North Nicaraguan Rise

Commentary

While the NNRB is a highly attractive basin to explore, the sensitivity to drilling activity has hampered progress in some areas of the Basin. Consequently, the Outlook for the basin remains uncertain.

Updated

June 18, 2024

Location

Description

The NNRB is an elongate, linear tectonic feature stretching from the Carribean island of Jamaica to the northeast, as far as Nicaragua and Honduras to the southwest. The NRB is typified by the geology of Jamaica and its immediate offshore, which contains several potential Cretaceous and Tertiary source rocks. A number of wells have intersected the basin, but two (Windsor & Retrieve)have enabled significant advancement in the NNRB's understanding, identifying multiple sources, namely the Cenomanian age Rio Nuevo, Campanian age Sunderland and the Middle Eocene age Litchfield. Geochemical analyses of oil seeps, compared to hydrocarbon shows from the key wells in the Basin confirm the presence of an active petroleum system regionally.

Summary

While limited exploration activity has been undertaken, results of analysis of the data to date suggests the island may become an attractive region for future oil exploration.