Changes in the Eocene-Miocene Marine Carbonate Factories Along the Tropical SE Circum-Caribbean Region

Abstract

Marine carbonates haves become major targets during the O&G exploration in several frontier basins along the Circum-Caribbean. Although important changes on the factories of Cenozoic Caribbean carbonates seem to parallel global trends, the regional patterns of such trends are not well established along the SE Circum-Caribbean. In this study we report new stratigraphic information and Sr-isotope chemostratigraphic and biostratigraphic ages from carbonate successions deposited along equatorial/tropical SE Circum-Caribbean, i.e. Gatuncillo Formation and Maje Formation in Central Panama and the Toluviejo, Macarao and Siamana Foramtions in northern Colombia, from which changes in the main factories of shallow marine carbonates are constrained. The new depositional ages, together with new stratigraphic data allowed determining temporal changes in the factories of shallow marine carbonates along this region. While calcareous coralline algae constituted the main shallow marine reef framework during the Eocene-early Oligocene interval, corals constituted the main shallow marine reef framework during late Oligocene – early Miocene times. Patchy coral reefs dominated the middle to late Oligocene interval. These were replaced by predominantly fringing coral reefs during the early Miocene. A new period of calcareous algae occurred during the middle Miocene. The proposed regional trends and temporal changes in the architecture and stratigraphy of the studied successions may be considered as analogs during the exploration of potential O&G reservoirs along the SE Circum Caribbean, as well as for the O & G exploration along convergent margins.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90194 © 2014 International Conference & Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey, September 14-17, 2014