ABSTRACT: Exploration Perspectives in the Gulf of Mexico, South Rio Bravo

Rosalio Hernandez

South of the Rio Bravo, or Grand River, is the Mexican continental platform with a surface of 271,249 km². Because of its geological characteristics it is divided into six geological provinces: Laguna Madre, Tampico, Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos, Progreso, and Cozumel, two of which are productive.

Magnetometry, gravimetry, and reflection seismology methods have been done to 500 m depth.

As of 1989 165 exploratory wells have been drilled. Sixty-one of these wells are productive, discovering 29 oil and gas fields with a total daily average production of 1,750,000 bbl oil and 1130 million ft³ of gas.

The age of productive rocks varies from Miocene, Eocene, Paleocene, Cretaceous, and Jurassic; average production depths are from 1500 to 4600 m, and most of the greatest oil and gas fields are located between 25 and 50 m water depth.

The Sound of Campeche, located in the eastern Coatzacolacos province, is the best perspective prospect because of its high petroleum production. Currently, two semisubmersible and one driller ship are drilling exploratory wells into water depths ranging from 14 to 100 m, six of these wells have been drilled down to between 25 to 100 m.

In addition, to increase production and reserves of oil and gas in the Mexican Gulf platform south of Rio Bravo, 79 geological structures with Cretaceous and Jurassic objectives have been approved and are waiting to be drilled.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91003©1990 AAPG Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, June 3-6, 1990