Quantitative chemical stratigraphy of offshore exploration wells, northern Gulf of Mexico

Conference · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · AAPG Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5878324

Trainor, D M; Williams, D F; Lerche, I

Isotope chronostratigraphy is now a proven form of chemical stratigraphy for high-resolution stratigraphic correlations in late Miocene through Pleistocene sections of exploration wells from the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Detailed oxygen and carbon isotope records from wells spanning the GOM margin from Mississippi Canyon to East Breaks permit the development of a GOM type chemical stratigraphic section. The use of modern techniques of signal-to-noise identification enable them to compare our regional GOM type section to the global isotope record derived from deep-sea sections using coherence, auto-correlation, cross-correlation, and spectral analysis. These quantitative techniques enable them to recognize nearly 200 oxygen and carbon isotope zones or stages in the Pliocene-Pleistocene. This chemical stratigraphy zonation offers unparalleled, fine-scaled correlation and depositional modeling of exploration wells. Removal of the global isotope signal from the regional GOM record permits them to determine the effects of meltwater-fluvial discharge episodes and regional sea level fluctuations on sedimentation along the GOM margin.

• Research Organization: Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5878324
• Report Number(s): CONF-880301-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 72:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARBON ISOTOPES
CARIBBEAN SEA
CHEMISTRY
DEPOSITION
EXPLORATORY WELLS
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC MODELS
GEOLOGY
GULF OF MEXICO
ISOTOPES
LEVELS
OFFSHORE SITES
OXYGEN ISOTOPES
SEA LEVEL
SEAS
STRATIGRAPHY
SURFACE WATERS
WELLS