The evolving exploration of the subsalt play in the offshore Gulf of Mexico
- Anadarko Petroleum, Houston, TX (United States)
- TGS-Calibre Geophysical Co., Houston, TX (United States)
The co-existence of horizontal components of salt movement with subsalt traps in the south additions of the Louisiana and Texas shelf and slope, has been recognized within the last decade. Throughout the 1970's 1980's, hundreds of wells were drilled into salt on the outer shelf and slope of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. These wells barely penetrated salt features that are now known to be laterally emplaced horizontal salt sheets. Drilling was typically stopped thousands of feet short of testing the potential sizable petroleum reservoirs of the subsalt exploration play, which is now being pursued and developed. Horizontal emplacement of Gulf of Mexico salt sheets, and their effect on subsalt drilling results, can be demonstrated using 2-D time seismic sections, well logs, and biostratigraphy from over 30 wells drilled through varying thicknesses of the salt sheets. The presence of thick subsalt sands, such as those observed in SMI 200, are now also proven. Subsalt petroleum discoveries, announced in SS 349, ST 260, and MC 211, have confirmed the play and encourage future exploratory drilling. As advanced acquisition and processing techniques provide improvements in seismic image resolution, and subsalt well control refines geologic models and concepts, geoscientific integration will lead to additional significant discoveries in multiple-style traps beneath the horizontal salt sheets of the offshore Gulf of Mexico. The 1990's should be the [open quotes]Decade of Discovery[close quotes] for this significant subsalt petroleum potential, hidden by these salt sheets that have obscured subsalt seismic images for decades.
- OSTI ID:
- 6575252
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960527--
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin, Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin Vol. 5; ISSN 0149-1423; ISSN AABUD2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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The evolving exploration of the sub-salt play in the offshore Gulf of Mexico
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Related Subjects
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GULF OF MEXICO
MINERAL RESOURCES
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
RESOURCES
SALT DEPOSITS
SEAS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
STRATIGRAPHY
SURFACE WATERS