CARBONATE RAMPS ASSOCIATED TO PALAEO-ISLANDS IN THE CARIBBEAN

SEA (GULF OF VENEZUELA) DURING OLIGOCENE-MIOCENE.

A CASE STUDY: THE PERLA GIANT GASFIELD
Disnahir PINTO*1, Nakari DIAZ*2, Gizelle TANG*, Alejandro ARENDS*,
Rafael RAMÍREZ*, Luis POMAR3 Víctor PADRÓN4
* Gerencia de Exploración-Costa Afuera, PDVSA. Puerto La Cruz, Estado Anzoátegui, VENEZUELA
1 Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
2 Geological Engineer, V3B0H9, British Columbia, Canada.
3 Universitat de Les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
4 Central University of Venezuela, 1051, Caracas, Venezuela

SO  
B-­‐B’  
Algodones   South    Los   North  Los  
SEISMIC  LINES     Rio  Seco   Urumaco   W-1 Monjes   Monjes   Aruba  
LINE    C-­‐C’   fault   trough           fault   fault   trough  
WG-1 W-1 W-4

WG-1 W-1 W-4

NW Province

SO
LINE      A-­‐A’   Algodones  
LINE    B-­‐B’  
South    Los   North  Los  
CORAL PERLA RÓBALO TUNA Rio  Seco   Urumaco  
W-1 Monjes   Monjes   Aruba  
fault   trough   fault   fault   trough  

NE Province

  The   around   300-­‐m-­‐thick   Upper   Oligocene-­‐Lower-­‐Miocene   carbonate   succession  

of   the   Gulf   of   Venezuela,   in   the   Caribbean   Sea,   was   studied   through  
Urumaco trough WG-­‐1   W-­‐1   W-­‐4   sedimentologic   (macroscopic)   descripJon   of   around   1875   feet   of   cores   from   wells  
S   N  
W-­‐2,  W-­‐3,  W-­‐4  (Perla  area)  and  WG-­‐1  (Coral  area),  and  complemented  with  260  
thin   secJons   study.   Core   correlaJon   was   achieved   by   using   electric   logs   and  
spaJal  distribuJon  through  seismic  analyses.    
 
VerJcal   facies   succession   in   the   cores,   correlated   through   wells   on   the   basis   of  
biostraJgraphic   ages   and   electric   logs,   allowed   to   build   a   detailed   3D   facies  
architecture   and   to   define   a   dynamic   deposiJonal   model   integrated   in   the  
Arbitrary Line 3D URUMACO I
evoluJon   of   the   area.   The   resulJng   deposiJonal   model   permiVed   aWerward   2D  
and  3D  seismic  to  be  interpreted  and  to  correlate  the  seismic  facies  in  Perla/Coral  
areas  and,  subsequently,  to  extend  the  interpretaJon  along  the  Gulf  of  Venezuela.  
 
 The  sedimentological  model  established  for  the  Perla  high  consists  of  a  rhodalgal-­‐
dominated   distally   steepened   ramp   rich   in   larger   benthic   foraminifera.   Regional  
data  analysis  suggests  rhodalgal  limestones  were  deposited  around  palaeo-­‐islands  
ÁREA  DE     ÁREA  DE    
CORAL   PERLA  
made   by   subsiding   structural   highs   (basement),   separated   by   depressions   where  
calcareous   shales   also   accumulated.   Detrital   skeletal   limestones   (resedimented)  
were  deposited  on  the  flanks  of  the  paleoislands  and  in  the  depressions  by  gravity  
WG-­‐1   W-­‐2/3   W-­‐1   W-­‐4   flows  generated  updip  in  the  carbonate  factory  (in  situ)  located  on  the  structural  
S   N   high.    
 
W-2 W-1 W-3 Paleogeographic   maps   established   for   the   Upper   Oligocene-­‐Lower-­‐Miocene,  
based   on   seismic   correlaJon   all   over   the   area,   evidence   the   zones   of   alignment   of  
the   thickest   carbonate   deposits,   and   allow   establishing   the   areas   of   prospecJve  
interest  with  opportuniJes  that  increase  the  hydrocarbon  potenJal  of  the  region  
and/or  calcareous  shales.    
Carbonates  

Perla  limestones  
Possible  coral  mounds  
Possible  coral  mounds  
S   SEISMIC INTERPRETATION: PERLA GASFIELD N  
N W-­‐2   W-­‐1   W-­‐4  

Urumaco  trough   W-4

W-1
W-3
W-2

ÁREA  DE     ÁREA  DE    

S   CORAL  
N   PERLA  
SÍSMICA HORIZONTALIZADA MFS
4 Km 0   17,2 M.a.
0   500  
RESEDIMENTADO

CALIZAS

SILICICLÁSTICOS

WG-­‐1  
Possible  coral  mounds   500  

1000  

Arbitrary Line - 3D CARDON

Thicknes of the Perla Limestone. SM sequence Paleogeography by the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene Sma-1 sequence
SILICICLÁSTICS SEDIMENTS IV 1  Km  

RHODALGAL LIMESTONES

RESEDIMENTED= DETRITIC LIMESTONES (RHODALGAL LIMESTONES)

Evolution of the Perla Carbonate Ramp

thicknes  in  feet