Tentative revision of the global Pliocene-Pleistocene sequences based on the sequence stratigraphy in the Gulf of Mexico

Conference · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Geobyte; (United States)

OSTI ID:5595672

Wornardt, Jr, W W ^[1]; Vail, P R ^[2]

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1. Micro-Strat, Inc., Houston, TX (United States) Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States)
2. Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States)

The Pliocene-Pleistocene sequence chronostratigraphy presented in this paper is based on a vast amount of data obtained from more than 100 wells drilled over the past eight years in the south additions and deep-water areas in offshore Texas and Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico. This high-resolution biostratigraphic data base consists of individual checklist with the abundance, diversity, occurrences, and ranges of planktonic and benthic foraminifers and calcareous nannofossils plotted against depth. The benthic foraminifers have been interpreted largely for their paleobathymetric significance and result in a water-depth curve for each well studied. These wells have been further calibrated by having a portion of the study wells tied to sequence stratigraphic interpretations of seismic record sections through a two-way-time log or synthetic seismogram. The Pliocene and Pleistocene is tentatively divided into 14 fourth-order sequences from 3.0 to 0 Ma and three third-order cycles from 5.5 to 3.0 Ma. Each of the cycles is bounded by a sequence boundary and has an age-dateable maximum flooding surface. Depending on location, each sequence may have lowstand, transgressive, and highstand systems tracts within the basin. The age (Ma) of the sequence boundaries are third-order, 5.5, 4.2, 3.8, fourth-order, 3.0, 2.6, 2.4, 1.86, 1.4., 1.0, 0.82, 0.72, 0.62, 0.52, 0.42., 0.32, 0.22, 0.12, and 0.02. Within these sequence boundaries are the 5.0, 4.0, 3.4, 2.7, 2.45, 2.0, 1.47, 1.3, 0.92, 0.76, 0.66, 0.56, 0.46, 0.36, 0.26, 0.16, and 0.06 Ma maximum flooding surfaces, respectively. All of the condensed sections associated with the maximum flooding surfaces, systems tract boundaries, and sequences boundaries in the Pliocene-Pleistocene can be recognized and traced on well logs and seismic record sections in the offshore Texas and Louisiana areas.

• OSTI ID: 5595672
• Report Number(s): CONF-910978--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geobyte; (United States) Journal Volume: 75:8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
AGE ESTIMATION
ANIMALS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
BIOLOGICAL MARKERS
CARIBBEAN SEA
CENOZOIC ERA
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
CONTINENTAL SHELF
DEPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EXPLORATORY WELLS
FEDERAL REGION VI
FORAMINIFERA
FOSSILS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGY
GULF OF MEXICO
INVERTEBRATES
LOUISIANA
MICROORGANISMS
NORTH AMERICA
OFFSHORE SITES
PALEONTOLOGY
PLEISTOCENE EPOCH
PLIOCENE EPOCH
PROTOZOA
QUATERNARY PERIOD
SARCODINA
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SONIC LOGGING
STRATIGRAPHY
SURFACE WATERS
TERTIARY PERIOD
TEXAS
USA
WELL LOGGING
WELLS