The Venezuela's most important petroleum basins Are the basin of the Gulf of Venezuela, the Lake Maracaibo basin, the Falcon basin, the Barinas-Apure basin, the Cariaco basin, the eastern basin and the Orinoco oil belt.
An oil basin is an area or extension of land that at some point in the past was found submerged or under sea or river levels.
As a consequence of this activity, the sediments carried by the water underwent a process of accumulation. These sediments were particularly rich in organic decomposition, whether of animal or vegetable origin.
Over the centuries, these elements were decomposed and were trapped in the layers of rock that form the current subsoil.
This is the origin of petroleum as it is believed today, and the evidence that validates it is that in all the petroleum deposits there are sediments of animal or vegetal origin.
In Venezuela there are several oil basins, all of which are formations that were at one time submerged and the process described above was completed.
Although the existence of oil basins was well known for many years, their exploitation has been limited by the cost-benefit ratio of oil, which in the past had a very low cost and the exploitation of certain types Of deposits.
Throughout the national geography, refineries and oil pipelines have been built to bring oil from the reservoirs to the docks for export.
Cities like Maracaibo, Punto Fijo, Morón, Puerto La Cruz and Caripito at the time, were developed thanks to the oil industry.
The main oil basins in Venezuela
The main oil basins of Venezuela are the following:
1- The basin of the Gulf of Venezuela
Located in the north of the country, in the maritime area of the state of Zulia, adjacent to the Goajira whose sub-basin is also part of it.
It begins in the peninsula of the Guajira and it extends until the peninsula of Paraguaná by its western part.
Given its importance as an energy potential, and because of its location very close to the maritime border with Colombia, there have been complaints and even incidents of war with the neighboring country in the past.
Due to its marine character, which has made difficult its exploitation, it has been little developed.
2- The lake basin of Maracaibo
It is located in the depression of the lake of Maracaibo, occupying an approximate extension of 67,000 square kilometers.
Most of Venezuela's oil production is located in this area, particularly the eastern coast of the lake (C.O.L) where the most important oil fields in the country are located.
The most important fields of this basin are, in the state Zulia: Lagunillas, Tía Juana, Bachaquero, La Paz, Lama, Lamar, Cabimas, Centro, Boscan, Lago, Ceuta and Grande.
3 - Falcon Basin
The Falcon basin is geologically a part of the lake basin of Maracaibo. It covers the sub-basin of Aroa, Gulf of the sail, Paraguaná and Gulf of Venezuela.
It is located in Falcon State and the northern part of Lara State. It is characterized by significant oil reserves, although it has not been developed in a small part. The most important fields are Mene, Media, Painted Man, Mene Mauroa and Tiguaje.
4- Cuenca Barinas-Apure
It occupies an area of approximately 87,000 square kilometers, and is located between the Portuguese, Barinas, Cojedes and Apure states. The exploitation that has suffered in recent years has made it the third basin in importance in the country.
The eastern plains of Colombia are part of this oil basin. It is composed by the hato Viejo, Maporal, Silvan, Páez, Sinco and Silvestre fields.
5- Basin of Cariaco
It is located between the states Miranda and Sucre, covering an area of approximately 14,000 square kilometers, and is estimated to have large natural gas deposits given the results of the explorations carried out.
6- Eastern Basin
Due to the volume of production it manages, it is the second most important in the country. It comprises the states of Anzoátegui, Monagas, Delta Amacuro and Sucre, covering an area of approximately 150,000 square kilometers. Geographically, it also includes the Island of Trinidad.
It is formed by Cenozoic Mesozoic strata. Due to its sedimentological, tectonic and stratigraphic characteristics, it is subdivided into two sub-basins: La Maturín and Guárico.
Due to its reserve capacity, it is the second largest in South America, after Lake Maracaibo.
Its oil fields are very diverse and include wells of almost all types, from natural flow to mechanical pumping, with crude also of very diverse viscosities.
The proximity of the countryside to the cities has allowed the development of the latter as well as the migration of the population in search of employment opportunities.
The most outstanding fields of this basin are in the state Anzoátegui: Office, Guara, Santa Rosa, Nipa, Merey, Dación, Leona and Yoaples; In Delta Amacuro: Tucupita and Pedernales; In Guárico: Budare, Las Mercedes, Gabán, Ruiz and Barzo; In Monagas: Lobo, Acema, Pilón, Quiriquire, Oritupano and Morichal.
7- Orinoco Oil Belt
Its surface is of about 45,000 square kilometers, being located to the south of the states Guárico, Anzoátegui, Delta Amacuro and Monagas, to the north of the Orinoco river.
An amount as large as 700 billion barrels of oil as a reserve makes it one of the largest in the world.
Some years ago, extra-heavy oil was used, which was used to produce and export orimulsion.
Currently crude oil improvers are used, which are equipment that fractionates the oil molecules to make it lighter and commercially more attractive elements.
Light oil from other countries is also imported to mix it with extra-heavy crude and produce a better commercial value mix for sale.
It is divided into four camps: Boyacá, Junín, Ayacucho and Carabobo. Through the Magna reserva project, some 172,000 million barrels of oil were certified, with a recovery factor of 20%, making Venezuela the first country in the world's reserves of crude oil, above Saudi Arabia .
References
- Monsalve, E. Position of our oil in the world . Revista SIC. Retrieved from: www.gumilla.org
- The oil. Retrieved from: www.geoeconomia5.blogspot.com
- Oil Exploration in Venezuela. Retrieved from: www.mineraypetrolera.blogspot.com
- Exploration and Production. Retrieved from: www.pdvsa.com
- [Links] Geological Characterization of the Morichal 05 Reservoir, Morichal Member, Jobo Field, Morichal Social District . Caracas, Central University of Venezuela