ABSTRACT

The Gulf of Mexico represents a matured hydrocarbon province with a long exploration and development history. The hydrocarbon occurrences in this province are delineated into several approximately shore-parallel trends of Miocene to Pleistocene age and a recently discovered northwest-southeast trending deep Jurassic Norphlet trend. In addition, an Oligocene trend of limited extent is present in the Western Gulf. Some of the current hottest plays of the Gulf of Mexico include: Jurassic Norphlet trend, Middle Miocene Corsair trend, and Pliocene and Pleistocene Flexure trend.

The Cenozoic Sediments of the Gulf of Mexico, which are primarily regressive, were deposited in fluvial, deltaic, and interdeltaic barrier-plain environments. As the sediment source moved from the Rio Grande Embayment to the Mississippi Embayment, during Cenozoic time, so did the depocenters. Salt/shale tectonics played a major role in forming hydrocarbon traps in this otherwise tectonically stable area. Most of the hydrocarbons are associated with the salt-shale domal structures and their associated fault systems, and with growth faults and their associated rollover structures.

Historical leasing activity on the continental margin of the Gulf of Mexico indicates that the oil industry steadily moved their exploration and development activity into deeper waters and to deeper plays. The institution of areawide lease sales significantly accelerated the exploration and development activity of this area. Historically, the response of the activity in the Gulf of Mexico area to the fluctuation of oil and gas prices has been somewhat different from that of the other areas of the United States. The short term adverse impact of declining prices on the exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico area, especially the deep water areas, may be significant but the long-term effect will be minimal.