--> Abstract: Comparison of Early Structural Evolution of the Red Sea and Gulf of Mexico: Exploration Lessons, by Donald A. Rodgers, James Pindell, Cokes Barn, and Thomas C. Connally; #90077 (2008)

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

Comparison of Early Structural Evolution of the Red Sea and Gulf of Mexico: Exploration Lessons

Donald A. Rodgers1*, James Pindell2, Cokes Barn3, and Thomas C. Connally4
1Landmark Graphics, USA
2Tectonic Analysis Inc.
3Consultant, UK
4Consultant, Netherlands
*[email protected]

Significant exploration lessons result from the comparison of the early-mid Mesozoic evolution of the Gulf of Mexico and the Miocene-Recent evolution of the Red Sea. The Red Sea, a developing spreading margin preserving details of its evolution, varies from the break-up unconformity stage in the south to the syn-rift stage in the north. Spreading phases occurred concurrently rather than successively along this margin. A substantial salt basin developed early in the Red Sea spreading process. The Red Sea opening produced numerous half-grabens separated by basement blocks. Salt and post-salt sections along the Yemeni-Saudi Arabian coast exhibit raft tectonics, while diapirism predominates along the northwestern Saudi Arabian coast. Red Sea plays include pre-salt carbonates, clastics and post-salt clastics. The Gulf of Mexico Basin is a broad rift zone with subdued tectonically driven topographies during early deposition. The Triassic half-graben of the Gulf of Mexico Basin contains thick clastic sequences with no reported pre-salt carbonates. Thick salt sequences, separated by buried basement blocks, developed down-dip in numerous basins. Post-salt plays include the Norphlet sands, Smackover carbonates and younger Jurassic carbonates and clastics. The Red Sea tectono-stratigraphic model is roughly equivalent to the lower Upper Jurassic Louark Group. Post-salt Red Sea clastics are equivalent to the Norphlet, and Pleistocene and Recent carbonates correlate with the Smackover section. Red Sea pre-salt carbonates may correlate to the Gulf of Mexico Werner Anhydrite. Red Sea pre-salt production suggests the Gulf of Mexico pre-salt section should be re-examined. In both regions, half-graben clastics are unproductive and are not viable exploration targets.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90077©2008 GEO 2008 Middle East Conference and Exhibition, Manama, Bahrain