Middle Magdelena

Commentary

The MMB has been extensively explored, but new discoveries continue to be made. The new de la Espriella government has reopened exploration contracts and plans to revive fracking, which would unlock the La Luna unconventional play. However, reversing the cancelled pilots, judicial restrictions, the higher tax take and security remain hurdles. Outlook: Neutral.

Updated

October 1, 2026

Location

Description

The MMB is a polyhistoric intermontane basin between the Central and Eastern Cordilleras of Colombia, covering c.34,000sq km and about 80km wide by 450km long, terminating northwards against the Santander Massif and Cesar Valley. Jurassic–Early Cretaceous rifting was followed by a Cretaceous back-arc marine succession. From the latest Cretaceous–Paleocene, uplift of the Central Cordillera in response to subduction along the western margin turned the area into a foreland, and the basin took its present intermontane form during the Miocene Andean uplift of the Eastern Cordillera. It is bounded to the north by the Espíritu Santo fault system, to the south by the Girardot fold belt, to the north-east by the Bucaramanga–Santa Marta fault system and to the south-east by the Bituima and La Salina fault systems, with Tertiary strata onlapping the Central Cordillera to the west. The Upper Cretaceous La Luna Formation (with the Aptian Tablazo) is the main source, and the principal reservoirs are Paleogene La Paz, Esmeraldas, Mugrosa and Colorado sandstones above a regional Eocene unconformity. It is Colombia's second most prolific province, with c.2.75bn bbl of cumulative production (e.g. La Cira-Infantas and Casabe).

Summary

The MMB has been extensively explored, new discoveries continue to be made leveraging modern technology. There is also the potential development of the La Luna shale series, which remains an untapped resource. The La Luna remains one of the key targets for participants currently emerging the MMB.