Wisconsinan-Holocene seismic stratigraphy of the Keathley Canyon Area and vicinity, northwestern Gulf of Mexico
- Texas A and M Univ., College Station (United States)
The lower continental slope of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico is characterized by a hummocky topography with shallow salt masses interspersed by numerous salt-withdrawal basins containing thick Plio-Pleistocene and older sediments. Analysis of over 7500 km of multichannel seismic reflection data from the Keathley Canyon Area and vicinity defined the Wisconsinan-Holocene sequence and its seismic facies. In interbasinal areas and in the southern part of the study area where salt is shallow, the Wisconsinan-Holocene sequence consists mainly of low-amplitude (LA) facies underlain by strong basal-reflection (SBR) facies. The LA facies occasionally show subtle onlaps against SBR facies and grade upward into a draping pattern. Onlapping LA facies are interpreted to be a lowstand systems tract deposited by widespread low-energy turbidity currents. Draping LA facies at the top may consist of hemipelagic or pelagic sediments. The SBR facies are interpreted to consist of condensed sections formed during sea-level rises and highstands. Within basins, moderate-to-high amplitude-continuous (MHC) and hummocky-to-chaotic (HC) facies occur below LA facies. The MHC facies show a pattern of flat-lying or gently dipping reflections that onlap SBR facies. Onlapping MHC facies often grade upward into a conformable pattern and are obscured by transition into LA facies. The MHC facies are interpreted as alternating coarse- and fine-grained turbidites deposited during sea-level falls and/or lowstands. The HC facies occur commonly associated with MHC facies. The HC facies may represent slope fans formed by mass-transport processes or gravity flows during sea-level falls and/or lowstands.
- OSTI ID:
- 7260022
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-910403-; CODEN: AABUD
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:3; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Dallas, TX (United States), 7-10 Apr 1991; ISSN 0149-1423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CONTINENTAL SLOPE
SEISMIC SURVEYS
STRATIGRAPHY
GULF OF MEXICO
SUBMARINE CANYONS
QUATERNARY PERIOD
SALT DEPOSITS
SEDIMENTS
TOPOGRAPHY
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
CENOZOIC ERA
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
580000* - Geosciences