Geological structure and prospect of the oil and gas bearing of the Falkland Islands region

In the region of the Falkland Islands, resulting from the breaking up of Gondwana and the separation of the South American and African continents, a series of rift basins was formed, such as, the Austral (Magallanes), Falkland (Malvinas), South Falkland (Malvinas), East Falkland (Malvinas), North Falkland (Malvinas), and San Julian. The sedimentary cover of the basins is represented by Phanerozoic deposits 4–7 km thick. The principle productive series are the sandstones of the Springhill Formation (Jurassic-Late Cretaceous), as well as the Tertiary mainly turbidite deposits. There are numerous types of traps dome, stratigraphic, lithologic, tectonically screened, and other types. These basins, except for the North Falkland and San Julian, form a specific producing trend extending from the west to east, which is represented by sandstones of the Springhill Formation (Jurassic-Late Cretaceous), by the maturate source rock Inoceramus Formation, and by high-quality reservoirs and caprock. This trend contains all the prerequisites for highly productive stratum; therefore, the oil and gas bearing potential of these basins is significant and the exploration works will be successful.