The 8.6-million-acre Vaca Muerta is a massive shale formation, roughly the size of Switzerland, located in the Neuquén Basin in northern Patagonia. It is among the world’s largest unconventional hydrocarbon resources and is frequently compared to the prolific Eagle Ford and Permian shales. The Vaca Muerta is estimated to contain 16 billion barrels of light tight oil and 308 trillion cubic feet of tight gas, making it the world’s fourth-largest unconventional oil and second-largest unconventional gas reserve ...