DOCSLIB.ORG

Summary Report on the Regional Geology, Petroleum Potential, Environmental Consideration for Development, and Estimates of Undis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Summary Report on the Regional Geology, Petroleum Potential, Environmental Consideration for Development, and Estimates of Undis UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND U.S. MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE Summary report on the regional geology, petroleum potential, environmental consideration for development, and estimates of undiscovered recoverable oil and gas resources of the United States Gulf of Mexico Continental Margin in the area of proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sales Nos. 81 and 84 Edited by Richard Q. Foote U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OPEN-FILE REPORT 84- 33*} This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards and stratigraphic nomenclature. Use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the USGS. CONTENTS Page iW M . Introduction 0-1 References 0-4 J. xXiis tratxons - "*" - _ » _i - » __»m-r -i.. T- _i . _ .___ u <_,__ -. A.- -m (j j Chapter I: Regional Geologic Framework: Central and Western Gulf of Mexico OCS regions, by Ray G. Martin 1-1 Regional Geologic Setting 1-1 Origin and early evolution 1-2 Mesozoic and Cenozoic depositional history 1-5 Structural framework 1-7 Geologic Framework of Proposed Sale Areas 1-9 Stratigraphy 1-10 Structural features 1-14 ]?O'FOY"QTIV Cl. C I. CLlV*COtlf»d<3 . il~ "I ___ "I .^M -L-"l-__I__MI_ .m L^!_- ^^ «»M»M»^^_______ U__ -- ___WW«» ___U__- ^ - «___ - ___ __L--I ___ _T_U MLaLOL ML ___ ML _. OL J- T»J. fc*? UA Illustrations 1-32 Chapter II: Petroleum Geology: OCS Lease Sales 81 and 84 Planning Areas, by R.Q. Foote and R.G. Martin II-l Introduction II-l Source Beds and Maturation - II-2 Seals and Timing II-4 Mesozoic Reservoir Rocks II-6 Jurassic II-6 Lower Cretaceous II-7 Upper Cretaceous II-8 Cenozoic Reservoir Rocks II-9 ToT-f--{J. cL L-Ldi. a-r^r y .._^~____ . ~ .^ - . ___ _- __..^__.__^___________________ ___ ___ u-^x __._ _^.. ______ TTjLX Q:/ Quaternary 11-17 Structural and Stratigraphic Traps 11-20 Continental shelf 11-20 Continental slope and rise 11-23 Distribution of Oil and Gas Accumulations 11-26 Areas of Geologic Potential 11-29 Central Gulf of Mexico OCS (Sale 81) 11-29 Western Gulf of Mexico OCS (Sale 84) 11-32 T?O"Foi^OTir»OO£VC1. C I. Cli^.l3O M1 am-m - - l_. __"____ «J^ _LJMM LJMM .._ __I___T __i_ __r ~i_ _____ -mi«__-m _ ML __ «__ «__ __ »!«MI ~ __ - ^l^l-~- J^ «- i..^__ . T^FTl_____ __L ___ ..__.' TJ. TJ. * J*^ J^ Illustrations and Tables 11-40 Chapter III: Estimates of Undiscovered Recoverable Crude Oil and Natural Gas Resources, Proposed Lease Sale 81 and 84 Planning Areas, by Abdul S. Khan III-l Introduction III-l Area Assessed III-l Assessment Procedure III-2 Central Gulf Planning Area (OCS Sale 81) HI-4 Exploration history and petroleum potential HI-4 Western Gulf Planning Area (OCS Sale 84) HI-6 Exploration history and petroleum potential HI-6 Estimates of Resources HI-7 References HI-9 Illustrations and Table HI-10 Chapter IV: Environmental Consideration for OCS Development, Lease Sales 81 and 84 Planning Areas, by Louis E. Garrison IV-1 Introduction IV-1 Seafloor Instability IV-2 Upper continental slope IV-3 The Mississippi Delta IV-7 Gas Seeps and Shallow Gas Accumulations IV-8 Shallow Faulting IV-9 Texture of Surface Sediments IV-10 References IV-12 Illustrations IV-16 Chapter V: Unconventional Energy Resources: OCS Lease Sales 81 and 84 Planning Areas, by R.Q. Foote, L.M. Massingill and R.H. Wells V-l Geopressured-Geothermal Energy Resources V-l Geology of geopressured zones V-3 Trends and prospects V-4 Summary V-9 Unconventional Gas Resources: Gas From Gas/Water V-10 Industry activities V-ll Resource estimates V-13 References V-14 Illustrations V-17 Appendix: Environmental Geology Summaries, Introduction '- - -n"-^- -.... ._« -.. v.. -> . »!._ -» ..«... ___-. A J. Pleistocene Trend Area: Southeast Louisiana Shelf and Slope A-l Status of information A-3 South Texas Outer Continental Shelf A-8 Reports generated (1975-1980) A-9 Reference A^-15 SUMMARY REPORT ON THE REGIONAL GEOLOGY, PETROLEUM POTENTIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT, AND ESTIMATES OF UNDISCOVERED OIL AND GAS RESOURCES OF THE UNITED STATES GULF OF MEXICO CONTINENTAL MARGIN IN THE AREA OF PROPOSED OIL AND GAS LEASE SALES NOS. 81 AND 84 INTRODUCTION The first formal step in an Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas lease offering is the preparation of a Resource Report (Summary Geology Report). The resource estimates developed for this report are then used in the preparation of the next required document, the Exploration and Development (E&D) Report. These two reports provide information needed in the selection of the Area of Geologic Potential, the area identified by the Under Secretary, Department of the Interior, in the formal Call for Information. The purpose of the Resource Report is to describe both narratively and graphically the general geology, petroleum geology, resource estimates and environmental geology of an entire planning area, such as the central Gulf of Mexico. The Resource Report is a synthesis of relevant publicly available data and reports; it is written in a style and format that is useful to geologists, economists, petroleum engineers, environmental scientists, and decision-makers. This report summarizes our general knowledge of the geologic framework, petroleum geology, and potential problems and hazards associated with development of petroleum resources in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico OCS Planning Areas for proposed oil and gas lease sales 81 and 84, respectively. These areas encompass the submerged continental margin of the northern Gulf of Mexico from the vicinity of Mobile Bay to the ^io Grande and from State-Federal offshore boundaries to the deep Gulf floor along 0-1 latitude 26°N (Fig. 0-1). The Central Gulf Planning Area (Sale 81) lies offshore the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and encompasses some 39 million acres of seabed. The Western Gulf Planning Area (Sale 84) lies principally offshore Texas, but includes deepwater tracts south of western Louisiana; approximately 33 million acres of seabed are contained in this area. Final sale sizes, however, are subject to exclusion of tracts selected on the basis of environmental concerns, military usage, low geologic potential, and other considerations. Water depths in the combined call-area range from about 60 to 10,200 feet; generalized bathymetry and physiographic features of the region are shown in Figure 0-2. The Gulf of Mexico OCS in the region of proposed lease sales 81 and 84, is the most productive offshore region in the United States. Over 94 percent of the petroleum liquids and 99 percent of the natural gas produced from the U.S. OCS in 1981 were taken from the central and western Gulf OCS off Louisiana and Texas (Havran and others, 1982). The U.S. Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico Regional Field Names Committee lists 521 active oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Mexico OCS as of December 31, 1982. An additional 16 fields have been depleted and abandoned. Estimates of original recoverable reserves for 468i/ active fields and 16 depleted fields amount to 3.56 billion barrels of oil (3BO) and 98.1 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas; remaining recoverable reserves in these fields, as of December 31, 1982, are estimated at 3.0 BBO and 39.8 TCF of gas (Hewitt and others, 1983). The following chapters are arranged to provide general information on the regional framework and petroleum geology of the central and western Gulf of Mexico, followed with information on petroleum potential and seafloor I/ Hewitt and others (1983) do not consider 53 of the 489 active fields to be sufficiently developed to permit reasonably accurate estimates of reserves at this time. 0-2 hazards more specifically tied to the areas proposed for leasing in Sales 81 and 84. References cited and illustrations have been included with individual chapters for convenience. 0-3 References Havran, K. J., Wiese, J. D., Collins, K. M., and Kurz, F. N., 1982, Gulf of Mexico Summary Report 3: A revision of Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico and their onshore impacts; Gulf of Mexico Summary Report 2, August 1981: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 82-242. Hewitt, J. E., Brooke, J. P., Knipmeyer, J. H., and Surcouf, R. M., 1983, Estimated oil and gas reserves, Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf and Continental Slope, December 31, 1982: U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 83-122, 17 p. 0-4 LOU ISIANA Lafayette Ewing Bonk Mississippi Canyon MEXICO 84 LEASE SALE 81 AREA Ztf1 - PLANNING AREA 50 100 NAUTICAL MILES I too ISO KILOMETERS Figure 0-1. Map of northwest Gulf of Mexico showing Central and Western Gulf OCS Planning Areas for proposed Lease Sales 81 (Central) and 84 (Western). 98' 96' 94* 92* O I 26' Figure 0-2. Map of northern Gulf of Mexico region showing bathymetry and principal physiographic feature in area of proposed Lease Sales 81 and 84. Contour intervals: 0 to 200 m in 20-m isobaths; greater than 200 m in 200-ra isobaths. From Martin and Bouma (1982). CHAPTER I REGIONAL GEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK: CENTRAL AND WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO OCS REGIONS by Ray G. Martin GENERAL Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales Nos. 81 and 84 are proposed for the central and western Gulf of Mexico regions lying principally off the states of Texas and Louisiana. These regions include the continental shelf and adjacent continental slope and the deep seabed of the north central and northwestern Gulf of Mexico generally west of longitude 88°W and north of latitude 26°N (Fig.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Victoria County Station ESP, SSAR, Rev. 1
    Victoria County Station ESP Application Part 2 — Site Safety Analysis Report Subsection 2.5.1 Table of Contents Section Title Page 2.5 Geology, Seismology, and Geotechnical Engineering ........................................ 2.5.1-1 2.5.1 Basic Geologic and Seismic Information ........................................................ 2.5.1-3 2.5.1.1 Regional Geology ................................................................................. 2.5.1-4 2.5.1.2 Site Area Geology .............................................................................. 2.5.1-64 2.5.1.3 References ....................................................................................... 2.5.1-102 2.5.1-A Geophysical Cross Sections .....................................................................2.5.1-A-1 2.5.1-i Revision 1 Victoria County Station ESP Application Part 2 — Site Safety Analysis Report Subsection 2.5.1 List of Tables Number Title 2.5.1-1 Growth Faults within Site Vicinity 2.5.1-2 Summary of Meers Fault Characterizations from Existing Literature 2.5.1-3 Seismic Reflection Horizon Depths 2.5.1-4 Updip Fault Terminations and Horizon Offsets Observed in Seismic Lines 2.5.1-5 Active Wells Victoria County Station Site 2.5.1-ii Revision 1 Victoria County Station ESP Application Part 2 — Site Safety Analysis Report Subsection 2.5.1 List of Figures 2.5.1-1 Map of Physiographic Provinces 2.5.1-2a Regional Geologic Map (200-Mile Radius) 2.5.1-2b Explanation for Regional Geologic Map (200-Mile Radius) 2.5.1-3 Physiographic Map of Texas 2.5.1-4 Site
    [Show full text]
  • Middle Eocene Claiborne Group, United States Part of the Gulf of Mexico Basin
    Geologic Assessment of Undiscovered Conventional Oil and Gas Resources —Middle Eocene Claiborne Group, United States Part of the Gulf of Mexico Basin By Paul C. Hackley U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1144 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2012 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Suggested citation: Hackley, P.C., 2012, Geologic assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources—Middle Eocene Claiborne Group, United States part of the Gulf of Mexico Basin: U.S. Geological Survey Open–File Report 2012–1144, 87 p., available only at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1144/. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. ii Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgments
    [Show full text]
  • Resolving the Variscan Evolution of the Moldanubian Sector of The
    Journal of Geosciences, 52 (2007), 9–28 DOI: 10.3190/jgeosci.005 Original paper Resolving the Variscan evolution of the Moldanubian sector of the Bohemian Massif: the significance of the Bavarian and the Moravo–Moldanubian tectonometamorphic phases Fritz FINGER1*, Axel GERDEs2, Vojtěch JANOušEk3, Miloš RENé4, Gudrun RIEGlER1 1University of Salzburg, Division of Mineralogy, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria; [email protected] 2University of Frankfurt, Institute of Geoscience, Senckenberganlage 28, D-60054 Frankfurt, Germany 3Czech Geological Survey, Klárov 3, 118 21 Prague 1, Czech Republic 4Academy of Sciences, Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, V Holešovičkách 41, 182 09 Prague 8, Czech Republic *Corresponding author The Variscan evolution of the Moldanubian sector in the Bohemian Massif consists of at least two distinct tectonome- tamorphic phases: the Moravo–Moldanubian Phase (345–330 Ma) and the Bavarian Phase (330–315 Ma). The Mora- vo–Moldanubian Phase involved the overthrusting of the Moldanubian over the Moravian Zone, a process which may have followed the subduction of an intervening oceanic domain (a part of the Rheiic Ocean) beneath a Moldanubian (Armorican) active continental margin. The Moravo–Moldanubian Phase also involved the exhumation of the HP–HT rocks of the Gföhl Unit into the Moldanubian middle crust, represented by the Monotonous and Variegated series. The tectonic emplacement of the HP–HT rocks was accompanied by intrusions of distinct magnesio-potassic granitoid melts (the 335–338 Ma old Durbachite plutons), which contain components from a strongly enriched lithospheric mantle source. Two parallel belts of HP–HT rocks associated with Durbachite intrusions can be distinguished, a western one at the Teplá–Barrandian and an eastern one close to the Moravian boundary.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geology of England – Critical Examples of Earth History – an Overview
    The Geology of England – critical examples of Earth history – an overview Mark A. Woods*, Jonathan R. Lee British Geological Survey, Environmental Science Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG *Corresponding Author: Mark A. Woods, email: [email protected] Abstract Over the past one billion years, England has experienced a remarkable geological journey. At times it has formed part of ancient volcanic island arcs, mountain ranges and arid deserts; lain beneath deep oceans, shallow tropical seas, extensive coal swamps and vast ice sheets; been inhabited by the earliest complex life forms, dinosaurs, and finally, witnessed the evolution of humans to a level where they now utilise and change the natural environment to meet their societal and economic needs. Evidence of this journey is recorded in the landscape and the rocks and sediments beneath our feet, and this article provides an overview of these events and the themed contributions to this Special Issue of Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, which focuses on ‘The Geology of England – critical examples of Earth History’. Rather than being a stratigraphic account of English geology, this paper and the Special Issue attempts to place the Geology of England within the broader context of key ‘shifts’ and ‘tipping points’ that have occurred during Earth History. 1. Introduction England, together with the wider British Isles, is blessed with huge diversity of geology, reflected by the variety of natural landscapes and abundant geological resources that have underpinned economic growth during and since the Industrial Revolution. Industrialisation provided a practical impetus for better understanding the nature and pattern of the geological record, reflected by the publication in 1815 of the first geological map of Britain by William Smith (Winchester, 2001), and in 1835 by the founding of a national geological survey.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is a Salt Dome? How Do They Form? 3/2/18, 4:06 PM What Is a Salt Dome?
    What is a Salt Dome? How do they form? 3/2/18, 4:06 PM What is a Salt Dome? » » Salt Domes Columns of salt that intrude through overlying sediment units. Middle Jurassic salt: This cross-section shows rocks of the East Texas Basin between the Oklahoma-Texas border (on the left) and the Gulf of Mexico coastline (on the right). The purple rock unit is the Middle Jurassic salt, a rock unit that has the ability to flow under pressure. The salt is overlain by thousands of feet of sediment which place enormous pressure on the surface of the salt and cause it to flow. At numerous locations the salt has intruded upwards into overlying sediments. This has produced small mounds or towering columns of salt that can be thousands of feet tall. The salt columns and smaller mounds are called "salt domes." USGS image [1]. https://geology.com/stories/13/salt-domes/ Page 1 of 12 What is a Salt Dome? How do they form? 3/2/18, 4:06 PM Salt Dome: Cartoon of a salt dome showing piercement through two rock units and deformation of the rock unit immediately above. Growth of the dome is accomplished by migration of salt into the dome from surrounding areas. The salt migrates into the dome because it is compressed by the weight of overlying sediments. What is a Salt Dome? A salt dome is a mound or column of salt that has intruded upwards into overlying sediments. Salt domes can form in a sedimentary basin where a thick layer of salt is overlain by younger sediments of significant thickness.
    [Show full text]
  • Pre-Mesozoic Geology of Saxo-Thuringia from the Cadomian Active Margin to the Variscan Orogen
    GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, FEBRUARY 2011, 62, 1, 42 BOOK REVIEW Pre-Mesozoic Geology of Saxo-Thuringia From the Cadomian Active Margin to the Variscan Orogen Editors: ULF LINNEMANN & ROLF L. ROMER 26–28 April 2010 2010. Schweizerbart Science Publishers, Stuttgart. 488 pages, 190 figures, 6 tables, 1 Sheet Map, 1 DVD, 1 foldout, 25x 17 cm, 1400 g. Language: English ISBN 978-3-510-65259-4, bound, price: 84.90 EUR The monographic work is a summary of results of a wider team of authors, who have contributed to the five dominant Parts, each of which consists of several Chapters focused on individual problems of the Saxo-Thuringian Region, its geological structure and its development in time and space. It is a classical analysis of the development of the Pre-Mesozoic stage from the Cadomian Active Margin to the Variscan Orogene. Saxo-Thuringia represents a very important region displaying development of the Variscides in one part of the Pangea supercontinent. The first chapter of the first part (Introduction) of the book is absolutely devoted to the location of this region of Saxo-Thuringia in the context of the Pangea supercontinent, followed by detailed recapitulation of the geological maps and results from geological mapping in historical survey from oldest documents to almost present- day works, which are well preserved and represent for the reader the classical and modern shool of regional geology of this region. The third chapter of this part completely untraditionally, but in a very interesting way shows the region of Saxo- Thuringia from the point of view of geochemical potential.
    [Show full text]
  • Kimmeridgian (Late Jurassic) Cold-Water Idoceratids (Ammonoidea) from Southern Coahuila, Northeastern Mexico, Associated with Boreal Bivalves and Belemnites
    REVISTA MEXICANA DE CIENCIAS GEOLÓGICAS Kimmeridgian cold-water idoceratids associated with Boreal bivalvesv. 32, núm. and 1, 2015, belemnites p. 11-20 Kimmeridgian (Late Jurassic) cold-water idoceratids (Ammonoidea) from southern Coahuila, northeastern Mexico, associated with Boreal bivalves and belemnites Patrick Zell* and Wolfgang Stinnesbeck Institute for Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 234, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. *[email protected] ABSTRACT et al., 2001; Chumakov et al., 2014) was followed by a cool period during the late Oxfordian-early Kimmeridgian (e.g., Jenkyns et al., Here we present two early Kimmeridgian faunal assemblages 2002; Weissert and Erba, 2004) and a long-term gradual warming composed of the ammonite Idoceras (Idoceras pinonense n. sp. and trend towards the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary (e.g., Abbink et al., I. inflatum Burckhardt, 1906), Boreal belemnites Cylindroteuthis 2001; Lécuyer et al., 2003; Gröcke et al., 2003; Zakharov et al., 2014). cuspidata Sachs and Nalnjaeva, 1964 and Cylindroteuthis ex. gr. Palynological data suggest that the latest Jurassic was also marked by jacutica Sachs and Nalnjaeva, 1964, as well as the Boreal bivalve Buchia significant fluctuations in paleotemperature and climate (e.g., Abbink concentrica (J. de C. Sowerby, 1827). The assemblages were discovered et al., 2001). in inner- to outer shelf sediments of the lower La Casita Formation Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous marine associations contain- at Puerto Piñones, southern Coahuila, and suggest that some taxa of ing both Tethyan and Boreal elements [e.g. ammonites, belemnites Idoceras inhabited cold-water environments. (Cylindroteuthis) and bivalves (Buchia)], were described from numer- ous localities of the Western Cordillera belt from Alaska to California Key words: La Casita Formation, Kimmeridgian, idoceratid ammonites, (e.g., Jeletzky, 1965), while Boreal (Buchia) and even southern high Boreal bivalves, Boreal belemnites.
    [Show full text]
  • Crystalline Complexes in the Southern Parts O.F the Bohemian Massif and in the Eastern Alps by G
    INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGICAL CONGRESS XXIII SESSION PRAGUE 1968 Guide to Excursion 32 C Austria Crystalline Complexes in the Southern Parts o.f the Bohemian Massif and in the Eastern Alps by G. Frasl, H. G. Scharbert, H. Wieseneder PUBLISHED BY THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF AUSTRIA Excursion 32 C / Aug. 31.-Sept. 3, 1968 Excursion Leaders and Authors of the Excursion-guide: G. FRASL Universität Salzburg, Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie - Salzburg, Porsdie­ straße 8. H. G. ScHARBER T Universität Wien, Mineralogisch-Petrographisches Institut - Wien I, Dr.-Karl-Lueger­ ring 1. H. WIESENEDER Universität Wien, Mineralogisch-Petrographisches Institut - Wien 1, Dr.-Karl-Lueger­ ring 1. All rights reserved. Copyright, 1968, © by Geologische Bundesanstalt, Wien III. Printed in Austria. Contents I. The Bohernian Massif in Austria, Moldanubian Zone. H. G. ScHARBERT (First day) . 5 Introduction . 5 The excursion (Stop 1/1-stop I/6) 9 II. The Bohemian Massif in Austria, Moravian Zone. G. FRASL (Second day) . 13 General remarks . 13 The excursion (Stop II/1-stop II/9) 17 III. The eastern End of the Central Alps. H. WIESENEDER (Third and fo*th day) 25 General geology of the area . 25 The Wechsel unit . 25 The "grobgneiss" formation . 26 Permo-Mesozoic . 28 Metamorphism in the Semmering-Wechsel area . 30 The excursion (Stop III/1-stop III/11) . 30 Selected literature within ead1 article 1 (First day) The Bohemian Massif in Austria The Moldanubian Zone By H. G. ScHARBERT With 1 figure Introduction The Bohemian Massif is a deeply eroded cratogenic block having re­ ceived its last tectonic coining during the Variscian orogeny.
    [Show full text]
  • ABSTRACT Magnetic Investigation of the Continental-Oceanic Crustal
    ABSTRACT Magnetic Investigation of the Continental-Oceanic Crustal Boundary; Northern Gulf of Mexico Mark Speckien, M.S. Mentor: John A. Dunbar, Ph.D. Current mapping of magnetic intensity data shows that the Gulf Coast magnetic anomaly is not one anomaly but two distinct anomalies, with one portion trending parallel to the margin before curving northward through central Texas, and then northeastward into the Balcones Fault Zone along the eastern trace of the Ouachita Deformation Front, and the other following the coastline into Louisiana. Multiple profiles perpendicular to the geologic strike of the anomalies lead to the interpretation of these anomalies as the superposition of a normal rifting feature and a pre-existing crustal feature remnant of a complex tectonic history in the region. The location of the pre-existing feature and the rift anomaly suggest pre-rifting lithosphere conditions influenced the rifting process as seen in other passive rifting models. Magnetic Investigation of the Continental-Oceanic Crustal Boundary; Northern Gulf of Mexico by Mark Speckien, B.S. A Thesis Approved by the Geology Department ___________________________________ Steven G. Driese, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Approved by the Thesis Committee ___________________________________ John A. Dunbar, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ Vincent S. Cronin, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Dwight P. Russell, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School August 2012 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2012 by Mark Speckien All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Ages of Detrital Zircons
    Elsevier Editorial System(tm) for Precambrian Research Manuscript Draft Manuscript Number: Title: AGES OF DETRITAL ZIRCONS (U/Pb, LA-ICP-MS) FROM THE LATEST NEOPROTEROZOIC - MIDDLE CAMBRIAN(?) ASHA GROUP AND EARLY DEVONIAN TAKATY FORMATION, THE SOUTH- WESTERN URALS: A TEST OF AN AUSTRALIA-BALTICA CONNECTION WITHIN RODINIA Article Type: SI:Precambrian Supercontinents Keywords: Urals, Detrital Zircon, Rodinia, Ediacaran, Baltica Corresponding Author: Prof. Nikolay Borisovich Kuznetsov, Ph.D. Corresponding Author's Institution: Geological Institute of Russian Academy of Science First Author: Nikolay B Kuznetsov, Ph.D. Order of Authors: Nikolay B Kuznetsov, Ph.D.; Josef G Meert, Ph.D.; Tatiana V Romanyuk, Ph.D. Abstract: Results from U/Pb-dating of detrital zircons (dZr) from sandstones of the Basu and Kukkarauk Fms. (Asha Group) of Ediacaran-Middle Cambrian(?) age along with the results obtained from the Early Devonian Takaty Fm. are presented. The age of the Asha Group is traditionally labeled as Upper Vendian in the Russian stratigraphic chart that overlaps with the Ediacaran in the International stratigraphic chart. The dZr whose ages fall within the age-interval of (500-750 Ma) are common in the Basu and Kukkarauk Fm. These ages are typical for crystalline complexes in the Pre- Uralides-Timanides orogen. The identification of zircons with this age range agrees with commonly adopted interpretations for the depositional origin of the Asha Group as a molasse resulting from the erosion of that orogenic belt. Based on the estimates of the youngest ages of dZr along with the tentative identification of inarticulate brachiopods in the Kukkarauk Fm., it appears that the upper part of the Asha Group may extend into the Middle Cambrian.
    [Show full text]
  • Lower Palaeozoic Evolution of the Northeast German Basin/Baltica Borderland
    Originally published as: McCann, T. (1998): Lower Palaeozoic evolution of the NE German Basin/Baltica borderland. - Geological Magazine, 135, 129-142. DOI: 10.1017/S0016756897007863 Geol. Mag. 135 (1), 1998, pp. 129–142. Printed in the United Kingdom © 1998 Cambridge University Press 129 Lower Palaeozoic evolution of the northeast German Basin/Baltica borderland TOMMY MCCANN GeoForschungsZentrum (Projektbereich 3.3 – Sedimente und Beckenbildung), Telegrafenberg A26, 14473 Potsdam, Germany (Received 15 October 1996; accepted 11 July 1997) Abstract – The Vendian–Silurian succession from a series of boreholes in northeast Germany has been pet- rographically and geochemically investigated. Evidence suggests that the more northerly Vendian and Cambrian succession was deposited on a craton which became increasingly unstable in Ordovician times. Similarly, the Ordovician-age succession deposited in the Rügen area indicates a strongly active continental margin tectonic setting for the same period. By Silurian times the region was once more relatively tectoni- cally quiescent. Although complete closure of the Tornquist Sea was not complete until latest Silurian times, the major changes in tectonic regime in the Eastern Avalonia/Baltica area recorded from the Ordovician sug- gest that a significant degree of closure occurred during this time. The precise location of the southwestern edge of 1. Introduction Baltica (that is, that part of Baltica to the south of the The northeast German Basin is situated between the sta- Sorgenfrei-Tornquist Zone) is not known. This is largely ble Precambrian shield area of the Baltic Sea/Scandinavia as a result of masking by younger sediments (Tanner & to the north and the Cadomian/Caledonian/Variscan- Meissner, 1996).
    [Show full text]
  • Tectonic Evolution of the Mesozoic South Anyui Suture Zone, GEOSPHERE; V
    Research Paper GEOSPHERE Tectonic evolution of the Mesozoic South Anyui suture zone, GEOSPHERE; v. 11, no. 5 eastern Russia: A critical component of paleogeographic doi:10.1130/GES01165.1 reconstructions of the Arctic region 18 figures; 5 tables; 2 supplemental files; 1 animation Jeffrey M. Amato1, Jaime Toro2, Vyacheslav V. Akinin3, Brian A. Hampton1, Alexander S. Salnikov4, and Marianna I. Tuchkova5 1Department of Geological Sciences, New Mexico State University, MSC 3AB, P.O. Box 30001, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003, USA CORRESPONDENCE: [email protected] 2Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, 330 Brooks Hall, P.O. Box 6300, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA 3North-East Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Magadan, Portovaya Street, 16, 685000, Russia CITATION: Amato, J.M., Toro, J., Akinin, V.V., Hamp- 4Siberian Research Institute of Geology, Geophysics, and Mineral Resources, 67 Krasny Prospekt, Novosibirsk, 630091, Russia ton, B.A., Salnikov, A.S., and Tuchkova, M.I., 2015, 5Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pyzhevskii per. 7, Moscow, 119017, Russia Tectonic evolution of the Mesozoic South Anyui su- ture zone, eastern Russia: A critical component of paleogeographic reconstructions of the Arctic region: ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Geosphere, v. 11 no. 5, p. 1530–1564, doi: 10 .1130 /GES01165.1. The South Anyui suture zone consists of late Paleozoic–Jurassic ultra- The South Anyui suture zone (Fig. 1) is a remnant of a Mesozoic ocean Received 19 December 2014 mafic rocks and Jurassic–Cretaceous pre-, syn-, and postcollisional sedimen- basin that separated the Arctic Alaska–Chukotka microplate from Siberia Revision received 2 July 2015 tary rocks.
    [Show full text]