STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION OF THE NORTH-CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO: IMPLICATIONS FOR SALT TECTONIC MODELING

The North-Central Gulf of Mexico is a proven hydrocarbon province with numerous oil and gas fields and discoveries. The primary success of the area is linked to the mobilization and remobilization of allochthonous Louann Salt, which control deepwater depositional systems, forming hydrocarbon traps and providing migration pathways. While previous research focused on the Neogene salt mobilization and sedimentation in and around the area, little has been done on the older stratigraphy. With advances in seismic acquisition and processing, and the recent exploration activity in the deepwater Norphlet Formation, the Paleogene and Mesozoic stratigraphy can be interpreted more reliably, resulting in an improved understanding of the Mesozoic salt evolution in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. New interpretation of the Paleogene and Cretaceous section shows multiple salt wings, pseudo-downlap surfaces, primary welds, and large Cretaceous allochthonous salt masses indicating complex salt mobilization period(s) during the Cretaceous. This is in contrast to the Neogene section, which contains attached salt diapirs and salt-withdrawn basins, indicating a relatively simple and uniform salt remobilization period. By identifying deep salt and salt-influenced structures, more effective constrains can be applied for salt reconstruction models. These models can then be used to predict the depositional location and subsequent remobilized location of Oxfordian, Tithonian, Cenomanian, and Neogene sandbodies for hydrocarbon exploration.