Abstract

During several business trips to Peru, the opportunity was granted to see many of the quaint and bizarre localities as well as to study the complicated Andean geology. The comments will cover rapidly the geology and oil development and stress more the people, sights, and customs in several places in the mountain regions.

Topographically, Peru can be divided into the coastal zone, about 30 to 50 miles wide, which extends for appromately 1600 miles along the Pacific coast from Ecuador to Chile; the Andes Mountains about 200 to 250 miles wide paralleling the coastal zone; and the upper Amazon and jungle known as the Montana, that is the eastern part of Peru.

Oil production is found in northwestern Peru in rocks of Tertiary age, principally Eocene, in complicated fault traps. Total production has been more than 450 million barrels and present daily production is about 40 thousand barrels. One oil field in the Montana, Ganzo Azul, produces from lower Cretaceous sandstones on a text book closed anticline. Many thousands of dollars are being spent by many companies to find additional oil and gas in the Montana which will be more than 3000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Amazon River or 300 to 400 miles from the Pacific Ocean by way of a 125 million dollar pipeline yet to be built.

More than three fourths of the population of Peru are Indians, descendants of the famous Incas. The Inca culture was advanced as recorded in many ruins, the most fabulous of which is at Maccha Picchu. The present day inhabitants of the mountain country are sad remnants of this culture. The Spanish dominated, subjugated, and demoralized the tribe. They now live in poverty, chew coca (cocaine weed) and drink straight alcohol to ease their dull, dirty life. The Peruvian government during the last generation is attempting to better this vapid environment but it will require many years of enlightened help to accomplish this.

The Spanish descendents and mestizos (mixed Spanish and Indian) are a delightful and well educated group. With the abundant resources of the country, fully explored and exploited, there is no reason why Peru will not continue to advance to one of our most reliable and friendly neighbors.