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This basin located in the sector western center of Argentina includes at present the provinces of Neuquén and Mendoza, extending towards the north in the mountain range of Saint John and to the east, in the extra-Andean region of Río Negro and west of The Pampa. This basin takes supreme relevancy as its extraordinary exhibitions and finished sequences estratigráficas of the Mesozoico which sedimentary record overcomes 6 meters of thickness. Its connection with the Pacific Ocean suffered successive closings along its history, characteristic that joins a succession of episodes of relative changes of the sea level. The result was a complex distribution of sedimentary deposits that include marine and continental successions.  

The Neuquén basin is located in west-central Argentina in the provinces of Neuquén and Mendoza, extending towards the north in the mountain range of Saint John and to the east, in the extra-Andean region of Río Negro and west of The Pampas. During the Mesozoic, the basin was a back-arc basin that was at times open to Pacific Ocean to the west. Opening and closing of this connection to the Pacific led to a complex distribution of sedimentary deposits that include marine and continental successions.  

It is one of the producing basins of more important hydrocarbons of the country.<ref>Aguirre-Urreta, B., and E. O. Cristallini, 2009, La Cuenca Neuquina: Una perspectiva integrada: Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina, v. 65, no. 2</ref>

It is one of the most important hydrocarbon-producing basins in Argentina.<ref>Aguirre-Urreta, B., and E. O. Cristallini, 2009, La Cuenca Neuquina: Una perspectiva integrada: Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina, v. 65, no. 2</ref>

In 1892, Bodenbender<ref>Bodenbender, G., 1892, Sobre el terreno Jurásico y Cretácico de los Andes Argentinos, entre el Río Diamante y el Río Limay: Academia Nacional de Ciencias, v. 13, pp. 5-44.</ref> informally described for the first time the outcrops of the highly bituminous shales with oil shows in the nucleus of ammonites<ref name=Leanza_2011>Leanza, H. A., F. Sattler, R. Martinez, and O. Carbone, 2011, La Formación Vaca Muerta y Equivalentes (Jurásico Tardío – Cretácico Temprano) en la Cuenca. Neuquina, ''in''' H. A. Leanza, C. Arregui, O. Carbone, J. C. Daniela, and J. M. Vallés, eds., Geología y Recursos Naturales de la Provincia del Neuquén, Neuquén, p. 113–129.</ref> and Weaver<ref>Weaver, C., 1931, Paleontology of the Jurassic and Cretaceous of West Central Argentina: Memoir University of Washington 1, 469 p.</ref> formally adopted the name Vaca Muerta Formation for the most important source rock of the Neuquén Basin.

In 1892, Bodenbender<ref>Bodenbender, G., 1892, Sobre el terreno Jurásico y Cretácico de los Andes Argentinos, entre el Río Diamante y el Río Limay: Academia Nacional de Ciencias, v. 13, pp. 5-44.</ref> informally described for the first time the outcrops of the highly bituminous shales with oil shows in the nucleii of ammonites<ref name=Leanza_2011>Leanza, H. A., F. Sattler, R. Martinez, and O. Carbone, 2011, La Formación Vaca Muerta y Equivalentes (Jurásico Tardío – Cretácico Temprano) en la Cuenca. Neuquina, ''in''' H. A. Leanza, C. Arregui, O. Carbone, J. C. Daniela, and J. M. Vallés, eds., Geología y Recursos Naturales de la Provincia del Neuquén, Neuquén, p. 113–129.</ref> and Weaver<ref>Weaver, C., 1931, Paleontology of the Jurassic and Cretaceous of West Central Argentina: Memoir University of Washington 1, 469 p.</ref> formally adopted the name Vaca Muerta Formation for the most important source rock of the Neuquén Basin.

Within the [[stratigraphic column]], overlies with sharp contact the continental deposits of the Tordillo and QuebradadelSapo formations denoting the Tithonian transgression. Nevertheless, in some areas it can overlay in angular discordance on different pre-Tithonian units.<ref name=Leanza_2011 /><ref>Leanza, H. A., H. G. Marchese, and J. C. Riggi, 1977, Estratigrafía del Grupo Mendoza con especial referencia a la Formación Vaca Muerta entre los Paralelos 35º y 40º l.s. Cuenca Neuquina-Mendocina: Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina, v. 32, p. 190–208.</ref>

The [[stratigraphic column]] shows that the Vaca Muerta overlies a sharp contact on the underlying continental deposits of the Tordillo and Quebradade/Sapo formations, but in some areas, the Vaca Muerta overlies an angular unconformity on different pre-Tithonian units.<ref name=Leanza_2011 /><ref>Leanza, H. A., H. G. Marchese, and J. C. Riggi, 1977, Estratigrafía del Grupo Mendoza con especial referencia a la Formación Vaca Muerta entre los Paralelos 35º y 40º l.s. Cuenca Neuquina-Mendocina: Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina, v. 32, p. 190–208.</ref>

This formation comprises a set of sedimentitas mainly marine they be distant to sides and in less measurement sediment continetal deposited between the late low titoniano and valanginiano early. This age is verified based on  biozone amonoideos , calciesferas and calpionélidos.<ref>Kietzmann, D. A., R. M. Palma, A. C. Riccardi,  J. M. Chivelet, and J. López-Gómez, 2014, Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of a Tithonian–Valanginian carbonate ramp (Vaca Muerta Formation): A misunderstood exceptional source rock in the Southern Mendoza area of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: Sedimentary Geology, v. 302, p. 64-86.</ref>

This formation is primarily composed of deep marine sediments that can be correlated laterally to slope and platform top carbonates and siliciclastics of the Quintuco Formation to the east and the Picun Lefeu Formation to the southwest. The age of the Vaca Muerta extends from Tithonian to Valanginian based on  ammonites, calcispheres, and calpionellid biozones.<ref>Kietzmann, D. A., R. M. Palma, A. C. Riccardi,  J. M. Chivelet, and J. López-Gómez, 2014, Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of a Tithonian–Valanginian carbonate ramp (Vaca Muerta Formation): A misunderstood exceptional source rock in the Southern Mendoza area of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: Sedimentary Geology, v. 302, p. 64-86.</ref>

The Vaca Muerta Formation is considered the to be an excellent source rock and in recent years gained greater importance as unconventional reservoir.

 

The Vaca Muerta Formation is considered the bedrock by excellence in the Neuquén basin, but in recent years gained greater importance as unconventional reservoir.

==Tectonic Frame==

==Tectonic Frame==