Summary

The northern Gulf of Mexico is segmented into different provinces due to the influence of synrift basement structure upon subsequent deposition. This segmentation has had significant impact on hydrocarbon accumulation, and is reflected in the uneven distribution of discovered hydrocarbons. On the western Louisiana shelf, hydrocarbon pools are more abundant, larger, thicker, deeper, dominated by progradation from Miocene to Pleistocene, and reflect withdrawal of thick salt in response to high sediment influx throughout the Neogene. On the eastern Texas shelf, pools are fewer, smaller, thinner, shallower, relatively high in retrogradational style, have lower-middle Miocene and Pleistocene production zones, and reflect shale-salt withdrawal in response to a low sediment influx. On the eastern Louisiana shelf, pools are intermediate in size and thickness, relatively high aggradation with upper Miocene-Pliocene production zones, and reflect thin salt withdrawal in response to increasing sedimentation influx. On the slope, pools are much fewer but larger, thicker and are dominated by Plio-Pleistocene submarine fan discoveries.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90937©1998 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Salt Lake City, Utah