Neuquén Basin
| Neuquén Basin | |
|---|---|
| Cuenca Neuquina | |
Map of Vaca Muerta showing the extent of the Neuquén Basin. Colors indicate hydrocarbon maturity as measured by vitrinite reflectance. Huincul Fault is shown in grey. | |
| Coordinates | 38°14′S 69°16′W / 38.233°S 69.267°W |
| Etymology | Neuquén River |
| Location | Southern South America |
| Country | Argentina Chile |
| State(s) | Mendoza, Río Negro, La Pampa, & Neuquén Provinces Araucanía & Bío Bío Regions |
| Cities | Neuquén, Bariloche |
| Characteristics | |
| On/Offshore | Onshore |
| Boundaries | Andean Volcanic Belt (W) San Rafael Block (NE) Sierra Pintada (E) North Patagonian Massif (SE) |
| Part of | Andean foreland basins |
| Area | 120,000 km2 (46,000 sq mi) |
| Hydrology | |
| River(s) | Río Negro, Colorado, Limay, Collón Curá & Neuquén Rivers |
| Lake(s) | Ezquiel Ramos Mexía, Los Barreales & Mari Menuco Reservoirs |
| Geology | |
| Basin type | Foreland basin |
| Plate | South American |
| Orogeny | Andean |
| Age | Triassic-Holocene |
| Stratigraphy | Stratigraphy |
| Faults | Huincul |
| Field(s) | a.o. Vaca Muerta (unconventional oil) |
Neuquén Basin (Spanish: Cuenca Neuquina) is a sedimentary basin covering most of Neuquén Province in Argentina. The basin originated in the Jurassic and developed through alternating continental and marine conditions well into the Tertiary. The basin bounds to the west with the Andean Volcanic Belt, to the southeast with the North Patagonian Massif and to the northeast with the San Rafael Block and to the east with the Sierra Pintada System. The basin covers an area of approximately 120,000 square kilometres (46,000 sq mi). One age of the SALMA classification, the Colloncuran, is defined in the basin, based on the Collón Curá Formation, named after the Collón Curá River, a tributary of the Limay River.