Basal Salt Shear Model for Hydrocarbon Exploration

A geophysical model explains overthrusting of thick sediment columns above allochthonous salt sheets via a basal shear mechanism. The paper presents six specific lines of evidence supporting the model, including lithologically distinct transition zones and overpressures. It was authored by SCIOPS and published via the Minerals Management Service (MMS) web domain.

Use Cases

• Analyze overpressured transition zones as potential pathways, seals, or reservoirs for hydrocarbon migration.
• Estimate hydrocarbon column height in nearby reservoirs based on hydrocarbon detection within the basal shear zone.
• Re-evaluate the age and depositional environment of subsalt reservoir sands using the model's implications.
• Account for anomalous low-velocity zones near salt sheet bases when depth-migrating seismic data.

Strengths

• Model is supported by six distinct categories of geological and geophysical evidence.
• Paper is directly available for download from a government agency (MMS) web domain.

Limitations

• The dataset is a single academic paper with no accompanying tabular or geospatial data files.
• No sample data, column definitions, or quantitative measurements are provided in the input.

Provenance

Source

Paper hosted on the Minerals Management Service (MMS) website, gomr.mms.gov.

Collection Method

Theoretical geophysical model presented in a published paper.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

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