Signatures of Prograding Seismic Clinoforms in Cienaga de Oro (CdO) Formation, Lower Magdalena Valley Basin, Colombia: An Integrated Case Study

Abstract

The Lower Magdalena Valley Basin (LMVB) of northwestern Colombia represents a mature hydrocarbon-producing province with a prolonged exploration and production history, marked by the first recorded gas discovery in 1943 (Arminio et al., 2011). Subsequent exploration programs have acquired more than 24,000 km of 2D seismic and approximately 7,000 km² of 3D seismic data, along with the drilling of more than 270 exploratory and development wells (Willis et al., 2017). These integrated exploration efforts have resulted in the identification of at least 20 major gas fields, with estimated reserves ranging from 20 to 435 BCF, besides numerous smaller hydrocarbon accumulations, several of which contain associated liquid hydrocarbons (Willis et al., 2017). Tectonically, the LMVB is developed along a convergent margin, associated with the interaction between the Caribbean/Pacific domain and the South American plate (Barrero et al., 2007; Arminio et al., 2011). The basin is underlain by continental crust and bounded to the west by the Sinú–San Jacinto accretionary prism, with deformation characterized by a combination of subduction-related processes and strike-slip tectonics. This structural framework has exerted a first-order control on basin architecture, accommodation development, and sediment routing.