Jurassic and triassic hydrocarbon exploration of southern Florida
- Retog, Inc., DeSoto, TX (United States)
The Triassic and Jurassic of South Florida have been overlooked as a viable exploration target because of lack of data and plate tectonics application. In Florida {open_quotes}basement{close_quotes} is defined as crystalline, igneous, metamorphic and unmetamorphosed sediments of Paleozoic age. Age-dating of zircons has shown that the Florida lower Paleozoic terrain is not akin to that of North America but is part of the West African Guinean Shield. Pre-Atlantic reconstruction of the Gulf of Mexico in this study suggests that there was a Florida connection to Yucatan-Cuba-Africa during the Triassic. This reconstruction also shows that Jurassic rocks that are well known in the Northern Gulf Coast should have been deposited in similar depositional environments in southern Florida. Deep drilling on the Florida peninsula has confirmed this hypothesis. By using plate tectonic reconstruction based on the rifting of the North Atlantic Ocean and evidence from petrology of basement samples from deep wells, together with petrographic analyses of Jurassic sedimentary rocks, a Smackover-equivalent exploration play can be developed. Petrographic and petrophysical analysis of wells that have encountered Jurassic marine shales, anhydrite, dolomite, carbonate, and clastic sedimentary rocks has determined that they were deposited in shallow-water subtidal to supratidal environments. Excellent gas shows, oil stain in pores, and high TOC values in marine shales indicate that there are accumulations of hydrocarbon present. Application of analogous Gulf Coast Smackover stratigraphic models to this area, based on petrology and hydrogeology, should reduce risk and help define productive oil and gas reservoirs.
- OSTI ID:
- 45206
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941065-; TRN: 95:001437-0029
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 44. annual convention of the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies and the 41st annual convention of the Gulf Coast Section of the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Austin, TX (United States), 5-7 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies: Transactions. Volume 44; Major, R.P. [ed.]; PB: 847 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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