The Opening History of the Gulf of Mexico — Testing Plate Models in a Global Context

Abstract

There are four main types of plate kinematic models that have been postulated to explain the opening of the Gulf of Mexico: a) rotational-translational movement, with a pole of rotation south of Florida (e.g. Pindell and Kennan, 2009), b) rotational-translational movement, with a pole of rotation southwest of Mexico (e.g. Hall et al., 1982), c) the Gulf of Mexico has opened contemporaneously and as part of the Central atlantic (e.g. Klitgord and Schouten, 1986), d) models that suggest more complex relations with Caribbean subduction and ocean spreading (e.g. Dutch, 2009). Each of these models requires differing driving forces and modes of opening for the Gulf of Mexico and lead to different types of margin formation across the different segments of the Gulf of Mexico. These differences affect the history, geometry and volume of accommodation space for source rocks, seals and reservoirs, with concomitant impacts on ocean circulation, source to sink relations and depositional systems. Additionally, subsequent deformation phases, such as the Laramide Orogeny across Mexico can be also be represented in the plate model's global context. Such events have a great influence on fault reactivation and, consequently, on fluid migration and trap formation. In this paper we present a refined tectonic plate model that details the tectonic evolution of the Gulf of Mexico and highlights the impact of different, existing models on the development of petroleum systems. Our model is based on the interpretation of remote sensing (Gravity and Magnetic, Landsat, SRTM) and public domain data, that were used to create a 1:1 000 000 scale structural coverage and detailed understanding of the crustal types and crustal architecture. This forms the foundations for a regional plate model which is constrained further by placing it into the context of a global plate model to understand the consequences and interactions it may have within the greater global plate circuit.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90216 ©2015 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Denver, CO., May 31 - June 3, 2015