Understanding salt movement key to hot Gulf of Mexico play
The Gulf of Mexico's hottest exploration play in years hinges on drastically changing concepts about shapes and movements of underground salt. These new concepts about salt emerge from advances in seismic imaging technologies combined with recently released information from wells drilled in the past decade. In particular, a complex seismic technique called 3D prestack depth migration, made practical only recently by gains in computer processing capability, has enabled geophysicists to create images of salt bodies with unprecedented accuracy. The paper discusses the changing concepts, salt dome shapes, how salt domes move, salt tectonics, what seismic surveys reveal, subsalt drilling, subsalt leasing, and the companies involved.
- OSTI ID:
- 7281835
- Journal Information:
- Oil and Gas Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Oil and Gas Journal; (United States) Vol. 92:18; ISSN OIGJAV; ISSN 0030-1388
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
DRILLING
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
GULF OF MEXICO
INDUSTRY
MINERAL RESOURCES
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
RESOURCES
SALT DEPOSITS
SEAS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
TECTONICS
WELL DRILLING