Marlim is a giant Brazilian oil field located in the north-eastern part of the Campos Basin, about 110 km offshore Rio de Janeiro, in water depths ranging from 650 to 1,050 m. Marlim means marlin, in Portuguese.
[1] The Marlim field consists of a single Oligocene producing horizon of sandstone turbidites, with an area of 152 km2.
[2]: 124 Reflection seismology in 1972 disclosed a faulted anticline and seismic amplitude bright spot, which was drilled by wildcat 1-RJS-219A in 1985 and discovered oil.
[2]: 126 The stratigraphy of the Campos Basin starts with the Lower Cretaceous Lago Feia Formation a source rock, followed by the Albian Macae Formation consisting of shallow water carbonates overlain by late Albian shales, marls, calcilutites, and turbidite sandstones.
[2]: 129 Finally, the basin was filled by the Ubatuba Formation, consisting of slope and shelf deposits.