WorldWide Drilling Resource

36 MARCH 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Oil & Gas Project Makes a Grand Discovery Adapted from Information by Exxon Mobil Corporation ExxonMobil Exploration Argentina (EMEA), along with other ExxonMobil affil- iates, has been a part of Argentina’s oil and gas industry history for more than 100 years. In fact, EMEA holds interests in rough- ly 900,000 acres of unconventional shale oil and shale gas plays in the Vaca Muerta formation in the Neuquén Province of western Argentina. While constructing a road for the exploration project, work- ers made an amazing discovery. They found dinosaur fossils from a herd of Titanosaurus Sauropods from the late Cretaceous period, which ended more than 60 million years ago marking the end of dinosaurs on earth. The Titanosaurus was one of the heaviest creatures to ever exist, weighing as much as 400,000 pounds while standing as high as 25 feet tall and measuring 65 feet long. ExxonMobil decided to redirect the road leading to the drilling project to en- sure the integrity of the dig site. Then they took things a step further by funding the first phase of paleontological work, pro- viding materials and services to a team of four paleontologists, two assistants, and one photographer. The project caught the attention of the local community including Neuquén province Governor Jorge Sapag. Dino- saur fossils are an important part of the cultural heritage for the community of Rincon de los Sauces. Dinosaur monu- ments can be found in the main squares and in the e n t r a n c e to the town, s t r e e t n a m e s have dino- saur images on every sign, and even the books children read at school are related to this topic. The initial phase of the project in- volved locating, cleaning, and identifying the fossils, which included comparing them to other fossils at the museum in Rincon de los Sauces, as well as other museums in the area. Director of the Museum Argentino Urquiza of Rincon de los Sauces and leading paleontologist of the project, Leonardo Filippi said, “The findings dur- ing the excavations have been extraor- dinary. We found two samples of the Theropod species, a completely articu- lated Titanosaurus including the cranium, various fossils of freshwater turtles, fish, and dinosaur eggs. These results demon- strate the richness of this region that will allow further studies and understand- ing of the formation. We want to thank ExxonMobil for their continuous support and contribution to the preservation of the area.” The final phase will include assem- bling the recovered pieces, constructing replicas, developing technical materials and information for students, as well as an exhibition for local museums. EMEA is continuing its exploration program in the Vaca Muerta Formation which is considered one of the most im- portant unconventional resources in the ExxonMobil’s Tomas Hess, public affairs manager, visited the dinosaur bones during the initial discovery. Oil & Gas Project cont’d on page 38.