An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Petroleum Geology of Latin America
Petroleum Systems of Latin America Explained
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,500
Starting From
13 Dec 2027
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Petroleum Geology of Latin America
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Petroleum Geology of Latin America - GG-REGLAT-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-REGLAT-PEA27 | 13 - 17 Dec 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3500 |
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Petroleum Geology of Latin America
This training covers the petroleum geology of Latin America. It works through the tectonic framework and Andean orogeny, the Maracaibo and eastern Venezuela basins, the Orinoco heavy oil belt, Colombian and Ecuadorian foreland basins, the Peruvian and Bolivian sub-Andean basins, Argentine basins including Neuquen and Vaca Muerta, the Brazilian margin and its pre-salt province, Mexican and Caribbean basins, Guyana-Suriname and the exploration potential by province.
Description
Latin America contains several of the world's largest petroleum accumulations in settings that differ fundamentally from each other: Andean foreland basins where thrusting created traps and loaded source rocks, the Maracaibo basin with its exceptional Cretaceous charge, the Orinoco belt holding the largest heavy oil accumulation on Earth, the Brazilian pre-salt province discovered in the last two decades, and the Guyana-Suriname basin that has become one of the most successful recent exploration provinces.
This training covers the region province by province. The tectonic framework and Andean orogeny are established first, since the orogeny created the foreland basins and drove the charge in most of western South America. The Maracaibo and eastern Venezuela basins follow. The Orinoco heavy oil belt is then developed. Colombian and Ecuadorian foreland basins follow. The Peruvian and Bolivian sub-Andean basins are then addressed. Argentine basins including the Vaca Muerta are developed. The Brazilian margin and its pre-salt province follow. Mexican and Caribbean basins are then addressed. Guyana-Suriname follows. The training closes with potential by province.
The La Luna Formation is one of the world's most prolific source rocks. This Late Cretaceous organic-rich calcareous shale, deposited on the drowned northern South American margin under anoxic conditions, charges the Maracaibo basin, parts of Colombia and eastern Venezuela, and the volumes it has generated are extraordinary. Its organic richness, its thickness, its wide distribution and its burial by the Andean foreland load together explain why northern South America holds the accumulations it does.
The Orinoco heavy oil belt is a biodegraded accumulation of enormous scale. Oil generated from Cretaceous sources in the eastern Venezuela foreland migrated northward and updip into shallow Miocene sands along the northern flank of the Guyana Shield, where it was biodegraded by bacteria in the shallow, cool, water-flushed reservoirs. The result is a tar belt holding hundreds of billions of barrels of extra heavy oil, producible by cold production and thermal methods, in excellent unconsolidated sand reservoirs.
The Brazilian pre-salt changed the understanding of deepwater exploration. Beneath thick Aptian salt in the Santos and Campos basins lie syn-rift lacustrine carbonates, microbialites and coquinas with excellent reservoir quality, charged from interbedded lacustrine source rocks and sealed by the salt. The accumulations are very large, the reservoirs are deep and warm with high carbon dioxide in places, and their discovery required imaging through salt that earlier technology could not achieve.
Finally, the Vaca Muerta is the most significant unconventional play outside North America. The Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation in the Neuquen basin is a thick, organic-rich, calcareous mudrock that sources the basin's conventional fields and is itself productive as an unconventional reservoir. It has the organic richness, the maturity range, the thickness, the overpressure and the carbonate-rich mineralogy that the successful North American plays have, and it is being developed at scale.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Relate Latin American basin formation to Andean orogeny and Atlantic opening
- Describe the Maracaibo and eastern Venezuela petroleum systems
- Describe the Orinoco heavy oil belt and its formation
- Describe Colombian and Ecuadorian foreland basin plays
- Describe the sub-Andean basins of Peru and Bolivia
- Describe Argentine basins including the Vaca Muerta play
- Describe the Brazilian margin and its pre-salt and post-salt plays
- Describe Mexican and Caribbean basin plays
- Describe the Guyana-Suriname basin and its discoveries
- Assess exploration potential by province
The training works through basin summaries, regional sections and field case studies. Participants build petroleum system summaries by province, compare conjugate margin plays across the South Atlantic, and assess exploration potential. The Guyana-Suriname discovery sequence is examined for what it revealed about the play.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Assess Latin American opportunities with regional context
- Understand the charge systems behind each province
- Recognise foreland basin play types
- Apply pre-salt and conjugate margin analogues
- Improve screening of regional acreage
- Support operations and new ventures in the region
Participants will:
- Know Latin America's main petroleum provinces
- Relate basins to Andean and Atlantic tectonics
- Describe the plays in each province
- Understand heavy oil belt formation
- Assess provincial exploration potential
- Work with regional context on Latin American projects
- Geoscientists working in Latin American basins
- Exploration staff screening regional opportunities
- Development geologists in regional assets
- New ventures and business development staff
- Technical staff supporting regional operations
- Graduate geoscientists in regional companies
- Advisors assessing Latin American opportunities
Module 1 - Tectonic Framework
- South American cratons and shields
- Palaeozoic Gondwana margin
- Permo-Triassic rifting
- Jurassic to Cretaceous Atlantic opening
- Cretaceous passive margin development
- Andean subduction initiation
- Andean orogenic phases
- Foreland basin formation and migration
- Caribbean plate interaction
- Transpressional systems in the north
- Patagonian and southern basins
- Basin distribution and its controls
Module 2 - Venezuela
- Maracaibo basin structure
- La Luna source rock
- Cretaceous and Eocene reservoirs
- Bolivar Coastal Field complex
- Lake Maracaibo plays
- Perija and Merida flanks
- Eastern Venezuela foreland basin
- Maturin and Guarico sub-basins
- Oficina and Merecure reservoirs
- El Furrial trend
- Serrania del Interior fold belt
- Barinas-Apure basin
Module 3 - Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt
- Belt setting and extent
- Guyana Shield flank position
- Charge from Cretaceous sources
- Long distance updip migration
- Biodegradation mechanisms
- Water washing and its effects
- Oficina and Merecure reservoir sands
- Unconsolidated sand character
- Viscosity distribution across the belt
- Cold production methods
- Thermal recovery application
- Resource scale and classification
Module 4 - Colombia and Ecuador
- Llanos foreland basin
- Llanos source and reservoir systems
- Cusiana and Cupiagua fields
- Middle Magdalena Valley basin
- Upper Magdalena Valley basin
- Catatumbo basin
- Putumayo basin
- Oriente basin of Ecuador
- Napo and Hollin reservoirs
- Heavy oil in the Oriente
- Progreso and coastal Ecuador basins
- Foreland basin play elements
Module 5 - Peru, Bolivia and Chile
- Sub-Andean basin system
- Maranon basin
- Ucayali and Madre de Dios basins
- Peruvian coastal basins: Talara and Tumbes
- Camisea gas fields
- Bolivian sub-Andean basins
- Devonian source rocks
- Devonian and Carboniferous reservoirs
- Thrust belt traps
- Chaco and Beni plains
- Chilean Magallanes basin
- Thrust belt exploration challenges
Module 6 - Argentina
- Neuquen basin structure and evolution
- Vaca Muerta source rock
- Vaca Muerta unconventional play
- Los Molles source rock
- Tordillo and Mulichinco reservoirs
- Loma Campana and development status
- Golfo San Jorge basin
- Austral and Magallanes basins
- Cuyo and Noroeste basins
- Offshore Argentina frontier
- Tight gas plays
- Development and infrastructure geology
Module 7 - Brazil
- Brazilian margin basin distribution
- Equatorial margin transform basins
- Potiguar and Ceara basins
- Sergipe-Alagoas basin
- Campos basin post-salt plays
- Albian carbonate and turbidite reservoirs
- Santos basin pre-salt province
- Pre-salt lacustrine source rocks
- Microbialite and coquina reservoirs
- Salt seal and imaging challenges
- Carbon dioxide content and its management
- Espirito Santo and southern basins
Module 8 - Mexico, Caribbean, Guyana and Potential
- Southeastern Mexico basins
- Cantarell and the Chicxulub breccia reservoir
- Tampico-Misantla and Golden Lane
- Burgos and Sabinas gas basins
- Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Mexican sector
- Cuba and Caribbean basins
- Trinidad and the Columbus basin
- Guyana-Suriname basin setting
- Cretaceous source and turbidite reservoirs
- Stabroek discoveries and the play model
- Frontier basins across the region
- Screening Latin American opportunities
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
