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

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6084188

Trainor, D M; Williams, D S; 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 us 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 enables us to recognize nearly 200 oxygen and carbon isotope zones or stages in the Piocene-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 permit us to determine the effects of meltwater-fluvial discharge episodes and regional sea level fluctuations on sedimentation along the GOM margin.

• OSTI ID: 6084188
• Report Number(s): CONF-880301-
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
AGE ESTIMATION
ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
CHEMISTRY
EXPLORATION
EXPLORATORY WELLS
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC MODELS
GEOLOGY
GULF OF MEXICO
ISOTOPE DATING
MARINE SURVEYS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
RESOURCES
SEAS
STRATIGRAPHY
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
WELLS