--> Abstract: Structural and Stratigraphic Evolution of Louisiana Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, by F. Xue, J. S. Watkins, and J. Xi; #90950 (1996).

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Abstract: Structural and Stratigraphic Evolution of Louisiana Shelf, Gulf of Mexico

Fangjian Xue, Joel S. Watkins, Jiebo Xi

The structural style offshore Louisiana presents a disordered picture: shorter, more arcuate growth fault systems with abundant near-surface salt bodies. Our maps of the Louisiana OCS reveal a number of previously unrecognized aspects of the regional features.

The Miocene fault trend consists of sublinear, relative small throw faults with relatively few shallow salt features and is located beneath the present coastal and inner-shelf region. The middle-outer shelf is characterized by abundant near-surface salt bodies. The Pliocene trend is characterized by more arcuate-shaped faults with greater throw. The Pleistocene trend consists of smaller, more irregularly oriented faults detached on top of shallow allochthonous salt masses.

Four major growth fault families can be recognized. They consist of growth faults detached at common surfaces that contain salt remnants and welds and appear to have formed during evacuation of originally continuous salt sheets. Faults within families tend to be en echelon or subparallel to one another. One of the four families belongs to the Miocene trend and detached at the top of Oligocene. The others three are part of Plio-Pleistocene trend and detached at the top of Miocene.

Salt diapir provinces tend to lie a few tens of miles seaward of the growth fault families. Seismic data suggest that these faults detached onto the roots of salt diapirs. It means that salt diapirs formed during salt evacuation and seaward extension. Salt sheet deformed contemporaneously with growth-faulting at trailing edge. The diapirs probably formed as the salt flowed seaward, thickened and rose diapiricly.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90950©1996 AAPG GCAGS 46th Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas