Exploration and development of the offshore Gulf of Mexico

Conference · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5575723

Grace, J D ^[1]

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1. ARCO, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

Technology has driven exploration and development of oil and gas resources in the offshore Gulf of Mexico. Since drilling barges first probed open waters south of Louisiana, exploration has been governed by the water depth capacity of drilling equipment. In early wildcatting, extension of exploration concepts developed for south Louisiana Miocene trends governed the direction of offshore operations. Explorationists were initially drawn to deeper water by gravimetrically identified salt structures. As shallow-water salt targets were exhausted, improved marine seismic techniques located Miocene fault traps between salt-related discoveries. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Pliocene exploration was also initially motivated by salt targets, which stimulated advances in the water depth capacity of mobile drilling rigs and platforms. While salt targets in the Pleistocene provided important oil discoveries, most discovered Pleistocene hydrocarbons are gas, the largest volume of which was found through the introduction of 'bright spot' technology at the end of the 1960s and very successfully applied in the 1970s. In the 1980s, further advances in drilling rigs and platforms provided access to water depths greater than 1,000 ft, extending Pleistocene exploration to the flexure trend corresponding to the modern shelf-slope break and to even deeper water targets on the slope. Major integrated oil and gas companies have dominated exploration and production in the offshore Gulf of Mexico. However, the composition of industry leadership has changed over the last 45 years as have the performances of companies within this group of active firms. Changes in exploratory and development success can be related to access to technology as well as exploration strategies.

• OSTI ID: 5575723
• Report Number(s): CONF-910403--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 75:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
020300 -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
DRILLING
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GULF OF MEXICO
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
OFFSHORE DRILLING
OFFSHORE SITES
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
RESOURCES
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION