Lower Tertiary Discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater: Capitalizing on Success

Ken Beeney and Greg Kelleher
Devon Energy Corporation, 1200 Smith Street, Houston, Texas 77002

Devon's exposure to the Gulf of Mexico began in 1999 with the acquisition of PennzEnergy. The company drilled a limited number of exploration tests; mostly amplitude-supported stratigraphic traps with limited success. In 2002, a strategic decision was made to emphasize impact exploration in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM). This decison resulted in participating in the Cascade Prospect, a large salt cored 4-way structure, with a primary objective in the Miocene.

Initially encountering wet Miocene sands, Cascade was drilled deeper and established a significant hydrocarbon column in the lower Tertiary Eocene and Paleocene section. In order to capitalize on this trend-opening discovery, a joint venture was entered into allowing access to additional acreage and opportunities.

Results of this strategy to date include interest in 4 Lower Tertiary discoveries. Public data released suggests the emerging lower Tertiary trend extends from Alaminos Canyon through Walker Ridge and provenance studies indicate multiple source points for sediment input.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90080©2005 GCAGS 55th Annual Convention, New Orleans, Louisiana