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A NEW FACIES MODEL FOR THE MISOA FORMATION (EOCENE), VENEZUELA'S MAIN OIL RESERVOIR
Author(s) -
Higgs R.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of petroleum geology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1747-5457
pISSN - 0141-6421
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-5457.1996.tb00433.x
Subject(s) - geology , facies , sedimentary depositional environment , structural basin , delta , drilling , paleontology , petroleum reservoir , geochemistry , petroleum engineering , mechanical engineering , aerospace engineering , engineering
The Misoa Formation has produced an estimated 13 billion barrels of oil, and contains a further 11 billion barrels of proved remaining reserves. The total represents approximately 50% of the proved reserves of the Maracaibo Basin, Venezuela's most productive region. In such a prolific formation, application of an inappropriate facies model to exploration and development can have huge financial consequences, in terms of misplaced wells, missed pools and miscalculated reserves. A deltaic depositional model has been used for exploration and development drilling in the Misoa Formation since the 1960s. However, this deltaic interpretation is doubtful due to the lack of in situ coal beds, palaeosols and other evidence for emergence diagnostic of delta plains. An alternative, tidal‐shelf model is proposed here.