Tampico Region Mexico

Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 GEOLOGY OF THE TAMPICO REGION MEXICO Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 PUBLISHED WITH THE REVOLVING PUB- LICATION FUND WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE NEW YORK COMMITTEE FOR THE NOVEMBER, 1926, MID-YEAR MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 GEOLOGY OF THE TAMPICO REGION, MEXICO CORRECTION On page 208 of Geology of the Ta~npicoRegion, Mexico, by John M. Muir, there is an inadvertent misstatement in the concluding sentence of the third new paragraph on the page. That statement should be: "Production during December, 1931, amounted to 1,086,000 barrels from 246 stripping wells, or an average of 35,000 barrels per day." On page 37, line 5 from bottom, "Astieria aff. haclzelardi Sap" should be Astieria (Vala?zginites)aff. bachelardi Sayn. On page 249, line 8, .llmitos should be :Ilamitos. On page 263, column 2, line 6, delete "Hyplophragmoides, 78." Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 GEOLOGY OF THE TAMPICO REGION MEXICO JOHN M. MUIR Member, The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, The Institution of Petroleum Technologists PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS TULSA, OKLAHOMA, U.S.A. LONDON: THOMAS MURBY & CO., 1, FLEET LANE, E.C. 4 1936 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 COPYRIGET, 1936. BY THEAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PETROLEUM-GEOLOGISTS All Rights- Reserved Published, August, 1936 COMPOSED AND PRINTED BY GEORGE BANTA PUBLISEING COMPANY MENASEA WISCONSIN ,U.S.A. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 INTRODUCTION The present volume is the first serious attempt to assemble under one cover the existing knowledge of the geology of the Tampico region in Mexico. The author, Mr. John M. Muir, is well fitted for this difficult undertaking because of his long familiarity with the area and his wide acquaintance among the persons interested in the geology and oil re- sources of that region. He went about the task with a full comprehension of its size and importance, and has patiently, persistently, and consci- entiously carried it to completion. By personal interviews and by corre- spondence he has brought together a vast amount of data, both published and unpublished, and in addition has repeatedly gone to the field for first-hand information, particularly where doubts or uncertainties existed as to the correct interpretation of the reported conditions. This information, made readily accessible in one volume, will be of inestimable value to all future workers in eastern Mexico. The author has offered what appear to be reasonable solutions of many perplexing problems in Mexican geology; it is hardly to be expected, how- ever, that all his conclusions will go unchallenged. He has called atten- tion to other problems and has indicated the difficulties attendant upon their solution. He has been eminently fair in presenting the views of others, and in indicating their contributions to the knowledge of the area. He has overlooked no opportunity to bring the volume up to date even to the extent of making additions after the manuscript had been sent to press. The work is not merely a compilation; it is also an interpretation. Mr. Muir is deserving of high commendation for the successful completion of this long needed work; it has been in a very real sense a labor of love, for the undertaking has been carried on at great personal sacrifice. His chief remuneration will be the satisfaction of having presented the geologic fraternity with a volume that will mean the saving of countless hours of research to future workers in the Tampico region. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 PREFACE Strictly speaking this work deals with the central part of the Tampico Embaymentl area. The geology of the extreme northern end of the embayment and the southernmost extension is not presented. Apart from discussion of general stratigraphical and structural features, a synoptical description of the two main oil fields, the Northern and Southern fields, is given. Development in the new Poza Rica field, in the Furbero field, and in several other minor pools is not included. The inception of the work dates from 1928. Intermittently, this study was carried on until the early part of 1934. At the annual meeting of The American Association of Petroleum Geologists, held in Dallas in March, 1934, it was decided by the executive committee of the Association to publish the results in a special volume. No descriptive matter concerning the maps or sections had been written at that time. The original intent was to describe the oil fields rather fully and give only a rCsum6 of the stratigraphy. The final outcome represents, perhaps, the converse of the original plan. In a few cases the writer has not felt at liberty to introduce evidence pertaining to some stratigraphical questions. Some data relating to structural features, as well as some pertinent data relating to oil production and recovery, have been purposely omitted from the text. Although pertinent dataof other authors arefreely quoted, thisvolume is not a compilation. Original unpublished material of other workers is included, it being beyond the writer's power to be fully familiar with all the facts desirable of treatment. This does not mean that some of the data presented are not bound up with the writer's own observations. Almost without exception, the only systematic data available on the Jurassic system are those published by C. Burckhardt. Some material having a bearing on development in the Tampico Embayment has been abstracted from the "Etude synthCtiqueJ7of that author. At the risk of being tedious, the original references regarding stratigraphic nomencla- ture have been quoted. It was thought advantageous to have such data included in the work and thus save the reader the necessity of searching for references which may not be available. The metric system is used throughout, where maps and horizontal distances are concerned, as it is the official standard in Mexico. Maps The term Embayment is not applicable to the Cretaceous rocks. The designation was used first by E. T. Dumble and is understood to refer to the Tertiary deposits. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 viii PREFACE published by the Federal Government as well as all property maps made by operating companies are based on that system. With regard to vertical measurements both the metric and English systems are used indiscrimi- nately in the text. The reason for this procedure is that most of the measurements in drilling operations have been recorded in feet. Variants occur in the spelling of several names in Mexico. Chapopote is considered the correct rendering of that word and is so used in the text where referring to asphalt (or oil); Chapapote is used where referring to places as it appears thus on some maps though probably incorrectly. Tlixpan (or Tuxpam) and Quebracha (or Quebrache) are other examples. The reader will find the map issued by the American Geographical Society of New York a useful reference (see list of maps at end of Bibliography). Referring to the interest takenin Mexican geology and the application of micro-palaeontology to stratigraphy by the late E. T. Dumble, the following is worth mention. The writer recently came across two letters he had received from W. F. Cummins in 1917, written at Dumble's re- quest, pointing out the desirability of obtaining palaeontological evidence from the Chicontepec beds in the region of TanlajAs. Cummins wrote (8th November, 1917): Mr. Cushman, who is studying the foraminifera of the Mexican collections, is very anxious to get some of the forams from the Chicontepec beds. I am writing to ask you, if possible, to secure some of them for us and send them to Mr. Dumble at this place [Houston, Texas]. Some result obtained along these lines from that area in 1935 is referred to in the following pages. Some of the rocks, from outcrops and wells, referred to in these pages have been deposited with the Department of Geology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is planned to send some of the Fora- minifera referred to in the lists of J. B. Dorr to the same place. A collection of well cuttings from the Northern fields area is now in the care of the Instituto Geoldgico in Mexico City; this collection, for- merly, was gathered together by the geologists of the International Pe- troleum Company. The English form of spelling has been retained, although not conform- ing with editorial practice of The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Words ending in -ic or -ical are used with both renderings. JOHNM. MUIR 26 August, 1935 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/3840618/9781629812533_frontmatter.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In a treatise of this kind it has been necessary to include the results of the work of many geologists who have not been in a position to publish.

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