ABSTRACT

Interpretation of 5000 miles seismic data and logs from 50 wells from central offshore Louisiana outer continental shelf made it possible to investigate the lowstand systems tract (LST) in the Plio-Pleistocene section. Evolutionary patterns of the Plio-Pleistocene LST are controlled by the changing balance of intrabasinal salt and growth fault activities, eustatic sea level fluctuations, sediment yields, river mouth switching, and eastward shifting of the lower Mississippi River system. A prominent feature in the seismic data is a set of wide and deep incised valley fills. Paleochannels are deepest near the shelf edge and tend to terminate or amalgamate shelfward position. Lithofacies patterns indicate that these valleys are commonly filled with fluvial to estuarine sand. Understanding the incised valley system provides a powerful way for predicting sand occurrence in that environment as well as farther downslope.

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