ANALYSIS OF PARASEQUENCES WITH PALEO-GEOGRAPHICAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE MIOCENE RESERVOIRS OF THE MAIN PASS REGION IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

Abstract

Reservoir sands in the Main Pass region of the Gulf of Mexico have proved to be highly productive, accounting for 56 million barrels of oil and 47 billion cubic feet of gas in just the 4 lease blocks covered in this study. Having a thorough understanding of the depositional trends that created these reservoirs and their relation to the reservoir’s performance is paramount to the success of field development. Post depositional structure is removed through the process of correlation among chrono-stratigraphically equivalent surfaces. Characteristic log signatures from the wells in the trend are then interpreted, resulting in a model of the depositional environment. These depositional environments are the consequence of rising and falling sea levels, coupled with tectonics and climate fluctuations. Times of falling sea level result in deposition of fluvio-deltaic sand bodes deposited by the Paleo-Mississippi river, while times of rising sea level correspond to the deposition of low energy shales. The results of the study can be used to predict prospective adjacent reservoirs, as well as to provide insights into exploitation techniques and mechanisms. Previous performance is tied to the interpreted lithology and therefore depositional environment.