origin in the Upper Cretaceous Agua Nueva Formation in the Xilitla area (San Luis Potosi, Mexico), located in the southern part of the Tampico-Misantla basin. The sequence consists of alternating decimeter-thick beds of limestone with occasional brown shale and green bentonite layers. The limeston also include intermittent beds of black chert. The sedimentary succession shows two calcareous facies: 1) dark laminated limestones containing fossil remains of holosteans, teleosteans and shark teeth, as well as lenticular layers of sedimentary pyrite, and high content of organic matter (Corg1 ‒ 8 wt%); and 2) gray, non-laminated, bioturbated limestones with low content of organic matter (Corg < 1.0 wt%). Petrographic and scanning electron microscope analyses of the laminated limestone reveal a micritic matrix with sub-parallel wavy lamination, continuous and discontinuous folded laminae with shreds of organic matter, as well as different kinds of filaments, coated grains and planktonic foraminifera. On the other hand, the non-laminated, bioturbated limestone comprises infrequent filaments and pyrite. Both textures and biomorphic structures are very similar to those previously described for ancient and recent sediments representative of microbial origin. Furthermore, the occurrence of filaments embedded in the organic-matter-rich laminae suggests in situ production related to benthic microbial activity. Concurrence of lamination due to the absence of bioturbation, pervasive framboidal pyrite, and the high concentration of organic matter in the laminated limestones are consistent with persistent dysoxic/anoxic conditions, whereas the bioturbated limestones might represent recurrent relatively well-oxygenated episodes. The presence of the planktonic foraminifera Rotalipora cushmani concomitant with Inoceramus labiatus indicates a time interval from the Late Cenomanian to the Earliest Turonian for the Agua Nueva Formation at Xilitla, thus indicating that this interval of intermittent severe oxygen deficient conditions is coeval with the global Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE-2).

Wavelet transform analysis for lithological characteristics identification in siliciclastic oil fields

In this work, we propose the application of the wavelet transform analysis in well-logs (radioactivity, resistivity and sonic) to identify facies. The wavelet transform is applied to a set of well-log data for identifying correlations between wavelet coefficients and lithofacies sequences. Our results indicate that the scales, in a multiscale analysis, are related to the rock thickness and depending on the scale used it is possible to identify other particular or general sequences. The results obtained are compared and corroborated by standard geological procedures for lithological characterization, indicating that the wavelet analysis provides qualitative guides for the identification of lithological properties in wells. All our analyses are based on a siliciclastic oil field that belongs to Chicontepec Formation of the Tampico–Misantla basin in Mexico.

A DFA approach in well-logs for the identification of facies associations

Well-log analysis is a useful tool for the lithological description of wells. Its adequate interpretation allows determining different rock properties such as permeability, density, resistivity and porosity among others. However, given the complexity inherent in the signals, the identification of lithological properties from well-log analysis is not an easy task. In this work, an alternative methodology for sedimentary facies identification based on the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is presented. Our methodology has been calibrated using information from a reference well located at the Chicontepec formation of the Tampico-Misantla basin in Mexico. Its characterization includes the interpretation of different well-logs and cores. Our results indicate that well-log signals present fractal characteristics exhibiting long-range memory. For the gamma ray, resistive and sonic logs a direct relationship between the scaling exponent as a function of the depth and rock types is observed. In this way, the fractal scaling exponents estimated with DFA can be used to identify different sedimentary facies.

Experimental evaluation of hydrocarbon detection with the Long-Offset Time-Domain Electromagnetic Method in the Cretaceous carbonates of the Tampico–Misantla basin, Mexico

In Mexico, an experimental study with a Long-Offset Time-Domain Electromagnetic Method (LOTDEM) was carried out in the Tampico–Misantla basin of northeastern Mexico. The main objective was to evaluate this method for hydrocarbon exploration. The selected area is suitable for LOTDEM experiments because high quality seismic data, geological information and well logging data are available. The results obtained are excellent, and allow us to determine the types of fluids present in the rock pores and fractures of the studied geological structures. Resistivity anomalies correlate in position and depth with the geological structures observed in the seismic sections where the LOTDEM survey was carried out, and with well logging data from the nearby Franco Española oil field. In the studied area, these structures are 800–1200 m deep, in carbonate rocks with high clay content and are invaded by salt water. Consequently, the resistivity and primary porosities are very low. The main reservoirs of oil and gas in this region are a naturally fractured basinal facies, consisting of fine-grained limestones and shaly limestones, that corresponds to the Cretaceous units San Felipe, Agua Nueva, Tamaulipas Superior and Tamaulipas Inferior. The fractured rocks reservoirs are very difficult to detect, even with well logs. However, the results of this survey show the higher resolution, the greater depth of investigation, and the advantages that the LOTDEM method present compared to the traditional frequency domain electric and electromagnetic (FEM) methods.

The offshore Golden Lane: New outline of opportunities from the integration of geologic and geophysical data

The world famous Golden Lane in the eastern part of Mexico (Figure 1) is framed by the Tuxpan Cretaceous platform which is genetically related with the Tampico-Misantla Basin which, in turn, is the westward part of the ancestral Gulf of Mexico Basin. Figure 1. The famed Golden Lane in the eastern part of Mexico. When the first onshore discoveries were made in 1910, the Golden Lane was called “the ridge” by the technicians and engineers. Later it began to be known more rhapsodically as “La Faja de Oro” (The Golden Lane). Geographically, the Golden Lane is divided almost symmetrically by the current shoreline. Therefore, for exploration and production purposes, it is conveniently defined as onshore and offshore. The present work, based on a long process of geologic and geophysical data integration, proposes a strategy for exploration and production in the offshore part. The strategy includes three main objectives: (1) find new fields in the reef trend, (2) explore on the continental shelf for a field in the Tamabra play with the characteristics of Poza Rica Field, and (3) reservoir characterization to increase reserves and production. The marine extension of the Golden Lane was delineated with analog seismic surveys in 1957. Six years later, in 1963, the first field in the offshore structure, Isla de Lobos, was discovered. Well Isla de Lobos-1B found oil in the El Abra Formation 2096 m below sea level. Initial flow was 792 b/d on a choke of 8 mm and with bottom pressures of about …