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Applied Science Goals:

Past phases of the GBDS research project have emphasized basin-wide mapping of the 34 tectonostratigraphic units from Pre-salt to Pleistocene. Now that all petroleum system-relevant Gulf of Mexico large scale units have been identified and mapped, Phase XIV will focus on subdividing, correlating, and mapping deposodes and supersequences at a higher stratigraphic resolution. While we will continue to update our database of stratigraphic tops and net sand data, our emphasis is shifting to mining the existing database and adding new kinds of data including pressure and fluids. The integration of pressure, fluids and stratigraphic data will allow us to address topics related to carbon storage in addition to understanding the distribution of source, seal and reservoir facies in the Gulf of Mexico, both in the US and Mexico, onshore and offshore.

In Phase 14 we foresee three broad research themes:

Pressure and Fluids in a stratigraphic context

• High-Resolution Source Rock Studies using released PVT data
• Pressure and Temperature maps for onshore Fields, Sureste Mexico
• Mapping of pressure barriers from MDT/RCI/RFT/SFT data, evaluate regional pressure trends in the northern GOM
• Evaluation of underfilled and water-wet traps in Mexico deepwater
• Using subsurface pressures to identify potential “dump flood” (pressure support) candidates sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico Cenozoic
• PVT analysis of GOM fluids and correlation to source rocks (NGoM).

Carbon Capture and Sequestration

• Using subsurface pressure data to evaluate seals above abandoned field reservoirs as potential sites for carbon storage in Federal waters of the Texas\Louisiana industrial corridor
• Continue Chandeleur Island carbon storage site trap and volume assessment.

Stratigraphic Evolution of the Gulf of Mexico Sedimentary Basin

• Detrital Zircon Thermochronology sampling of key wells in N. GoM deepwater (Wilcox), onshore Burgos Basin Late Cretaceous, and Miocene of Sureste deepwater
• Refine depocenter mapping and paleo-river identification of Mesozoic in NGoM
• Evaluate Cenozoic sediment portioning between terrestrial, shallow marine and deep-water environments in the northern Gulf of Mexico
• Pre-salt in Mexico – Tecomate 101 type well analyses
• Calibrated backstripping to reconstruct the paleobathymetry of the Louann Salt.

In support of these research topics we will update our databases with new well and seismic data as it becomes available. As we continue to enhance and refine our GIS and Landmark databases, workflows, and interpretations we’ll explore new methodology to create more accurate and wide-spread maps for our GBDS units.

NEW! GBDS Buffler Postdoctoral Fellow Scientific Goals:

Extrinsic Controls on Reservoir Development in the Mexican Ridges and Veracruz Trough, Mexico Deepwater

• Mexico source to sink Paleogene (Wilcox and Oligocene) focus.

Student Research Projects:

• Support of 1 Post-Doctoral Fellow
• Support of several Undergraduate Research Assistants (click to learn more) and Undergraduate Honors Theses.

GBDS Database, GIS and Tools:

• Add to GBDS well control and documentation with newly released data. To include well logs, biostratigraphy, LAS, RCI\MDT and more from the US and Mexico (203+ in Phase 13)
• Add to GBDS reference library as new publication, presentations, and posters are released (148+ new references in Phase 13)
• Creation of new well and seismic cross-sections addressing broader research goals and in collaboration with our third party contributors to highlight areas of interest related to source rocks, CCS, and pressure data
• Maintain current GoM GIS database and provide interim updates to Industrial Associates. It should be noted that GBDS maintains a large database with 300 plus maps which are updated on a yearly if not quarterly basis with a goal of keeping this database and toolset evergreened so IA members have the most up-to-date and accessible information
• Support of GBDS tools for ArcGIS Pro and ArcMap
• Continue to update and refine GBDSTools as science requires.