Los Molles Formation

The Los Molles Formation is a geologic formation of Early to Middle Jurassic age, located at northern and central part of Neuquén Basin at Mendoza Shelf in Argentina. It is overlain by the Niyeu–Lajas Formation.[1]

Los Molles Formation
Stratigraphic range: Pliensbachian-Callovian
~185–165 Ma
TypeGeological formation
Unit ofCuyo Group
UnderliesNiyeu–Lajas Formation
OverliesLajoa Formation
Lithology
PrimaryOrganic shale
OtherLime-mudstone
Location
Coordinates39°10′18″S 69°39′35″W
Approximate paleocoordinates36.9°S 31.1°W / -36.9; -31.1
RegionMendoza & Neuquén Provinces
Country Argentina
ExtentNeuquén Basin
Type section
Country Argentina
Los Molles Formation (Argentina)

Description
Outcrop map of the formation
Early-Mid Jurassic (170 Ma)

It is the second largest oil and gas formation in the Neuquén Basin after the Vaca Muerta. Los Molles Formation is estimated to have 275 trillion cubic feet (7.8×10^12 m3) of technically recoverable shale gas and 3.7 billion barrels (590,000,000 m3) of technically recoverable oil.[2] In July 2015, the Buenos Aires Herald indicated that Pan American Energy and YPF planned to drill 46 shale gas wells in Los Molles over the next four years in their Lindero Atravesado drilling block, at an estimated cost of US$590 million.[3]

Fossil content

In several outcrops, the Los Molles formation has been the site of paleontological discoveries: the ichthyosaurs Chacaicosaurus and Mollesaurus, and, in 2017, an ornithischian, Isaberrysaura, discovered with fossilized contents of the gut.[4]

gollark: <@319753218592866315> You know how you told me to do something relating to Macron? There was an accident with the [REDACTED] ideatic space nullifiers, so Macron is now antimemetic and/or Hitler.
gollark: Time to Macron [DATA EXPUNGED] resulting in 12 casualties!
gollark: I work for Macron too, remember?
gollark: [EXPUNGEMENT REDACTED]
gollark: Well, I *programmed* the original RPNCalcs.

See also

References
  1. McIlroy et al., 2005
  2. EIA, 2013
  3. Shale fields to get US$14 billion boost
  4. Salgado et al., 2017

Bibliography
  • McIlroy, Duncan; Stephen Flint; John A. Howell, and Nick Timms. 2005. The Neuquén Basin, Argentina: A Case Study in Sequence Stratigraphy and Basin Dynamics - Sedimentology of the tide-dominated Jurassic Lajas Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina, 84. Geological Society of London. Accessed 2019-02-16. ISBN 9781862391901
  • Salgado, Leonardo; José I. Canudo; Alberto C. Garrido; Miguel Moreno Azanza; Leandro C. A. Martínez; Rodolfo A. Coria, and José M. Gasca. 2017. A new primitive Neornithischian dinosaur from the Jurassic of Patagonia with gut contents. Scientific Reports 7. 42778. Accessed 2019-02-16.
  • Various, Authors. 2013. Technically Recoverable Shale Oil and Shale Gas Resources: An Assessment of 137 Shale Formations in 41 Countries Outside the United States, _. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Accessed 2013-06-11.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.