See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/322835671

The Talara Offshore (Northern Peru): A Preserved Extensional Mini-Basin in a

Subduction Complex

Conference Paper · September 2016

CITATIONS READS

0 308

3 authors, including:

Stephen Cossey Eduardo Rossello

Cossey & Associates Inc. University of Buenos Aires
72 PUBLICATIONS   114 CITATIONS    31 PUBLICATIONS   130 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Direct Hydrocarbon Indicators View project

Paleogeography of the Wilcox View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Stephen Cossey on 31 January 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

THE TALARA OFFSHORE (NORTHERN PERU): A PRESERVED EXTENSIONAL MINI-
BASIN IN A SUBDUCTION COMPLEX.

1 2 3
Eduardo A. Rossello , Stephen P.J. Cossey and Guzman Fernandez

1) CONICET-Universidad Buenos Aires, FCEN, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
2) Cossey & Associates Inc., Durango, Colorado 81302, U.S.A.
3) Union Oil and Gas Group. Plaza Independencia 177, 1100 Montevideo, Uruguay.

ABSTRACT from the basin exceeds 1.68 billion bbl of oil

and 1.95 Tcf of gas from 42 oil and gas fields
The undrilled deepwater Talara Basin is (Higley, 2004).
located along the northern Pacific margin of
Peru. It is the western component of the
Cretaceous-Tertiary stratigraphy of the large,
traditional reservoirs of the onshore Talara
Basin oilfields, which have been produced over
1.5 billion barrels of oil in the last one hundred
years. However, this basin is also located
above the active margin of the Nazca plate,
which is subducting under South America. It is
located between the trench and the
onshore/shallow-marine oilfields, where
several passive-margin extensional structures
(horsts and grabens) are described. The
interpretation of high quality 3D seismic data in
a detailed tectonostratigraphic context has
shown the existence of the following typically
passive-margin features: i) Synsedimentary
gravity slides with normal and frontal thrust
faults, ii) Rotational blocks of thick marine to
deep-marine Cretaceous to more shallow
Tertiary sequences, iii) Rollover anticlines, and
iv) Neogene growth sequences preserved as
piggy-backed mini-basins. The concave
geometry of the master growth-faults has
produced locally convergent radial slides which
define the exploration plays and have created Figure 1. Regional location of the Peruvian basins
efficient hydrocarbon traps. The knowledge on the Pacific margin of South America.
and insight obtained from this segment of the
South American Pacific can be extrapolated to The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the
the more frontier exploration areas, such as mean recoverable oil, gas, and natural gas
the Colombian Pacific margin. liquid resources from undiscovered fields in the
basin could be up to 1.71 billion bbl of oil, 4.79
INTRODUCTION Tcf of gas, and 255 million bbl of natural gas
liquids (Higley, 2004). This estimate is based
The presence of petroleum in coastal on a combined Cretaceous–Tertiary source
northwest Peru (Fig. 1) has been known for rock contribution. Gonzalez and Alarcon
centuries. Original inhabitants used oil from (2002), assuming only a Cretaceous shale as
natural seeps for various purposes, and early the hydrocarbon source rock, calculated a total
Spanish colonists extracted and refined tar volume of generated hydrocarbons of 275
from the La Brea seep south of the city of billion bbl of oil and 22500 Tcf of gas. Their
Talara and used pitch to caulk their ships and estimate of total volume of recoverable
to waterproof utensils. The first well in the hydrocarbons from the Talara basin province,
basin was drilled in 1874, making Talara one of including current production, is 3.72 billion bbl
the first producing petroleum basins of South of oil and 9.344 Tcf of gas. Gonzales and
America (Travis, 1953). Cumulative production Alarcon (2002) estimated the volume of
remaining recoverable hydrocarbons
(excluding current production) to be 2.22 billion coastal area of Ecuador and northwest Peru,
bbl of oil and 5.844 Tcf of gas Fildani (2005). reflecting the fact that the post-Paleozoic
tectonic history of the area was complicated
Despite the variable resource estimates based and not simply related to subduction
on different source rocks, agreement exists (Shepherd and Moberly 1981). A more detailed
among authors that the mature Talara basin account of basin evolution and sedimentary
has been, and will continue to be, a significant successions can be found in Fildani (2004,
petroleum province in the world energy 2005).
panorama, whereas the offshore of the basin is
unexplored. Although petroleum systems The western boundary and the unexplored
include source, reservoir, and trap, the offshore portions of the Talara basin are poorly
presence of a source rock is the most defined (Fig. 1). The onshore (eastern) margin
important factor governing the accumulation of is bounded by Paleozoic basement exposed in
hydrocarbons (Dahl et al. 1994). However, the Amotape Mountains and the Silla de Paita.
even after a high cumulative production of oil, The Amotape Mountains extend at a 60º angle
the source rocks have not been rigorously from the Andes and, along with the Tamarindo
documented and have not been penetrated in high, separate the Talara basin from the
the offshore part of the basin. Nevertheless, Lancones basin (Valencia and Uyen 2002).
different Upper Cretaceous intervals are cited The southern limit of the onshore Talara basin
as source rocks (Zuñiga-Rivero et al. 1999; is the Paita high (Silla de Paita) but there are
Arispe, 2001a; Gonzales and Alarcon 2002). no evident barriers present in the offshore
portion. The basin is bounded to the north by
the Dolores-Guayaquil megashear and the
Pillars de Zorritos (Kraemer et al. 1999; Higley
2004).

Figure 3. The regional setting of the Talara offshore

portion immediately west of the traditional Talara oil
fields (taken from UOGG`s files).
2
The Talara basin covers at least 15,000 km ,
less than half of which is onshore (Fig. 3)
(Fildani 2004). The onshore sedimentary
Figure 2. Stratigraphic column of the Talara basin. deposits range from Cretaceous to Eocene in
Wavy lines and gray zones bracket periods of age (Fig. 2) and consist of clastic fill that is in
erosion or non-deposition. Possible source-rock excess of 9000 m thick (Carozzi and Palomino
intervals are labeled with a small gray box. Modified 1993). Middle–late Eocene strata of the Talara
from AIPC (no date), Gonzales Torres (1999), basin record a more complex story with a
Kingston (1994), Kraemer et al. (1999), Perupetro deepening trend and deposition of deep-water
(1999), Petroconsultants (1996) and Seranne systems. There was periodic extension after
(1987).
the early Tertiary when subsidence was
GEOLOGICAL SETTING controlled by normal faulting. This subsidence
was filled during the Paleocene-Eocene by
The Talara offshore basin is located along the siliciclastic sediment from multiple origins,
northern Pacific margin of Peru. Different predominantly from the east and the northeast
tectonic models have been proposed for the (Fildani 2004). Limited carbonate facies are
restricted to parts of the Cretaceous and
Pliocene-Pleistocene sections (Marsaglia and Normal faulting affected the basin extensively
Carozzi 1991, Carozzi and Palomino 1993). during and after deposition of the basin-fill.

Figure 4. Prospects are located within a mini passive-margin setting downdip of a large down-to-west growth-fault
controlled by gravitational gliding. The offshore Talara location is in the oil kitchen of the traditional Talara oil fields
(Los Organos- Peña Negra).

The oldest formation in the region is the The coastline is marked by a series of raised
Amotape Fm. which is exposed in the Amotape Pleistocene marine terraces (tablazos)
Mountains and consists of Devonian to composed of transgressive limestone and
Permian age low-grade metamorphic rocks coquina beds, covering about 60% of the
(Shepherd and Moberly 1981). Mesozoic rocks onshore basin and have limited the usefulness
are not well exposed in any part of the basin of seismic in exploration (De Vries 1988).
and the few known outcrops are difficult to
access. The Cretaceous Pananga and Muerto PROSPECTIVENESS
formations rest unconformably on the Amotape
Fm. and consist of limestone and bituminous Seismic mapping within the mini passive-
marl. margin growth faults (Fig. 4) has revealed
several structural stratigraphic traps which
The Muerto Formation is overlain by a series of formed early in the structural development of
Cretaceous and Paleocene siliciclastic units. the area (Fig 5).
Various authors have suggested that shales
and limestones of the Cretaceous are the The key mapping horizons in the area are
petroleum source rocks for the Talara basin subtle unconformities which control the trap
(mostly Muerto Fm. bituminous marl and the and do not necessitate the presence of a four-
Redondo Fm. black shale) (Zuñiga-Rivero et way structural closure (Fig. 4).
al. 1999a, 1999b, Arispe 2001a, 2001b,
Gonzales and Alarcon 2002). These traps are developed in the center and
the lateral edges of the large growth faults
The Eocene strata are characterized by within the mini passive-margin (Fig. 6).
alternating marine shales, sandstones, and Normally, these types of prospects are found
conglomerates deposited almost continuously within ―normal‖ passive-margin settings and
during the early Tertiary. Many of the Eocene not in subduction tectonic settings.
sandstone intervals are producing reservoirs
onshore.
 CONCLUSIONS

The offshore Talara basin consists of the western

Cretaceous-Tertiary sequences of the traditional
large Talara oilfields and its main Cretaceous
source. Here, we have recognized large,
extensional structures, typical of a passive margin,
in the offshore Talara basin, between the trench
and the continental margin,

A better understanding of these exploratory

objectives in the Peruvian margin of the South
America can be possibly extrapolated to those
currently being explored on the Colombian Pacific
margin.

REFERENCES

American International Petroleum Corporation (AIPC),

no date, A review of the petroleum potential of the
Tumbes Basin, Peru. Denver, Colorado, American
Figure 4. Multiple buried structural-stratigraphic
International Petroleum Corporation, 46 pp.
traps found within the large listric faults. Reservoirs
Arispe, A., 2001a. Peru offshore 1: Peru offers deep-
onlap the unconformities, creating pinchout traps
water blocks south of Talara area. Oil & Gas Journal,
where several flat-spots and seismic anomalies are
99, 8, 25-29.
identified.
Arispe, A., 2001b. Peru offshore 2: Tumbes-Talara
blocks off Peru may signal deep-water play in
turbidites. Oil & Gas Journal, 99, 7, 21-24.
Carozzi, A.V., and J.R. Palomino, 1993, The Talara
forearc basin: Depositional models of oil-producing
Cenozoic clastic systems. Journal of Petroleum
Geology, 16, 1, 5-32.
Dahl, J.E.P., J.M. Moldowan, S.C. Teerman, M.A.
McCaffrey, P. Sundararaman, and C.E. Stelting,
1994. Source rock quality determination from oil
biomarkers: I- New geochemical technique. AAPG
Bulletin, 78, 1507– 1526.
De Vries, T.J., 1988. The geology of late Cenozoic
marine terraces (tablazos) in northwestern Peru.
Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 1, 121-
Figure 5. Model for the development of traps 136.
formed in normal listric faults where locally Fildani, A., 2004, Analysis of two arc-associated basins
convergent radial growth occurs. and onset of their deep-water stages: Magallanes
basin, Chile, and Talara basin, Peru: Ph.D.
These traps are in the migration way beetwen the dissertation, Stanford University (California), 325 pp.
deeper generation areas to the traditional Talara Fildani, A., A.D. Hanson, Zhengzheng Chen, J. M.
oilfields (Fig. Moldowan, S.A. Graham, and P.R. Arriola, 2005.
Geochemical characteristics of oil and source rocks
and implications for petroleum systems, Talara basin,
northwest Peru. AAPG Bulletin, 89, 11, 1519-1545.
Gonzales Torres, E.R., 1999. Modelo sedimentario de la
formación Basal Salina cuenca Talara. Lima, Peru,
Ingepet ’99 seminar, Oct. 26-29, 1 CD-ROM, EXPR-
1-EG-13, 16 pp.
Gonzales, E. and Alarcon, P., 2002. Potencial
hidrocarburífero de la cuenca Talara. Lima, Peru,
Ingepet 2002 seminar, Nov. 6-8, 1 CDROM, EXPR-
1-EG-07.pdf, 15 pp.
Higley, D., 2004. The Talara basin province of
northwestern Peru. Cretaceous-Tertiary total
petroleum system: U.S. Geological Survey, e-bulletin
B-2206a, 52 pp. http://pubs.usgs.gov/bul /2206/A/.
Figure 6. Schematic migration pattern (taken from
UOGG files).
 Kingston, J., 1994. Undiscovered petroleum of southern Seranne, M., 1987. Evolution tectono-sedimentaire du
South America. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Bassin de Talara (nord-ouest du Perou). Bulletin de
Report 94-559, 443 pp. l’Institut Français des Études Andines, 16, 3-4, 103-
Kraemer, P., Weiner, A. and Alvarez, P., 1999. 125.
Evolución tectonoestratigráfica de la cuenca de Shepherd, G.L. and Moberly, R., 1981, Coastal structure
Tumbes-Progreso-offshore Peru. Exploration and of the continental margin, northwest Peru and
exploitation of petroleum and gas: Lima, Peru, southwest Ecuador: Geological Society of America
Ingepet ’99 seminar, Oct. 26-29, 1 CD-ROM, EXPR- Memoir, 154, 351–391.
1-PK- 07, 9 pp. Travis, R. B., 1953, La Brea-Pariñas oil field, northwest
Marsaglia, K.M. and A.V. Carozzi, 1991, Depositional Peru: AAPG Bulletin, 37, 2093– 2118.
environment, sand provenance, and diagenesis of Valencia, K. and D. Uyen, 2002. Cuenca Lancones:
the basal Salina Formation (lower Eocene), NW Interpretación geológica. Ingepet-Perupetro, EXPR-
Peru: Journal South American Earth Sciences, 3, 3-KV-18.pdf.
253-267. Zúñiga-Rivero, F., Hay-Roe, H. and Vargas, T., 1999a.
Perupetro, 1999. International bidding round—Offshore Talara: A new look at an old petroleum basin.
and coastal blocks. Lima, Peru, Perupetro Exploration and exploitation of petroleum and gas:
information booklet (San Borja, Lima), 47 pp. Lima, Peru, Ingepet ’99 seminar, Oct. 26-29, EXPR-
Petroconsultants, 1996. Petroleum exploration and 1-FZ-15.pdf, 9 p.
production and PetroWorld 21 databases. Zuñiga-Rivero, F., H. Hay-Roe, and T. Vargas, 1999b.
Petroconsultants. Peru’s coastal basin-5 (conclusion)-Potential
untested under 50 million acres in Peru: Oil & Gas
Journal, 97, 11, 67-72.

View publication stats