SALT TECTONICS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO

The objective of this 3-day course is to provide geoscientists with a detailed explanation of those aspects of salt tectonics applicable to the northern and southern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) salt basins. It consists primarily of lectures, with examples from the GoM and other basins, that are supplemented by practical exercises. The emphasis is on fundamental mechanics and processes, structural geometries and evolution, salt-sediment interaction and the implications for hydrocarbon exploration and production.

You will learn to:

1. Understand the implications of layered-evaporite sequences for velocity-model building and seismic interpretation.
2. Describe how halite differs from other lithologies and how that impacts deformation in salt basins.
3. Characterize the ways in which extension, contraction and differential loading trigger salt flow and diapir initiation / growth.
4. Interpret typical salt and stratal geometries associated with salt evacuation and diapirism.
5. Predict how drape folding around passive diapirs impacts stratal geometries, faulting and reservoir distribution in diapir-flank traps.
6. Understand why and how allochthonous salt forms and how salt sheets / canopies evolve.
7. Assess the effects of salt on various aspects of the petroleum system, including trap formation, reservoir presence, hydrocarbon maturation and migration and seal.

This course will focus on the structural geology of salt basins, the geological interpretation of seismic data and the interactions between salt and surrounding strata. Each day’s lectures will be supplemented by appropriate seismic-based exercises using 2-D and 3-D seismic data.

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