Palynology of the aguardiente and lower Capacho - Formations, Catatumbo Basin, Colombia

Abstract

The Catatumbo Basin is located in the North East of Colombia and is the opposite side of the Maracaibo basin in Venezuela. Although the main hydrocarbon reservoirs belong to the Cenozoic, the Cretaceous also has reported good results in oil production. The Aguardiente Formation is one of the main Cretaceous reservoirs of the basin. Key aspects of this Formation including age and depositional environment are still unclear. In this paper, we analyze the palynology of 86 samples from the Aguardiente and the Capacho Formations. Palynology suggests an Albian-Early Cenomanian age for the sequence. The Aguardiente accumulated in transitional environments while the Capacho accumulated in shallow marine environments.