Changes

Offshore beneath GOM waters, evacuation of salt structures is oldest in the north and is progressively younger toward the south. However, there are Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous salt-cored structures along the Sigsbee Escarpment. Pliocene and Pleistocene depositional loading has displaced salt basinward and differentially loaded detached salt sills into salt-cored massifs and salt-cored diapirs.

Offshore beneath GOM waters, evacuation of salt structures is oldest in the north and is progressively younger toward the south. However, there are Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous salt-cored structures along the Sigsbee Escarpment. Pliocene and Pleistocene depositional loading has displaced salt basinward and differentially loaded detached salt sills into salt-cored massifs and salt-cored diapirs.

The salt-withdrawal synclines formed by sediment loading result in bathymetric lows that serve as sediment transport pathways down the slope.<ref name=ch04r22>Bouma, A., H., 1982, Intraslope basins in northwest Gulf of Mexico: a key to ancient submarine canyons and fans: AAPG Memoir 34, p. 567–581.</ref> The presentday sea-floor bathymetry of the northern Gulf of Mexico slope reflects this transport-pathway lineation of salt-withdrawal synclines bordered by salt-cored anticlines (see Figure 4-41). The distribution of the sediment-thick synclines and salt-core anticlines persists through time, resulting in predictability of sediment transport avenues, depositional areas of potential reservoir sands, and conduits from deeply buried [[[[source rock]]s]] upward to the hydrocarbon traps (see Figures 4-54 and 4-55).

The salt-withdrawal synclines formed by sediment loading result in bathymetric lows that serve as sediment transport pathways down the slope.<ref name=ch04r22>Bouma, A., H., 1982, Intraslope basins in northwest Gulf of Mexico: a key to ancient submarine canyons and fans: AAPG Memoir 34, p. 567–581.</ref> The presentday sea-floor bathymetry of the northern Gulf of Mexico slope reflects this transport-pathway lineation of salt-withdrawal synclines bordered by salt-cored anticlines (see Figure 4-41). The distribution of the sediment-thick synclines and salt-core anticlines persists through time, resulting in predictability of sediment transport avenues, depositional areas of potential reservoir sands, and conduits from deeply buried [[source rock]]s upward to the hydrocarbon traps (see Figures 4-54 and 4-55).

[[file:sedimentary-basin-analysis_fig4-41.png|thumb|{{figure number|4-41}}See text for explanation.]]

[[file:sedimentary-basin-analysis_fig4-41.png|thumb|{{figure number|4-41}}See text for explanation.]]

[[file:sedimentary-basin-analysis_fig4-54.png|thumb|{{figure number|4-54}}. Copyright: Hanor and Sassen (1990); courtesy Gulf Coast SEPM).]]

[[file:sedimentary-basin-analysis_fig4-54.png|thumb|{{figure number|4-54}}Copyright: Hanor and Sassen (1990); courtesy Gulf Coast SEPM).]]

[[file:sedimentary-basin-analysis_fig4-55.png|thumb|{{figure number|4-55}}Based on data from Lovely and Ruggiero (1995, personal communication).]]

[[file:sedimentary-basin-analysis_fig4-55.png|thumb|{{figure number|4-55}}Based on data from Lovely and Ruggiero (1995, personal communication).]]