CONTRIBUTION TO THE STUDY OF THE MECHANICAL EVOLUTION OF THE PARANÁ BASIN
Abstract
The objective of this paper is to provide a geophysical contribution to the study of the processes involved in the mechanical
evolution of the Paraná Basin. This Ordovician-Cretaceous sedimentary basin is intracratonic and located in the S-SE portion of Brazil, also comprising part of Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay and covers approximately 1.4 million km2. In the thermomechanical study, 81 exploratory boreholes for hydrocarbons drilled by PETROBRAS and PAULIPETRO were used, applying pure shear extensional models. With this modeling, it was possible to locate the region of greatest stress, between 23.8°S, 53.8°W and 22.3°S, 52.0°W ¾ which could reflect the existence of a paleostructure representing the boundary between tectonic blocks. The results obtained, associated with the types of sedimentation described for the principal chronostratigraphic sequences, are also discussed.