Tectonic, structural, and stratigraphic controls on the burial and thermal maturity of Mesozoic source rocks of the deep-water Yucatan margin, Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The underexplored, deep-water Yucatan margin of the southern Gulf of Mexico has had no deep exploration wells drilled to date, and as a result the stratigraphy, structure, and hydrocarbon potential of the area are less well understood in comparison to other parts of the U.S. and Mexican zones of the Gulf of Mexico. Our interpretation of ~20,000 line-km of seismic reflection data indicates the presence of a thick (up to >2 km), basinward-thickening, sequence of Triassic-Jurassic syn-rift, and post-rift sediments deposited within rift grabens below the Middle Jurassic salt detachment. The nature of these undrilled sub-salt deposits remains speculative; however, their seismic facies are consistent with continental red beds and localized rift-related intrusions. Triassic lacustrine source rocks are also documented within analogous deposits in the northern Gulf of Mexico and could also be present in the conjugate, deep-water Yucatan margin area to the south. The objective of this study is to: (1) predict thermal maturity trends for these potential sub-salt source intervals, and the overlying post-salt Mesozoic source rocks, and (2) to use this information for characterizing and de-risking hydrocarbon prospectivity of this margin.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90369 © 2020 AAPG Hedberg Conference, Geology and Hydrocarbon Potential of the Circum-Gulf of Mexico Pre-salt Section, Mexico City, Mexico, February 4-6, 2020