Abstract
The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region is one of the most important hydrocarbon-producing sedimentary basins in the world. Triassic rifting leads to formation of this small ocean basin characterized by the accumulation of thick salt deposits followed by a thick succession of continental- and marine-derived deposits that combined to generate and trap abundant hydrocarbons. This chapter presents a very brief overview of factors related to hydrocarbon accumulation and production trends in US waters. The offshore GoM has been producing from shelf to deep water for the past ~70 years. Ultra-deep-water drilling was reached in the late 1980s and progressed to depths near 3000 m by the 2000s. Although the extraction of the GoM’s oil and natural gas is in its mature phase, studies indicate that oil and gas reserves are significant and that the GoM will be producing for many decades into the future.
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We thank Eugene Shinn for discussions and tips on current events, and Harry Roberts for helpful review comments.
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Locker, S.D., Hine, A.C. (2020). An Overview of the Geologic Origins of Hydrocarbons and Production Trends in the Gulf of Mexico. In: Murawski, S., et al. Scenarios and Responses to Future Deep Oil Spills. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12963-7_4
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