HANNAN, ANDREW E., DIANNA L. SHELANDER, ROBERTO FAINSTEIN and GEORGE A. JAMIESON , Schlumberger Reservoir Evaluation Seismic, Houston, TX

Large hydrocarbon accumulations have been discovered in deepwater on continental slopes. This has increased petroleum industry interest in deepwater areas such that exploration companies are looking for similar plays worldwide. Modern 2D and 3D seismic data reveal increasingly clear images of the hydrocarbon accumulations of giant fields.

Seismic data over the Late Pliocene Diana Field and the Early Pliocene to Late Miocene Mars Field from the deepwater Gulf of Mexico are interpreted and compared with seismic data over deepwater turbidite fields in the Campos Basin off the east coast of Brazil.

This comparison shows similarities and differences regarding: (1) Hydrocarbon trap types; (2) Seismic response of the reservoir; (3) Source, seal and reservoir characteristics; and (4) The nature of migration pathways

Seismic data and interpretation comparisons of this type across deepwater producing fields, based on recently acquired seismic data, would significantly aid exploration programs looking for deepwater analogs.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90908©2000 GCAGS, Houston, Texas