This work in the Vaca Muerta Formation examines three assets along 420 km (260 miles) from southeast to northwest in the oil window in completely different geological settings. These settings include a southern block in development phase, an exploration area in the fold and thrust belt, and a third asset where mudstones facies are intruded by magmatic sills. This manuscript contributes with a complete evaluation process from exploration to pilot stages and when conditions are appropriate to a development phase of unconventional reservoir from a multidisciplinary team standpoint. This work incorporates available data, evaluation parameter cut-offs based on well performance in the Vaca Muerta Formation, and considerations for unconventional play analysis.
The Vaca Muerta Formation (Weaver 1931) is one of the largest areal stratigraphic units in the Neuquén Basin and the main source rock. This manuscript compares different variables that impact productivity, presents a timeline and uncertainties to consider in different stages of development and unifies the basin's regional published maps to determine development feasibility. These variable cutoffs are defined using three regions that have been studied by the company. Sources for this analysis include papers and abstracts from congresses and magazines, press releases, companies’ annual reports, web pages, public energy information administration and Argentina Ministry of Energy, scout meetings, working sessions in institutions (IAPG, AGA, AAPG, SEG, SEPM, among others), and data from operators in the basin.
This paper describes a detailed characterization of three regions in different geological settings within the oil window. From north to south, the first asset is located at Malargüe's fold and thrust belt in the Province of Mendoza. The second block is in the northern sector of the Neuquén Province, central area of the basin, near some laccoliths and Miocene active volcanoes. The third asset is located near Neuquén city in a non-volcanic nor structurally complex area (Figure 1).