A late Miocene-early Pliocene marine basin has been identified in the northwestern corner of the State of Sonora, Mexico. The existence of the Altar basin has been established by geophysical means. Its stratigraphy and hydrocarbon generation potential are known from the geologic history of the adjoining areas.

The geology of the Altar basin is compared to basins of the same age in California which have been proven to contain more than 27 billion bbl of oil. The San Andreas fault system is a very important factor in the oil possibilities of the region.

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