ABSTRACT

Regional palinspastic reconstructions of north Louisiana's down-dip Hosston strata offer a basis for predicting the most likely area that might have contained deep-water sand deposition at the beginning of early Cretaceous time. Since the area's deep well control to the base of the Hosston is very limited, future regional 3-D seismic surveys will remain the preferred way of predicting individual sand trends. However, an in-depth integrated modeling and simulation analysis of the regional stratigraphic, structural, and thermal history provides one method of defining the main potential prospective trend. Furthermore, this type of analysis, in conjunction with conventional petrophysical log analysis, provides a method for (1) determining the location of specific trend segments that appear more sandprone, and (2) defining the confining window of thermal maturation where hydrocarbon potential still may remain.

A predicted trend area for deep-water sand development, compatible with the present hydrocarbon maturation window, covers a gross area with dimensions of 20-40 miles (32-64 km) in width and 110-140 miles (177-225 km) in length. The area extends eastward across the State from the south flank of the Sabine uplift. Up-dip, the area is situated mainly within the southern confines of the North Louisiana Salt Dome Basin and extends down-dip to the northern edge of the South Louisiana Salt Dome Basin. On the north, its limit is expected to be governed by individual sand bodies encased and terminated in fore-shelf claystones. The trend's southern limit can be defined by its containment within thermally over-matured strata which create an economic drilling barrier.