Constrains about oil and gas exploration in the southern portion of Parana Basin - the Torres Sinclinal Structure

The magnetotelluric method (MT) is relatively new in Brazil. However, its credibility is increasing and its use has being intensified. It is able to acquire resistivity data of rocks that are even 20Km deep, without losing much resolution. This is possible because it operates in frequencies between 1 and 0,0001 Hz and uses the Earth’s natural electromagnetic field as the source of energy. This method is especially effective to acquire data in areas covered with a volcanic layer. This is the case of Torres’s Syncline, a region covered by the Parana-Etendeka volcanic province, where massive lava flows cover great sedimentary deposits of Mesozoic/Paleozoic age. This area has potential to unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs, and the MT is a great method to search potential structural settings for its occurrence.