The Houma and Hollywood fields comprise one of the largest gas and gas-condensate producing areas in Louisiana. Three zones, the hydropressured Bigenerina humblei and Krumbhaar sands and the geopressured Southdown-Hollywood sands, are responsible for estimated ultimate recoveries of 30 million bbl of condensate and 2.5 Tcf of nonassociated gas.

The Hollywood shale forms a geopressure seal 1,200 to 2,000 ft (360 to 600 m) thick over most of the area. Pressure differentials between the Krumbhaar and Southdown-Hollywood sands range from 3,700 to 7,200 psi (25,512 to 49,644 kPa).

The Houma-Hollywood field area is characterized by apparently large volumes of fluid escape from the geopressured zone. The higher than normal temperatures and low salinities at the base of the hydropressured zone provide evidence for this proposed leakage. The routes of fluid escape are numerous and are associated with the large growth faults of the area. The fluid-escape paths are identified by the use of structure, temperature, and salinity maps.

The absence of deep wells in parts of the study area and the uncertainties of the log-derived temperatures and salinities may produce some uncertainties in the interpretations. However, our observations are consistent with predictions based on the present theories concerning geopressure processes.

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