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Digital integration of potential fields and geologic data sets for plate tectonic and basin dynamic modeling—the first step toward identifying new play concepts in the Gulf of Mexico Basin

Robertson Research International Ltd., Llandudno, North Wales, U.K.

Antony D. Price and John E. Bain

Fugro-LCT Inc., Houston, Texas, U.S.

Corresponding author: jmj@robresint.co.uk

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

It has recently been demonstrated (Jacques and Clegg, 2002; Jacques et al., 2003) that an understanding of the plate tectonic history of the Gulf of Mexico Basin is essential if we are to extend our knowledge of the distribution and quality of source rock and reservoir into deep and ultradeepwater frontier petroleum provinces. We need to combine our tectonostratigraphic knowledge of the onshore and shallow water regions with a variety of techniques, both well established and new, if we are to identify and evaluate the petroleum systems of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. To this end, an extensive work program has been developed which integrates tectonics, geophysics, geochemistry, and sedimentology with GIS technology to allow identification of new, and also the extension of existing, play fairways into frontier deepwater and subsalt areas. Although this work program comprises 11 stages (briefly outlined below), the first, and probably most important, phase is the main focus of this article. This is the integration of potential fields data with various geologic data sets to define structural elements, continental block outlines, and crustal types across the basin—the aim of which is to produce a detailed, digital structural, and geologic coverage that defines the "basic building blocks" of the region. Placed in a plate tectonic context, we will demonstrate that this information can be confidently used to create a regional "palaeotemplate" that can be ultimately used to create a series of palinspastic base maps for plate tectonic and basin dynamic modeling purposes. This, in turn, will be used to produce a series of palaeotectonic and depositional reconstructions for key source rock and reservoir horizons. The mapped distribution of different crustal types and intensity of Mesozoic extensional activity will be a principal constraint for predicting palaeoheat flow gradients for determining basin subsidence and source rock maturation histories.

	New and existing play concepts

 
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