LANDER, R., A. GONZALEZ, J. FUENTES, and J. DAAL, Exploration Management, Corpoven S.A., Venezuela

ABSTRACT: Exploration of the Late Cretaceous and the Oligocene Sequences Underneath the Pirital Allochthonous Block, Northern Monagas Area, Eastern Venezuela Basin

The search for prospectives formations underneath the Pirital allochthonous block began in the 50th decade, when the Mene Grande Oil Company drilled 7 exploratory wells. These penetrated the Pirital allochthonous block, but due to mechanical problems they did not reach the programmed objectives. At that moment the proposed exploratory model suggested a high angle reverse fault, as the base of the allochthonous block, which restricted the prospective section towards the north.

Lately in 1989, after the drilling of 11 exploratory wells along the El Furrial-El Tejero trend, a new exploratory model is proposed : the base of the Pirital block is a sub-horizontal plane, and the Late Cretaceous and Oligo-Early Miocene sediments are extended northward, underneath.

The well SBC-3E was drilled in order to test the new model, and it was completed on December 989, with a production of 6100 BOPD of 35 degrees API, and 47 MMCFD.

A second well, PIC-lE, located 7.5 km toward the northwest of the SBC-3E, was drilled in order to investigate the quality of the reservoir rocks underneath the Pirital block. This well was completed on April, 1992, with a production of 4500 BOPD of 36 degrees API and 37 MMCFD.

The successful results of these two wells drilled north of the Pirital thrust, suggest an exploratory area as big as the El Furrial-El Tejero trend. But, two geological risks must be taken into account: the allochthonous block's thickness, and the depth of the prospective sequences.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90988©1993 AAPG/SVG International Congress and Exhibition, Caracas, Venezuela, March 14-17, 1993.