Journal of Petroleum Geology, Vol.11, No.3, pp. 245-276, 1988

©Copyright 2000 Scientific Press, Ltd.

GEOLOGY, GEOMORPHOLOGY, AND PETROLEUM POSSIBILITIES OF THE ELGODO AREA, IQUIQUE, CHILE

G. Cecioni*, A.A. Meyerhoff** and H.H. Teitz***

* Professor of Geology, Universidad de Chile, Home address: Gen. del Canto No. 325, Providencia, Santiago, Chile.

** PO Box 4602. Tulsa, Oklahoma 74159, USA.

*** 18 Varcourt Place, NW, Calgary, Alberta T3A 0GB, Canada.

Abstract

The presence of solid bitumen in the E1 Godo area of Tarapacá province, northern Chile, has been known for centuries but, from a petroleum viewpoint, the region has been little studied. A major deterrent to exploration has been the presence of volcanic accumulations in the objective section, a marine Jurassic sequence more than 3,000 m thick, which has been intruded by some younger silicic plutons. Objectives older than the Jurassic are unknown but may be present, especially in the deep part of the Jurassic basins and in the offshore.