Journal of Petroleum Geology, Vol.3,
No.3, pp. 247 -278, 1981
©Copyright 2000 Scientific Press,
Ltd.
GREAT CARBONATE BANK OF
YUCATÁN, SOUTHERN MEXICO
Francisco Viniegra*
*Consulting geologist, Apartado
Postal 338 Suc. "A", Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
Abstract
Since 1972, numerous large and giant fields
have been discovered in the Reforma area of Chiapas and Tabasco
States, southern Mexico, and on the offshore Campeche shelf west
of Campeche State. The huge carbonate bank with which these
discoveries are associated is called the Great Carbonate Bank of
Yucatán. Most of the Reforma fields produce from bank-edge
talus, now largely dolomitized, of Late-Jurassic and Early- to
Middle Cretaceous ages, and drilling depths to the tops of the
reservoirs generally range from 3,800-4,500m. The offshore
discoveries include fields which are productive mainly in
bank-edge talus of Paleocene and Late-Jurassic ages, and depths
to the top of production generally are shallower than
onshore--1,260-3,500m. The petroleum source materials for the
Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Paleocene fields are believed to be
mainly in Late-Jurassic strata, but some Early-Cretaceous sources
cannot be eliminated. Middle-Cretaceous rocks have not yet been
identified beneath the offshore shelf from Tampico (Arenque) to
Samaria (A. J. Bermúdez) and Conduacán. Although most of the
discovered fields contain mainly oil, some of the fields contain
gas and condensate.
