Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Heterostegina zone carbonates, southeastern Louisiana-offshore Mississippi: Petrography, seismic stratigraphy, hydrocarbon potential

Conference · · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)
OSTI ID:5755331
 [1];
  1. Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States)

A biostratigraphically calibrated electric log section about 106 miles long through 11 exploratory wells drilled in nearshore waters of southeastern Louisiana and western Mississippi reveals a thick (387-1000 ft) section of carbonates both above and below the Heterostegina zone. lithologic logs of four cores (total 229 ft) from the zone, and petrographic analysis of 45 thin sections cut from these cores, indicates the presence of hermatypic framework and binding organisms that constructed reefal or algal mound accumulations. These buildups accumulated along a Late Oligocene-Early Miocene rimmed accretionary carbonate shelf. About 160 miles of seismic line, shot roughly perpendicular to this shelf edge, confirms the presence of these bioherms in the subsurface. Oil shows in the relatively thick porous and permeable carbonates both above and below the Heterostegina zone interval, the regional unconformities at the top and bottom of these limestones, and the listric faults at the Heterostegina zone hinge line, indicate that additional Frio-Anahuac hydrocarbon reservoirs await discovery in this neglected frontier area of the Gulf Coastal Province.

OSTI ID:
5755331
Report Number(s):
CONF-921058--
Journal Information:
Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Vol. 24:7; ISSN GAAPBC; ISSN 0016-7592
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English