Genaro Ziga¹, Ricardo Martinez¹, Antonio Escalera¹

(1) Pemex Exploracion y Produccion, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico

ABSTRACT: Petroleum Systems of Burgos Basin, Mexico

Burgos Basin is located at the northeastern part of Mexico, covering an area of 50,000 km2. This province is the main non-associated gas producer of the country, with discovered recoverable resources of 12.6 tcf, distributed in 185 fields within the Tertiary section, which has cumulative production of 6.1 tcf. The daily production recently has reached an historical maximum of 1035 MMcf.

Three petroleum systems have been identified, one hypothetical (.), and 2 established (!): the Pimienta-Midway (.), the Wilcox (!) and the Vicksburg-Frio (!). The last two systems are responsible for 90 % of cumulative production.

The Wilcox (!) petroleum system is located in the central part of the basin. This is constituted by a generative pot, integrated by 7 source rock subsystems throughout the Paleocene and Eocene, producing dry and wet gases associated with strong geothermal anomalies. The main trends of reservoir rocks are deposited in barrier islands and proximal to distal deltaic fronts. The production is related to rollover traps and regional growth fault systems, with 60% of the original reserves and 25% of cumulative production. The Vicksburg-Frio (!) is the most important petroleum system. This is located in the eastern part, with transgressive source rocks of lower Oligocene age, producing dry and wet gases associated with median and minor thermal anomalies. It has been reservoired on sands deposited in strandplain and fluviodeltaic environments of the Vicksburg and Frio formations, having 30% of the original reserves and 70% of cumulative production.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90906©2001 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado