Throughout the 2010s Argentina’s shale deposits were universally listed alongside the US shale gale, denoting the many similarities Vaca Muerta shares with Eagle Ford in particular and Texas’ shale deposits in general. Providing another layer to the juxtaposition, Argentina’s shale-rich Neuquen Province has historically been the main production hub of the Latin American country and has witnessed its first production flow as early as the mid-1920s. The deposit’s thermal maturity (between 1-2.5% Ro), organic content, pressure gradient – similarities abound yet there is also one incongruence that has played out to Argentina’s detriment. This year’s oil price crash seems to be taking a substantially higher toll on Vaca Muerta, laying bare the frailty of the much-lauded shale play. Argentina found itself confronted with the COVID-19 contagion a bit later than Europe’s largest nations – in fact it is assumed that the first Argentinian case was brought in early March […]