--> ABSTRACT: Nature and Significance of Irregular Geometries at the Salt-Sediment Interface: Examples from the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico, by C. A. Yeilding and C. J. Travis; #91021 (2010)

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Nature and Significance of Irregular Geometries at the Salt-Sediment Interface: Examples from the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico

YEILDING, C. A., and C. J. TRAVIS, BP 

Serrate geometries are observed on seismic data at the salt-sediment interface of some deepwater Gulf of Mexico salt bodies. An irregular boundary often occurs between a series of wedge-shaped packages with a chaotic or low amplitude facies, which are intertongued with more continuous seismic reflections. These wedges often stack through time, creating a serrated appearance of the salt-sediment interface.

The wedge-shaped geometries at the salt-sediment interface are interpreted to be produced by slumping and flow of sediments and/or salt from the edges of topographically elevated salt bodies. These wedges show a variation of processes through time, with each cycle composed of a "slumping/flow" and "healing" facies. On average, these cycles are approximately 200'-1000' in thickness, and are interpreted to be partially controlled by deepwater depositional cycles, sediment accumulation rate, position along the salt body and the seabed expression (amount of topography) of the salt body.

The presence of these features along a salt face could have significant impact on the seal, migration history and seismic imaging of deepwater salt bodies. If salt is part of a trapping configuration, the lithology and permeability of these wedges could have impact on the seal at this interface. If this zone is more permeable than surrounding sediment, it may form a preferential petroleum migration pathway along a salt face. Also, when imaging these boundaries on seismic data, it is important to acknowledge their presence when processing or interpreting the salt sediment interface for depth migrated seismic volumes.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91021©1997 AAPG Annual Convention, Dallas, Texas.