Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTMatthew SmithSun, July 26, 2026 at 9:00 PM GMT+2 6 min readArgentina's massive shale oil and gas boom is going from strength to strength. The economically crisis-prone South American country yet again reported record monthly oil and natural gas production for May 2026. This couldn't come at a better time for Argentina and South America. Rising global geopolitical risks, notably due to war in the Middle East, and domestic economic hazards hold the potential to derail the significant economic gains Argentina has made over the last two years.Ministry of Economy data shows May 2026 oil production hit an all-time high of 887,227 barrels per day. This represents a 0.6% increase month over month and is an impressive 19% greater than the same period a year earlier. Natural gas output also rose to 5.5 billion cubic feet per day, which was just shy of the record 5.7 billion cubic feet daily reported for July 2025. Indeed, May 2026 natural gas production was 5.4% greater than a month prior and a stunning 11% higher year over year.It is the massive shale boom underway in the 8.6-million-acre Vaca Muerta formation that is responsible for this solid production growth. For May 2026, shale oil comprised 70.6% of Argentina's total oil production, while shale gas made up 69.8% of total output. Those ratios are at record highs for shale oil and gas as a proportion of Argentina's total hydrocarbon output. This is a game changer for Argentina, which recently overtook Colombia to cement its place as South America's fourth largest oil producer.The Vaca Muerta shale formation, which is regularly compared to the Eagle Ford shale, is in the early stages of development. Drillers in the formation are still in that phase of deciding where the core producing areas are located. The Vaca Muerta is regarded as one of the most promising unconventional oil and gas plays globally, containing an estimated 16 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 308 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas resources. This all points to tremendous future unconventional hydrocarbon production growth for Argentina.Many of the Vaca Muerta shale formation's characteristics are superior to U.S. shales, even the prolific Permian, which is the largest oil-producing basin in the United States. The formation's shale is significantly thicker than the Permian, with it estimated to be at least double the width, allowing for more horizontal landings per pad and more frac stages per well. The Vaca Muerta's organic content exceeds that found in most U.S. shale plays, while its reservoir pressure is significantly higher.Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info