Structural framework

“…Thus from the outset, initial crustal conditions for what would become the Gulf of Mexico were variable. This initial period of rifting left a series of embayments and arches in the northern and NE Gulf of Mexico that remain in the basement today (Ewing, ; Hammes, Hamlin, & Ewing, ; Nunn, ). The final stage of opening of the Gulf of Mexico involved rotational movement of the Yucatan (Pindell & Dewey, ), producing spatially variable extensional velocity, and thus rifting style, depending on the distance from the pole (Huismans & Beaumont, ).…”

Section: Application Of Extensional Models To the Northern Gulf Of Mementioning

confidence: 99%

Extensional models for the development of passive‐margin salt basins, with application to the Gulf of Mexico

et al. 2018

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Recent subsalt petroleum discoveries associated with rifted‐margin salt basins have piqued interest in the presalt geology of the Gulf of Mexico margin. Available subsurface data does not uniquely constrain the subsalt geometry, so creating an interpretation of the crustal architecture requires the application of geological models for crustal extension and breakup. However, published interpretations of the nature of the transition from continental rifting to seafloor spreading range from magma‐rich to magma‐poor. To address this uncertainty, we present 2D forward kinematic models for crustal configurations generated by diverse models (symmetric extension, depth‐dependent extension, and volcanic extension). Through a series of conceptual balanced cross‐sections grounded in a ~600 km 2D seismic line from the NE Gulf of Mexico, we demonstrate the implications of each model for the limit of oceanic crust, basement morphology, crustal architecture, and hydrocarbon prospectivity. We discuss evidence for the dominant crustal processes, including geodynamic factors and structural and stratigraphic observations. Based on our observations and the geologic history, we favour an asymmetric, magma‐poor to ‐intermediate margin interpretation for the NE Gulf of Mexico, but suggest that the degree of volcanic input and width of the ocean‐continent transition zone may vary along strike. The along‐strike variability highlights the importance of understanding all potential presalt crustal configurations, their key features, and their implications. With increased data availability on the presalt geology in the Gulf of Mexico the relevance of these scenarios can be assessed, allowing development of comprehensive geodynamic and tectonic models of the margin and consideration of petroleum system elements in the presalt sequence.

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“…Located in the joint area of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, astride the South Arkansas and the Pickens‐Gilbertown fault zones and the region of crustal thickness change associated with the AOT, the Monroe Uplift (Figure a) is a ~130 km wide local uplift of the Mesozoic strata with respect to the surrounding Cretaceous strata attributed to Late Cretaceous igneous intrusions and characterized by total vertical uplift of ~500 m [ Johnson , ; Murray , ; Ewing , ; Thomas , ]. Buried beneath the Quaternary alluvium, the Monroe Uplift is marked by the pinching out of the Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa strata and bounded by the North Louisiana Salt basin to the southwest, the Mississippi Salt basin to the south and southeast, and the Desha basin (southern depocenter of the Mississippi Embayment) to the north [ Ewing , , ]. Late Cretaceous igneous materials and intrusive rocks were recovered primarily in hydrocarbon exploration wells and indicated on magnetic maps (Figures a and ) [ Kidwell , ; Johnson , ; Byerly , ; Ewing , ].…”

Section: Regional Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Buried beneath the Quaternary alluvium, the Monroe Uplift is marked by the pinching out of the Upper Cretaceous Tuscaloosa strata and bounded by the North Louisiana Salt basin to the southwest, the Mississippi Salt basin to the south and southeast, and the Desha basin (southern depocenter of the Mississippi Embayment) to the north [ Ewing , , ]. Late Cretaceous igneous materials and intrusive rocks were recovered primarily in hydrocarbon exploration wells and indicated on magnetic maps (Figures a and ) [ Kidwell , ; Johnson , ; Byerly , ; Ewing , ]. The famous “Monroe gas rock” of reefal carbonates was deposited in the latest Cretaceous, after the igneous activity [ Murray , ; Ewing , , ].…”

Section: Regional Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Late Cretaceous igneous materials and intrusive rocks were recovered primarily in hydrocarbon exploration wells and indicated on magnetic maps (Figures a and ) [ Kidwell , ; Johnson , ; Byerly , ; Ewing , ]. The famous “Monroe gas rock” of reefal carbonates was deposited in the latest Cretaceous, after the igneous activity [ Murray , ; Ewing , , ]. The Monroe Uplift was rejuvenated during the Laramide orogeny in Late Cretaceous to Early Paleogene time [ Stephens , ].…”

Section: Regional Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Long-lived deformation in the southern Mississippi Embayment revealed by high-resolution seismic reflection and sub-bottom profiler data

2015

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Three high-resolution seismic reflection profiles and two sub-bottom profiler sections acquired along the Mississippi River in southern-Central U.S. image deformation in post-Paleozoic sediments. The northernmost profile images two faults offsetting Cretaceous through at least Eocene Cane River reflectors, interpreted to strike northwest and to be part of the Arkansas River fault zone. The central profile shows a down-to-the-north fault, displacing Cretaceous and Paleocene Midway Group reflectors by~210 m and~160 m, respectively. The fault is interpreted as the northern edge fault of the Monroe Uplift, a Late Cretaceous uplift associated with igneous intrusions. The southernmost profile displays a down-to-the-south fault, offsetting Cretaceous and Paleocene-Eocene Wilcox Group reflectors by~125 m and~32 m, respectively. Tilted reflectors in the first 80 m indicate Eocene-Oligocene activity of the fault, although Quaternary activity cannot be ruled out. Quaternary tectonic activity is proposed for a series of faults that offset shallow (<40 m depth) Eocene sequences and the base of the Quaternary alluvium as imaged on two sub-bottom profiler sections. These shallow faults are imaged in the vicinity of Holocene earthquake-induced liquefaction fields, corroborating the evidence for recent tectonic activity in the area. The spatial coincidence of the imaged faults with the inferred location of the Alabama-Oklahoma transform strongly argues toward a long-lived influence of this Precambrian continental margin in focusing tectonic activity in the southern U.S. by controlling the reactivation of Triassic-Jurassic syn-rift basement structures and guiding the emplacement of Late Cretaceous igneous intrusions and the location of Cenozoic deformation.

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Structural framework

Cited by 47 publications

References 30 publications

Interactions between the Laramide Foreland and the passive margin of the Gulf of Mexico: Tectonics and sedimentation in the Golden Lane area, Veracruz State, Mexico

Interactions between the Laramide Foreland and the passive margin of the Gulf of Mexico: Tectonics and sedimentation in the Golden Lane area, Veracruz State, Mexico

Extensional models for the development of passive‐margin salt basins, with application to the Gulf of Mexico

Long-lived deformation in the southern Mississippi Embayment revealed by high-resolution seismic reflection and sub-bottom profiler data

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