Cenozoic thermal evolution of the Eastern Cordillera and Llanos Basin of Colombia

Abstract

The increasing demand of fossil fuels and a decrease in the rate of discovering of new resources demand urgent actions devoted to the energy supply. This project will explore one of such actions, which is improving the prediction of yet-to-find oil in a mature basin, the subandean eastern Cordillera and Llanos basin of Colombia between 2° and 7° N Lat. Fueled by a successful ongoing collaboration with the Colombian State Oil company Ecopetrol, a 3D petroleum system modeling will be constructed for an area of ~100.000 km2. In the last 10 years, tens of publications on the tectonic history of this part of the Andes have revealed the main episodes of Andean construction, including the development of Mesozoic back-arc and passive margin basins with accumulation of top-quality source rocks, Cenozoic tectonic inversion of this basin and the attendant development of a retro-arc foreland basin. In order to better understand the relation between this tectonic activity, the prevailing thermal regime at various geodynamic stages, and the most likely spatial and temporal distribution of hydrocarbon generation and migration, this study will (1) compile geological information available, including geological maps, structural data, stratigraphic, provenance, and thermochronometric data, as well as source rock quality and maturity, and (2) acquire new paleotermometric and thermochronometric information in the southern range´s sector. The ultimate goal is to generate for the first time a comprehensive 3D petroleum system model for a fold-and-thrust belt in the area, and to develop a methodology and workflow for undertaking such an endeavor in other thrustbelts.