Los Molles Formation

Los Molles Formation
Stratigraphic range: Pliensbachian-Callovian ~
Type	Geological formation
Unit of	Cuyo Group
Underlies	Niyeu–Lajas Formation
Overlies	Lajoa Formation
Lithology
Primary	Organic shale
Other	Lime-mudstone
Location
Coordinates	39°10′18″S 69°39′35″W
Approximate paleocoordinates	36.9°S 31.1°W / -36.9; -31.1
Region	Mendoza Province Neuquén Province
Country	Argentina
Extent	Neuquén Basin
Type section
Country	Argentina
Los Molles Formation (Argentina)

The Los Molles Formation is a geologic formation of Early to Middle Jurassic age, located at northern and central part of Neuquén Basin at Mendoza Shelf in Argentina. It is overlain by the Niyeu–Lajas Formation.

Description

Outcrop map of the formation

It is the second largest oil and gas formation in the Neuquén Basin after the Vaca Muerta. Los Molles Formation is estimated to have 275 trillion cubic feet (7.8×10^¹² m³) of technically recoverable shale gas and 3.7 billion barrels (590,000,000 m³) of technically recoverable oil. In July 2015, the Buenos Aires Herald indicated that Pan American Energy and YPF planned to drill 46 shale gas wells in Los Molles over the next four years in their Lindero Atravesado drilling block, at an estimated cost of US$590 million.

Fossil content

In several outcrops, the Los Molles formation has been the site of paleontological discoveries: the ichthyosaurs Chacaicosaurus and Mollesaurus, the rhomaleosaurid plesiosaur Maresaurus, and, in 2017, an stegosaurian ornithischian, Isaberrysaura, discovered with fossilized contents of the gut.

See also

• Vaca Muerta
• List of dinosaur bearing rock formations
• Toarcian turnover
• Toarcian formations
  • Marne di Monte Serrone, Italy
  • Calcare di Sogno, Italy
  • El Pedregal Formation, Spain
  • Sachrang Formation, Austria
  • Posidonia Shale, Lagerstätte in Germany
  • Ciechocinek Formation, Germany and Poland
  • Krempachy Marl Formation, Poland and Slovakia
  • Lava Formation, Lithuania
  • Azilal Group, North Africa
  • Whitby Mudstone, England
  • Fernie Formation, Alberta and British Columbia
    • Poker Chip Shale
  • Whiteaves Formation, British Columbia
  • Navajo Sandstone, Utah
  • Mawson Formation, Antarctica
  • Kandreho Formation, Madagascar
  • Kota Formation, India
  • Cattamarra Coal Measures, Australia

References

Bibliography

• McIlroy, Duncan; Flint, Stephen; Howell, John A.; Timms, Nick (2005), The Neuquén Basin, Argentina: A Case Study in Sequence Stratigraphy and Basin Dynamics - Sedimentology of the tide-dominated Jurassic Lajas Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina, Geological Society of London, p. 84, ISBN 9781862391901, retrieved 2019-02-16
• Salgado, Leonardo; Canudo, José I.; Garrido, Alberto C.; Moreno Azanza, Miguel; Martínez, Leandro C. A.; Coria, Rodolfo A.; Gasca, José M. (2017), "A new primitive Neornithischian dinosaur from the Jurassic of Patagonia with gut contents", Scientific Reports, 7: 42778, Bibcode:2017NatSR...742778S, doi:10.1038/srep42778, PMC 5311864, PMID 28202910, retrieved 2019-02-16
• Various, Authors (2013), Technically Recoverable Shale Oil and Shale Gas Resources: An Assessment of 137 Shale Formations in 41 Countries Outside the United States (PDF), U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), pp. _, retrieved 2013-06-11