Since the advent of plate tectonics, we have been faced with explaining the genesis of the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf basin is the most heavily explored basin in the world, yet concrete evidence relative to its origin has not yet surfaced. Like pieces of a puzzle, major clues in bathymetry, paleobasin margins, and shifting depocenters are coming together to form a picture of the evolution of the gulf. It is reasonable to propose that the Yucatan Peninsula was once in Texas waters. Verification of this hypothesis may vastly expand the hydrocarbon potential of the United States Gulf Coast area. As more geophysical and geologic data are collected, extrapolation of sedimentary facies and the basin axis into the Yucatan shelf and interior may move these speculations into the rea m of fact.

End_of_Article - Last_Page 498------------