The outcrop displays the famous organic-rich “black” shale Lower Cretaceous Vaca Muerta Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina. Vaca Muerta is a hot target for shale-oil and shale-gas exploration, and is the main topic of the current issue of GeoExPro. The outcrop is located in the heart of the Andes mountains, and the visible sedimentary strata are tilted by the Andean tectonics.
The photograph was taken in March 2009, in the Southern Mendoza Province of the Andes in Argentina, as a part of an outreach project. The guest star in the photo is Caroline Sassier, a former post doc of the UiO Department of Geosciences.
You can see the cover and read the issue here.