Lower Miocene carbonate platforms of the Falcón Basin (NW Venezuela) compared to the offshore Perla Field reservoir
Albert-Villanueva, Eduard (Denison Mines Corp)
Bover-Arnal, Telm (Universitat de Barcelona)
Ferràndez i Cañadell, Carles (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà)
González, Lenin (Universidad Central de Venezuela)
Esteban, Mateu (Universitat de Barcelona)
Salas, Ramon

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Based on field data collected in the northern and southern Falcón Basin (Venezuela), this paper presents a comprehensive monograph that reports on the age and sedimentary evolution of the San Luis and Churuguara formations. It integrates platform-to-basin depositional models through facies distribution and stratal architecture, a palaeogeographic reconstruction, larger foraminifera biostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, and the evaluation of the accommodation history. An additional aim is to compare these onshore mixed carbonate-siliciclastic systems with the Oligo-Miocene subsurface carbonate reservoir of Perla in offshore Gulf of Venezuela, considered the largest gas discovery ever in Latin America. The carbonate platforms studied formed as a result of a second-order transgressive event, and corresponded to distally steepened or undifferentiated ramps dominated by coralline algae and larger foraminifera. The presence of Miosorites americanus and Annulosorites spiralis dates the San Luis and Churuguara formations to the early Miocene, consistent with previous planktonic foraminifera studies. The miogypsinid associations identified further distinguish between the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The San Luis and Churuguara platforms exhibit a general aggradational trend, while the Perla carbonates have been interpreted as a retrogradational unit. Third-order T-R sequences interpreted from these successions were mainly influenced by differential tectonic subsidence. Additionally, major regional regressive events in the Falcón Basin and Perla Field coincide with global glaciations, highlighting the influence of eustatic changes. However, the Perla reservoir exhibits significant differences in thickness, spatial extent, and sedimentary architecture compared to the onshore equivalents. The differences arise from variations in tectonic and palaeotopographic settings, accommodation and sedimentation rates, and influence of adjacent siliciclastic systems. As a result, predicting the sedimentary architecture of carbonate reservoirs in this region using a generalized depositional model has proven to be challenging.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre i quan aquestes es distribueixin sota la mateixa llicència que regula l'obra original i es reconegui l'autoria.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Falcón basin ; Caribbean ; Carbonate platform ; Perla field ; Early miocene
Published in:	Geologica acta, Vol. 23 (2025) , p. 1-XIII (Carbonate successions from Iberia and the Caribbean - Homage to Ramon Salas) , ISSN 1696-5728

Adreça original: https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/GEOACTA/article/view/47820
DOI: 10.1344/GeologicaActa2025.23.21

55 p, 29.3 MB

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