Summary

Detailed, 3D seismic based structural studies of approximately 20 salt domes in the Gulf of Mexico illustrate the complexities of the salt-sediment interface and the geometric and kinematic relationships between the salt and adjacent faults. Fault patterns adjacent to salt domes are primarily controlled by sub-regional salt evacuation and/or flexing of the sediments above the dome. Faults that intersect salt dome flanks typically curve and intersect the salt tangential to the salt-sediment interface.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90928©1999 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas