Abstract

Forearc basins are areas underexplored by academic or industrial research. They are not considered as potential areas by the industry because only three giant oil fields have been formed in this type of basin. One of them is located in the northern Peruvian forearc system: the Talara Basin (1.7 billion bbl to date). The aim of this work is to provide insights for the oil industry about the tectonic style and the tectonic-sedimentation relationships within this basin to decipher its petroleum potential, using surface and subsurface data (seismic lines, well-logs). From a tectonic point of view, we demonstrate that the basin is not a pull-apart basin, but an accretionary prism built by deep-seated north-verging thrusts reworked by shallow gravitational normal faults. A tectonic model is developed, which involves the north-westward propagation of thrust culminations accompanied by the development of southeast-facing normal faults since Eocene times. This tectonic model renews our perception about the entire Peruvian forearc and suggests that anticline traps, which have never been explored, should become a new target for a future hydrocarbon exploration.