San Jorge Basin

San Jorge Basin is located in the provinces of Chubut and Santa Cruz, in the south of Argentina. It is the best basin in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. It is located between Dos Bahias cape ( 44°55S; 65°32S) and Tres Puntas cape (47°0.6S; 65°52´W).

This basin has approximately 39.340 km in the shape of a washbowl and is 100m deep. Due to this morphology more than 70% is between 70 and 100 m deep. To the south it is about 50-60 m deep and in the north 90 m deep. The seabed has two types of sediments: mud and mud sand and also gravel and sand with carbonate, formed by bivalves and cirripedial remains.

The temperature is between 5.09 and 13.41 °C in winter and summer respectively. Salinity is around 33000 ppm.

Approximately 90% of Patagonia inhabitants live on the coast of the gulf and it comprises two important cities, Comodoro Rivadavia with approximately 300.000 inhabitants and the city of Caleta Olivia. Both have a port with oil buoys and fishing facilities. In the future some oil companies might do off shore exploration in the gulf.

We can also find two small cities, the fishing town of Camarones and the seaside resort Rada Tilly.

Economic Resources

Farming

This activity does not have too much importance, in fact mining has been the main resource of the region.

Cattle raising

Sheep raising has been the most important economic resource in Southern Patagonia. Extensive valleys in the Cordilleran range of mountains are appropriate for crops that fatten livestock. Meanwhile in the steppes and central prairies, the low humidity of the weather conditions makes sheep raising very popular. The most popular breeds are Merino and Corriedale.

Fishing activities

Comodoro Rivadavia is ranked in the national and international market as center of lobsters and spider crabs. They are species of very good quality.Warfs and ports have been built for sport fishing.

Mining

Petroleum Industry is the most important activity. Comodoro Rivadavia city is the place where the most important oil companies develop their activities.The typical shape of pumping equipment, commonly named “Pumpjack” can be seen on the entire plateau of Patagonia.This well productions supply a big percentage of the nacional consumption.

Industry

There is a Metallurgy industry of very good quality derived from the oil tradition.A windfarm provides energy as a non-conventional resource. After these first stages of testing have been passed, the system will totally be integrated to the main network.

Energy

The production of oil and gas in the San Jorge Gulf, represents 5% of the gross geographic product. The region is also working on producing alternative energies such as eolic, energy based on hydrogen and a very incipient activity in the development of biofuel.

The eolic generation represents 16% of the energy supply that Comodoro Rivadavia requires. That is satisfied through 18 eolic generators located on Arenales Hill, 14 km away from Comodoro Rivadavia. The wind farm Antonio Morán is the largest in Argentina and the second one in South America.

The issues regarding hydrogen are being researched in the city of Pico Truncado, in Santa Cruz province, where there is an experimental center.

Another area that is being researched is the production of biofuel from algae. The results of this works are expected in the long-term. [http://www.centrodeenergias.gov.ar The Energy Center] develops projects related to renewable and no-renewable energies.

Tourism in San Jorge Gulf

The coast of San Jorge Gulf marks the start of the ocean-to-ocean corridor, a 517 km stretch of land that connects the city of Comodoro Rivadavia in Chubut, Argentina with Chacabuco Port in Chile. This connection is important for commerce and tourism.

Comodoro Rivadavia is an important city in the zone. It has some museums as The Oil Museum (linkear al artículo de General Mosconi), which is located in General Mosconi neighborhood, and the Astra Museum, located in Astra neighbourhood, about 20 kilometres away from the downtown.

Rada Tilly

Rada Tilly is a small town close to the city of Comodoro Rivadavia. Its most important sight is the beach and the variety of activities that you can do there, for example swimming, fishing, windsurfing and scuba diving or just spend some outdoor time at the beach.

There also is a little see lion reservation, a place where you can see the families of see lions.

=Sarmiento=

It is a small farming and cattle raising town in the Central zone of the province. The most important tourist places in Sarmiento are:

• The petrified woods, which has big petrified trunks of old coniferous of the forest from the zone.
• “Valle de los gigantes” park: It is a ground with some real-sized replicas of dinosaurs.
• Desiderio Torres museum: Located in the old railway station. It contains objects belonging to the Mapuches and Tehuelches aborigines that used to live in the area.
• Sala Historica de Malvinas: A place with elements such as guns, uniforms, pictures and more, related to the Falklands War, ( _es. Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur) .

Rio Mayo

It is a small farming and cattle raising town. It has some big and small farms.