Abstract
This study investigates the Miocene sand distribution of offihore central Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico. Investigating the distribution of this sand, which plays an important role as a reservoir for oil and gas, contributes to petroleum exploration, helps in understanding the Miocene depositional settings, and promotes the knowledge of geology. The Miocene structural features in this area are east-west trending normal faults and salt diapir. Analysis of isopach and sand thickness maps indicates that these structural features are important pathways for sands prograding to the seaward and to the area for deposition of sands. These maps show two major directions of sediment flux toward the southeast and the south. My analyses suggest that depocenters shifted to the southeast from the Bigenerina humbler (I 3.4Ma) to Bigenerina A (6.2Ma) time, and after that time, shifted to the southwest. They also indicate that the distribution of reservoir sand is closely related to the direction and amounts of sediment flux. During low sediment flux, most sands were deposited on the inner shelf, whereas during high sediment flux, sands crossed over the shelf and were deposited onto the outer-shelf . Well-log data, sand-thickness maps, and isopach maps indicate two different depositional settings. They are low-sediment flux and high-sediment flux fluvial and marine settings. The majority of the sands on the shelf are highstand sands-they are sealed by overlying and underlying shales. The hydrocarbons may be provided by shale during the shale dominated marine settings.
Kim, Jingoo (1997). Miocene sand distribution of the South Marsh Island and the Vermillion area, offshore Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1997 -THESIS -K554.