18th International Sedimentological Congress - Mendoza, Argentina, 2010

Sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic characterization of the

transitional-marine reservoirs of the Centenario Formation
at the Rio Colorado Heavy Oil Belt, Neuquén Basin, Argentina
MARTÍN F. CEVALLOS 1, MANUELA T. RIVERO 2, GONZALO D. VEIGA 2, MURRAY K. GINGRASS 3,
DANIEL O. ESCRIBANO 4, DIANA I. RONCHI 5, GLADYS N. ANGELOZZI 5

1
Pluspetrol S.A., Buenos Aires, Argentina
2
CIG – CONICET-Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
3
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
4
LCV srl, Florencio Varela, Argentina
5
Gema srl, Florencio Varela, Argentina

The NE edge of the Neuquén Basin, northward from the Colorado River, was poorly known due to a paucity
of well-bore data (less than 1 well per every 75 km 2) and the absence of economic discoveries. The recent dis-
covery of more than 400 million barrels of oil in place (19°API) in the Centenario Formation (Hauterivian-Bar-
remian) trigged aggressive exploration and development activities. A new dataset consisting of 1440 sq.km of
3D seismic, 700 wells and 400 m of cored intervals from 17 wells, has helped to improve the geological know-
ledge of the area. In this part of the basin the thickness of the Centenario Fm. varies from 120 m to zero due to
erosive truncation of the Intersenonian Unconformity. The contrast with the thickness of over 800 m that this
unit shows at the basin axis suggests that clastic input, sourced from the ESE, was focused along that direction.
Meanwhile north of the Río Colorado region a lower subsidence area developed in a lateral and distal position
from the sedimentary source. Two third-order sequences have been identified in the Centenario Fm. where only
the transgressive (TST) and highstand system tracts (HST) are developed. Both sequences coarsen upwards and
the change from the basal shaly-marly sections to the uppermost sandy units is generally transitional. Neverthe-
less, there are some sharp contacts that reflect high-order local regressive events. On the basis of vertical and lat-
eral facies arrangement, trace fossil associations and body-fossil occurrence, different sedimentary environments
were identified. The distal parts of the unit accumulated in a prodelta to wave-dominated delta front and interd -
istributary bay environments, with the proximal counterparts represented by a coastal plain setting. TST sections
show sedimentary structures, body-fossil and trace-fossil assemblages characteristic of an open-marine depos -
itional setting: e.g. (1) wave-generated sedimentary structures; (2) the presence of the fossils Amnobaculites
sp.cf. A. subcretaceous Cushman y Alexander, Eogutulina sp.cf. E. liasica (Strickland), Trochammina depressa
Lozzo, Epistomina australis Masiuk y Viñas y Haplopragmoides sp.; and (3) trace fossils such as Diplo-
craterion, Chondrites and Rhizocorralium. In particular, the TST of the Upper Centenario Sequence shows evid-
ence of a rapid transgression event. The base of HSTs were deposited at a brackish, transitional-marine, tidally
dominated setting, interpreted from the presence of agglutinated foraminifers (Trochammina depressa Lozzo,
Silicosigmoilina sp., Psamminopelta sp., Ammobaculites sp.cf. A. alaskaensis Tappan) and marine-continental
palinomorphs, scarce root traces and a low diversity / diminutive assemblage of trace fossils comprising Sko-
lithos and Planolites. Scarce and poor quality reservoirs are present in this section. The uppermost part of HSTs
contains sand bodies (the main reservoirs) that were mainly deposited within fluvial and locally tidally influ-
enced channels in the coastal plain. The presence of rare Planolites, Skolithos, and Thalassinoides suggests that
these channels were at times brackish-water in nature. Reservoirs correspond to very fine and fine grained
feldespathic litharenites, well sorted, fairly consolidated, with excellent petrophysical properties (porosity from
25 to 38%, and permeability from 0.5 to 4 D). In spite of the degree of sorting, subtle changes in grain size distri-
bution strongly impact pore-throat sizes, thus affecting the production performance and recovery factor. These
reservoir types show different levels of hydrocarbon saturation, down to irreducible oil saturation in the poorest-
quality reservoir class. A variety of enhanced oil recovery techniques have been tested in the trend. These in-
clude: heavy-oil production with sand, water and steam flooding, horizontal wells and ASP injection. Geological
characterization played a key role in meeting the many challenges involved in the exploration and development
of the trend.

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